People make WAY too much ado about their weddings these days. My wife and I got married in 1992 (13 years ago tomorrow), paid for it ourselves, and did it all for about $3000. We had to; we were dirt poor. We kept it simple, low-key, inexpensive (of course, we didn't have to pay for a church or a preacher).
Thirteen years later you don't remember the flowers or the hors d'ouvres or how many guests there were; you remember the love you have for your spouse and the excitement at beginning an eternal journey together.
My wife and I were married in 1992. We spent exactly $100 on the wedding, although our mothers made the refreshments. The ceremony lasted nine minutes and we had no bridesmaids or groomsmen. And, yes, we were married in a church in front of our families and closest friends.
A friend of mine had a huge, expensive wedding a couple of months later. Her mother offered to give her $20,000 to have a small, simple wedding. She chose the former. She has often told me that as they walked out of the church, she was already saying, "I should have taken the money".