Feeling the pressure!

Set aside a couple hundred $ a month of your paycheck and put into your savings! We had to sacrifice not going out to eat meals and cook more at home, to save money.

I agree with what Hank said! My fiance and I figured out how much we could easily afford to set aside each paycheck. We also thought about additional money we get (ex. We get a bonus from work twice a year so half of that went to the wedding fund)
We are also having a bit of a longer engagement (about 17 months)

1) Look at your finances. How much money can you put away right now for a wedding vs needing it to live on.

2) Consider what are the must haves for you. Some people absolutely cannot have a wedding without good food. Others may not care more about their palette as much as having picture perfect photography that captures memories. Everyone will have different priorities and you need to figure out yours.

3) Aim for a budget that's reasonable. For example, if you both make $40K each a year, it would be insane to try and have a wedding that costs $100K for Sept 2022.

4) Consider your guest experience. Can your budget accommodate the number of people you want without compromising the experience.

5) Consider costs of brand vs no-name.