What all can you skip? What did you skip?

Favors are optional. I would opt to do actual paper invites (don't have to be fancy, but match the formality of the event) because people don't seem to take electronic ones seriously.

Guest book optional, programs optional, any personalized napkins etc, save-the-dates, you can limit the bar to beer and wine, get a bridesmaid dress or department store dress in white, do your own hair/makeup...lots of ways to save money without impacting guest experience

Going small with floral decor is a big and smart way to save! The only flowers I had at my wedding were a few bunches of mums that I bought for about $3.50 each a couple days before my wedding, haha, and also my fake flower bridal bouquet (which was about $200 from Etsy, but it's a keepsake I put out on display every fall now :-) ).

You can also skip save the dates, programs, and favors. Invitations is definitely an area you can splurge on or choose to go less expensive. A guest book is another one you can skip altogether if you really don't care about it, or go less expensive as well.

^ Great suggestions from Holly! You can definitely save in SO many ways. The only thing you shouldn't "skimp" on is catering and alcohol (and photography in my opinion ;-) ).

Scroll around on the forum; there have been at least two posts on this in the last two days.

Some things I will be skipping: favors, garter toss (so no garter), guest book, all that extra signage, programs, a lot of extra décor as my location is already mostly decorated and beautiful as it is.

This is what I am considering for the e-vites. They look sooo nice!

https://www.greenvelope.com/

Everyone minus maybe 5 people are local. Most of them are also our age as it's mostly friends and cousins, so that's why I figured e-vites would work well with our crowd. We are only having about 60 guests or less, and over half are under 35. But, I won't cross traditional invites just yet. I was thinking of doing both as well, traditional for the guests that would prefer it and e-vites for the rest.

My budget is mostly food, alcohol, and photography. That's what I am focusing on!

Hello Orlando friend! I love your venue! Just think back to weddings you've attended, what details were forgettable? Pick a couple big ticket items to focus on (food, music, drinks?) and the rest will fall into place. For florals, consider reusing bouquets as decoration after the ceremony. Guest book is totally optional. My personal preference is to have paper invitations, it gives a tone of formality to the event. Vistaprint has sales all the time. We used WW website for RSVPs, so you can save on stamps there.

You and your fiance(e) should sit down and pick your top priorities (top 3, top 4, whatever) and focus your money on those items. Want fab photos? Choose a better (and probably more expensive) photographer that gets your POV. Don't care? Maybe a student photographer for $300 is perfectly fine.

The only things you should not cut are guest comforts (a seat for every butt, food, drinks, appropriate temperature control if needed). Also NO FRENDORS. Do not ask friends to bake your cake/be your photographer to save money - heartache will come of this and it is not worth it. Just pay someone else.

Specific things you can cut/ways to save money:

-Skip Save the Dates. They lock your guest list in earlier and cost money. If needed, spread by word of mouth/email to VIPs.

-Skip most paper goods, really - Save the Dates, programs, paper RSVP cards (have people RSVP online at your website, call you, etc). These can be cute additions but are definitely not necessary. If you do paper invitations, get them off Vista Print when they're having a sale.

-Floral - you've mentioned this already, but not doing fresh floral CAN save you money, but you would really only know for sure if you got a quote. Sounds like you have a plan on this, so I'll skip it.

-Decor - you covered this a bit also, but some more details. Your centerpieces sound nice! Look for sales for the wine bottles/faux flowers/tea lights (Michaels, Joanns, Oriental Trading Co, etc) and don't buy anything full price since you have plenty of time to gather things slowly. Also hit up Craigslist/Online Garage Sales and see what you can find! Skip the guestbook unless it's super important to you, skip favors (people won't miss them). We're literally only doing centerpieces, a guest book, and a card table, and are skipping all other decorations because our space doesn't need anything else.

-Clothing - look for dresses (brides, bridesmaids, mothers) on preowned sites like PreownedWeddingDresses. You can get some great deals and may not even have to pay for extra alterations if you get super lucky! Have the men rent/buy their outfits during a sale (Nice department store suit they get tailored, buy shirts together to get group sales, etc). Also look for dresses at department stores, websites (azazie, lulus).

