PICK YOUR PRIORITIES AND FORGET THE REST

On a smaller budget, spend money on your three must-haves and consider completely eliminating things that don’t matter to you, like flowers, Stallings says. Look for creative ways to save: Enlist friends to make wedding gifts of their services, such as food prep or event planning, and collect RSVPs online instead of paying for postage for return envelopes. The keys are customizing savings strategies to your values and keeping perspective.