FIrst off
Although there are many ways to keep costs down I want to first address one item I highly suggest not skimping on. The food, why you may ask? One you don’t want to be the reason people get sick so make sure that the vendor is reputable. Two for some reason people tend to remember when food sucks and when it’s really good. People care about the food more than you would think. Lastly if you're having like 20 people there then that's definitely something you can probably cook yourself if you want. But if there’s more, don't do it. You will be so stressed that in the end, I personally just don’t think that’s worth it.
Venue
Look at city venues: if you’re in a bigger city like I am (Dallas) there are cities around you that have been given houses to use for people to rent and they can be cheap. They tend to even include a kitchen.
Flowers
If you want real flowers go for it but know they are expensive. You could do a mix of real and fake. Like real flowers for the bouquets but fake for the decor. Look on Facebook marketplace for fake flowers people are always selling their old wedding stuff.
Decor
Search in antique stores, Facebook marketplace, ask friends and DIY. All of those ways are cheaper to find what you’re looking for. A lot of brides resell there decor after there wedding is over. Just keep looking.
Invitations
Lastly, invitations: it’s cheaper to mail postcard size. Postcard stamps are like 35 cents which is 20 cents cheaper than regular stamps. Trust me that adds up. Also Zazzle sells these 2 in 1 invitations that includes a tear off rsvp card they can mail back to you.
