Probably some of the guests.

The Bride...

You don't have to get rid of anything to cut wedding costs. You can get a prior owned wedding dress or even a fake cake for the ceremony and then switch it for a cheaper smaller cake when it is time for the food fight!

the groom lol

Tell em it's byob and they can go cheap on the gifts if they want☺

Paying for the alcohol at the reception, and the formal ceremony location. Weddings can take place anywhere, and you can have a cash bar, or bar alcohol altogether.

1. Gifts for the wedding party folks from the bride and groom. 2. Limit the free booze to two drinks each. They can pay if they want more (I've seen this from two to unlimited depending on the wedding.) 3. Have the wedding outside, no church or hall to rent. 4. Have a friend or brother, etc. get certified to legally marry folks and use him/her to do the deed. No cost for the Minister/Justice, etc. Could list more but that would really cheapen it. Like take out a lot of the food, etc.

Guests. Over HALF the cost of a wedding is the reception meal. You can cut out a TON of expense if you gain the guts to avoid only the people from the office you actually like, instead of feeding and offering free booze to everyone in the company. For that matter, you could make it an alcohol-free wedding... and a good number of people will opt-out of coming on their own. Then you won't have to feed them!

The wedding! Elope to Vegas or get married on a local beach or in the mountains!

Pot-luck. It's the only way to go!

the reception

The Bride, no, no only kidding. I do think the receptions today are a terrible waste. My sons cost over 30,000, I didn't pay, but the marriage didn't last 2 years either. if my daughter were to marry, she has already said neither want anything like that. What a waste. Put a down payment on a house, anything!

the mother-in-law or at least her input into what was happening

shoes haha everybdy just ends up kickn em off nd going barefoot neway....

catering food - everbody likes to cook. and if the mother in law really wants to be involved she can help my mom make food a big indoor ballroom - i'd rather have it outside anyways

Everything! go to the justice of the peace and get married,then to the house for a barbecue in the back yard,take the extra expense money and pay off bills.start the marriage off right w/ little or no debt...

the preacher.

My wedding cost 75 bucks..it would be hard to cut back much more than that!

Extended family :-P

I got a list for you: excessive flowering all over the place, a simpler cake, less expensive food, rent the tuxedo AND the gown.....you're only going to wear it one time anyway, let friends and family cater the food, ask a friend to take the pix if you know a photographer....they can give that to you as your wedding present, don't offer alcohol except for the toasting (they can bring their own), and the number one answer is.....go to a justice of the peace. It isn't pretty, but it gets the job done. We spent exactly $74 on our wedding.

People. I really think a person just needs close family and a few close friends there. That's all I would have. Video tape the thing and if anyone else who wasn't there wants a copy, you can just send them one. By cutting down the people, you won't have to have so much food. And if it's really small, just get delivery from your favorite restaurant.

Why buy from a jeweler when Cracker Jack does the trick? You could even put it in the ceremony where the bride and groom dive into a pool of cracker jacks looking for a ring prize, and whoever gets it first and grabs the flag in 60 seconds wins the only plane ticket for the honeymoon!

You don't necessarily have to because you could request that people contribute to the wedding costs as a wedding present, this of course depends on how generous your guests are, if they are stingy why invite them? lol

The ceremony, lets just sign the damn papers and get on the wine

wedding clothes :|

the venue - if you had somewhere free to hold the reception, it would cut down cost a lot

Well our wedding was free! We were married free of charge by the city (they do it on certain days) and it was a beautiful ceremony with over 50 friends and relatives. Then after the wedding, some of us (mostly the closest family members) went to a restaurant and my husband's grandfathers paid for lunch and drinks. The only thing that cost us for the wedding was the paperwork needed for me to move legally from the states to Belgium and our wedding outfits (which were dressy but not completely formal so we can wear them again).

When we were married we did it fairly cheaply, we hired outfits, didnt book a photographer (our friends and family took photos) we downsized on flowers, held our reception at a local club and brought in caterers who were less than half the price of a fancy restaurant. Everyone had a great time, and it all went smoothly. Also i had a friend bake the wedding cake, it was a proper 3 tier wedding cake and cost us very little.

Expensive wedding favors. I have seen everything from cutesy key chains to champagne flutes. That must have cost a fortune and who really keeps that stuff? Waste of money in my opinion.

