i am planning my wedding for less than $10,000 and here's how

We all know weddings can be outrageously expensive (averaging $30,000 in Canada), but why is that? When you break down the cost of a wedding, often the most expensive item on the list is the venue. The best way to save on a wedding venue is to look for one that isn't specific to weddings, for example I'm getting married at my local legion for under $500 when the cheapest local "wedding venue" I could find was $10,000; the only issue here is that I have to get a separate ceremony venue, although I'm opting for a civil ceremony anyways that will cost me just $550. Next up, let's look at catering. Catering for weddings typically costs around $85/plate, however I've managed to lower my projected cost to $30/plate by using the in-house catering. As for florals, because I am having a May wedding, I am going wildflower picking with my wedding party a couple days before the day and we're even hoping to gather a few lilacs. Picking wildflowers instead of ordering from a florist is also better for the environment. I got my dream vintage wedding dress at auction for under $10 (although thrift stores often sell second hand wedding dresses for very affordable prices), and we're doing simple rings that we're budgeting $300 for. I'm budgeting up to $2,000 on photography, as it is very important to me so I'd like that to be where the most money goes. For invites I am designing them myself (free) and sending them digitally to save money on print.