When I was planning my San Francisco wedding, I told any supplier where it was feasible that I was having a family gathering, not a wedding.

(But the most important part of economically hosting a wedding is to not hire a wedding planner, it’s like their whole job is to separate you from your money. It’s a surprising amount of work to do everything yourself, but it’s the difference between a $5000 wedding and a $20,000 wedding)