I chose a neighbor who had watched me grow to take me in his car to Church (no limo costs). He was so honored he bought a new car, and chose it white, just for the occasion! If it's a Church wedding, see if other ceremonies will be held the same day and share the cost of the flower decorations with the other couple(s). If you have someone close enough (mom, best friend, sister...), borrow their wedding dress. Tell them what an honor it will be for you, and it will count as something borrowed. Have your friend's or family's kids decorate your cake. I made mine, three tiered and all, but a cupcake tower will be something easy for novice bakers to decorate, and will be something talked about for years. Purchase plastic decorations, cupcake picks or sugar flowers, and let them do as they please. If you don't like the cupcake tower, buy a plain white sheet birthday cake from your local grocery store. Add silk flowers, some ribbon and you have your cake! Just mentioning the word "wedding" skyrockets the price, so tell them you are learning to decorate....lol. Keep one thing in mind: the looks on the cake are far more important than having the best tasting cake in town. Long after your guests have forgotten the taste of your cake, people will still be talking about how cute it was or how unique! Have your wedding reception at a local park. Talk to your city officials and make the proper arrangements for your city. Have the wedding catered buffet style. It will be much cheaper than a restaurant, and people will feel more relaxed. Some parks have better instalations than others (pergolas, chairs and tables, etc) so choose wisely. Decorate with dime-store white balloons instead of fancy pearlescent wedding ones. Use white crepe paper banners and tissue bells. Use plain white paper tablecloths, napkins and cutlery. Using wedding themed paper plates will round off the whole deal and make the cheap, plain white stuff look a million bucks. If you really prefer a restaurant reception, find a local banquet hall or restaurant that is just starting out. They will be thrilled with the business, and you can negotiate the price a lot better. Good luck!

Instead of cutting things out, BARTER!! No-one does these days but if you have the balls to push for it it can work. And usually if it doesn't then they obviously already gave you a good deal.

try to do as much of it as you can. my girlfriend got married a few years ago, we did all the centerpieces, and a friend did all of our hair free of charge. if your bridal party can afford it, get them to pay for the rentals. the bridesmaids found dresses at a shop that were 2 years old, and we only paid $15 for them and had a seamstress alter them for 15 each. you can even do your own decorations and find friends or family to dj. but the most important thing, i think, that you get premarital counselling before you get married. it save a lot of marriages or it can stop them. maybe there is somethings that you never talked about bwefore nad once you're married you may find out things that you may not like about your spouse

Get married in a park in casual attire.

The bar.

learning from the experiences of my last two weddings and subsequent divorces,I think the best thing to get rid of would be the bride.Just cut her a check for 10,000 and call it a day,I would come out way ahead in the end.

... most of the ceremony ... elope with just a best man and a brides maid ... and have a judge marry you in a court ...

the cake

I know someone who rented a wedding dress and had an afternoon reception at about half the cost of an evening one.

The bar, wedding favors, the cake - have cupcakes instead of one big cake...keep a medium sized one if you still want a decent wedding cake. Flowers, they are just one day use and end up getting pitched, buy potted flowers and give them as gifts.

1. flowers 2. wedding party 3. shoes 4. dress (they're not too hard to borrow) 5. tux (I don't see how it's any nicer than a normal suit) 6. people (smaller is more fun because you can spend time with everyone) 7. photographer (get a couple people to take pictures with digital cameras - it works great!) 8. food (you can have a good reception with a few desserts rather than an extravagant meal)

the wedding! Elope!

1. Limit the alcohol to one bottle of white and one bottle of red wine to each six-eight people. Having a limited number of drinks or having guests buy their own drinks are huge no-no's according the the wedding etiquette expert I work with. 2. Have a brunch. This is the least expensive meal to serve. You can also go with a dessert menu, cake and drink only, or something other than a full meal. 3. Get married on off peak seasons and off peak times. The peak months are June and October. Evenings are peak times. 4. Cut down the guest list. You can have an "A" list, "B" list, and "C" list. The "A" list are people who you send invitations to well in advance. If and when you get RSVPs of non-attendance from those people, you send an invitation from each one to someone on the "B" list. The "C" list are those who you'll invite if you finish the "B" list and there are still some "spots" open of the number of guests you are going to have. You do have to send invitations well in advance in order to use this system. The "A" list should be sent invitations approx. 12 weeks prior to the wedding. 5. Find family members and friends who can do things for you in lieu of a gift if they are willing. Things might include hair styling, make up, decor, flowers, etc. Don't be afraid to ask people to help of those you are close to! 6. The number one way- elope.

the booze!!! God it's freaking expensive! That and the food!! Yuck.

The entire wedding. Im all for spending the money either on the honeymoon or downpayment on a home. All the hoopla of a big wedding to me is ridicules & all for show. All that money & it's over in 30 minutes.

THE CHURCH.

the clothes

I wouldn't get rid of anything (except the free bar), but everything else I'd downgrade it or reduce it. Cheaper blooms in the flowers, smaller bouquets, less expensive clothes, maybe hire, smaller church choir, separate the invitations for church and the reception so you can reduce the numbers at the expensive bit, shop round for the photographer, buffet instead of full wedding breakfast; get friends to help with the buffet etc. Its a celebration with friends, nothing else; special because of the love, not the price ticket. :-)