Expenses

You plan your budget based on money you already have or what you can save before the wedding and then plan based on that. If that means you can only afford to invite 50 people then that’s okay! Generally 50-60% of your total budget goes towards venue/food/alcohol.

I'd decide on an overall budget before you look at venues or decide on a time of year. That will help you determine what you can spend for a budget. I'd plan a minimum of $10 per person for food (bbq or mexican usually with no appetizers or dessert). If you can't afford that, I'd have a cake & punch reception during a non-meal time that lasts around 2 hours. I'd skip things like engagement pictures, save the dates, menus & programs & favors, videographer, transportation, professional hair & makeup, and a large wedding party.

We had a budget then looked at venues with a rough estimate number of people we wanted to invite and didn't choose until we found one we could afford. If cutting your number isn't an option try looking at blank slate venues where you can bring in your own caterer and alcohol instead of an all in one place.

The easiest way to cut costs is to reduce your guest count.
Pick a budget that is reasonable for your current savings/income + any help you are getting from family.
Do not take a loan or line of credit for a wedding.

I took up a side gig that was money specifically for the wedding

A wedding for that many guests is generally going to be pretty expensive. You can either try to cut costs down to a budget you are comfortable with, or find a way to increase your budget (or a mix of both). Cutting down your guest list and choosing cheaper catering will help, and you could also look for community centers or parks for a cheaper venue. To increase your budget, you can push out your wedding date to give yourself more time to save, look for side jobs, or find things you can cut back in your daily life (eating out, expensive cable subscriptions, vacations, etc.). FH and I really didn't want to compromise on the quality and style of the wedding we dreamed of so we did a long (27 month) engagement to allow us plenty of time to save up, and we've also skipped taking vacations so we can put that money towards our honeymoon.

I live in kind of a small town. Our wedding is going to be about 15-16k for 200ppl