-Smaller bridal party - the more people in your BP, the more money you'll have to shell out (gifts, hair/makeup/nails, getting ready robes, etc depending on what you choose to spend your money on). Also on this, skip things like getting ready robes/matching bridesmaid tshirts and just ask them to wear a button down or whatever if matching is really important to you. Don't require them to have their hair/makeup done professionally (if you do, you should pay).

-Vendors - if photography isn't important to you, hire a student photographer/ask for a smaller package with less coverage and skip getting ready photos. Sounds like catering comes with the venue, so I'll skip it (the usual recs, though - bbq, pizza, pasta bar, mexican restaurant catering). Choose a DJ in the middle of the pack, rather than the most expensive, and pick a smaller package - all you really NEED is music, so skip the uplighting/fancy monogram - or DJ yourself and make a Spotify playlist, depending on the vibe you're going for. Aren't dead set on a videographer? Skip it.

Everyone here pretty much hit the nail on the head. I just wanted to throw in the fact that Ceviche's is an AMAZING venue! You honestly don't need very much to dress it up, like you said. Whatever you choose to have and not to have, you'll have a beautiful wedding no matter what. Cheers!

edit: Definitely agree with Miami2's post under mine about the student photographer. I see you've already said that photography is a big part of your budget, so I don't think you'll be doing that anyway lol.

My reception is at a restaurant so I am also doing simple centerpieces that I will be purchasing online. I am buying prearranged centerpieces and using one or two as my bouquet. We are not having a DJ. We are only serving beer and wine. Our reception in the afternoon which was cheaper at the restaurant than a dinner private party. We are not doing favors.

I do think it is worth the money for hair and makeup though. When I did my engagement photos my hair was a mess and I have always wanted to have my makeup professionally done at least once in my life. I also got save the dates but I got them from vista print for $14. My wedding is the weekend after thanksgiving so I think save the dates are needed.

ETA: I don't suggest using a student photographer or someone with little experience like someone else mentioned. You only get one chance to capture your wedding in photos. You can choose not to get a videographer. I don't have one.

We are skimping on flowers

We skipped favours

We skipped photobooths

We emailed the STDs

RSVPs are all online or email and our invites were simple

No Boutonnieres

Thank you guys so much!! So many great ideas! Thankfully, my mom has offered to get my dress. I'm trying dresses on Saturday!! and as far as photographers go, yes she is my friend but I became friends with her by loving her photography. She is incredible. It's Lauren laveria, if any of y'all wanna check out her work and she's probably the most expensive vendor other than the food! As far as cake goes, technically she is a friend, but she owns her own bakery and does wedding cakes for a living. Both "friendors" are wedding professionals and I'm treating them as such and hiring them as vendors, not friends. I just like them as people. The closest we are is through Facebook. Love the idea of department stores for bm dresses, I'll definitely have to look around! And less/no paper goods. Great ideas!

Beryl, make sure you have contracts with your vendors even if they're your friends, just in case. And you should post pics of your dress once you decide

I definitely plan to get contracts thank you!

Oh yeah, I should mention I've only been to one wedding in my adult life. I don't remember much of the ones when I was young. So I have very little experience of what's expected!

Hi fellow Orlando Bride! Beautiful Venue, you won't have to decorate much. I am leaning towards sola flowers, they look so beautiful and fit my theme. Not doing Favors, no programs, going to do inexpensive invite (watch the sales) and so far I've booked all my vendors through wedding expos and have saved $800 between the 3 of them.

I strongly advise against e-vites for your wedding. They're not formal, they can easily get lost in junk mail, and people just don't take them as seriously.

What about both? Traditional for the more traditional crowd I'd be inviting (parents, grandparents) and e-vites for the younger folks? Most of our guests are our friends and his cousins which are all around his age (24). My thought process was an e-vite is much more convenient for them. They would look nice! But I'm open to ideas. As I hate checking the mail but I'm always online, I'd love an e-vite. I didn't see it as less formal, but I definitely see that now. I'll talk it over with my fiancé and friends/family.

I think online RSVPs are fine for your younger crowd. But I think e-vites are even more likely to get lost in the shuffle with people who use email for everything.