Trim the Guest List
A smaller number of people translates into everything lesser and smaller; venue, food and drink, invitations, favours, accommodations, transportation, etc. Calling close family and friends will also ensure that your wedding is a time for personal celebrations.

Wedding Ring/Band
A simple gold wedding band is just as elegant looking as an expensive platinum one. You don’t really need a giant sized rock on your finger to announce your betrothal; a small delicate diamond ring has its own charm.

Ceremony
If the religious considerations allow, keep the ceremony short and simple. Too long a ceremony means too many things are needed, which gets expensive. Pre-decide the pundits fees and donations!

Keep it Elegant, yet Simple
Ditch the vague need for over-the-top and the-best-in-line everything. Instead invest that money into something that will last you beyond that one particular day. I know of this one couple who went for sensible budget wedding and made a down payment for their own home with the money saved.

Invitations
Simpler the wedding invitations, lesser the cost. You can indulge in some excess here by highlighting one feature or element, and keep the rest simple. Expensive paper with fancy typography and printing techniques inks increase the cost. To keep postage costs down, don’t add too many inserts.

RSVP a Must
Make sure you add in a response card to determine the number of guests accepting the invitation. Once you know the number, you can manage or even eliminate all excess easily.

Wedding Ensemble for Brides
If you want the look of a designer outfit, work on it. Get a good tailor and get an outfit design from a magazine or the Internet. To get the best, go in for an elaborate duppatta, this way you don’t have to worry about your tailor messing up your embroidery. There are a variety of silks available that cost you half of what real silk would.  If you are wearing a saree, try skipping the designer chiffon (that’s so common), go for a traditional weave.

Make-up and Hair Stylist
If you have a friend who is good with brushes and tints, have her/him to do it. If not, go for a good make-up artist. A good make-up artist need not be a top-notch one, just someone who knows what they are doing.

Wedding Ensemble for Grooms
Wear basic formal suit or a sherwani. As for the sherwani, keep it simple, let the women play with embroidery. If you want a different look, go for a coloured one. The best time to pick a good one would be during a sale.

Food and Drink
A smaller guest list means you pay lesser for the food and drink. But if you can’t do anything about your guest list, then it is best to reduce the number of main courses down. Limit the number of appetizers and snacks, as well as the desserts. Keep the beverage list short and simple. Go for traditional Indian fare that make more use of seasonal produce. The more exotic the cuisine, more the cost. Adult and children have a different price rate per plate, ensure that the caterer calculates accordingly.

Cakes
Cutting and serving cake is a new trend, feel free to skip it. If you are still keen to go ahead, order a small, one-two tier cake. Avoid the handmade sugar flowers and other shapes, lots of people tend to leave that part.

Venue
Select a place that is perfect in size for your guest list. Go for an off-season wedding date. Try to hold most events in the same location and strike a deal with the venue vendors by using their caterers as well as decorators.

Transportation
Your own car should be good enough. If you want something different or more try hiring by the hour, or better still rope in your friends for their cars.

Décor
Venue décor must be kept simple. Go for seasonal flowers and avoid excessive lighting. Got a creative relative or an Ikebana specialist friend, request them to handle your centerpieces and other decorations. If you have a favourite florist you have been buying flowers for a long time, now is the time to strike a deal with them.

Music
A small live band is better than a large orchestra. Skip the dancers, and avoid the use of many speakers. Music should be part of the background and not the other way round.

Photo and Videos
Keep it simple and have just one of each; a photographer and a videographer. Make sure the video is only about the ceremony, just watching four hours of what the guests did can get pretty boring and expensive too. Avoid special treatments for your photographs, keep the prints simple.

Honeymoon
Look, look and look very hard. Our country is blessed with over a dozen places that aren’t common, but are just as beautiful and exotic as popular honeymoon spots making then inexpensive to visit and enjoy. Still keen on a popular spot, buy a whole package instead of purchasing services as plane tickets, accommodations and food separately.