My Not-So-Extravagant Wedding

My wedding is next year and while it's still several months away I am in full planning mode. One of the first things we did when Carlos and I got engaged was have an engagement photo shoot. The photographer iss a friend of his and she gave us a great deal. The pictures came out wonderful! I had signed up for David's Bridal's website and got a coupon for a free Photo Book from Shutterfly. I turned those engagement photos and iPhone pictures from the proposal into a Photo Book. It came out so well I got one for my parents. My mom loved it so much that she took it to work and showed all her co-workers. And then the problem began.

Her co-workers saw the fancy pictures in a printed hardcover book and immediately assumed that we shelled out a lot of money for it. They didn't know that we had gotten a discount from the photographer friend and that although I paid for the second Photo Book, I used two coupon codes which gave me free shipping and a 10% discount. All of a sudden all of my mom's co-workers are being super nice to her. Especially ones who had either ignored her or been rude to her in the past. She even got Employee of the Quarter which she hadn't received in almost 17 years (she's been at the company well over 20 years). Everyone wants to be invited to my wedding. The wedding they assume will be an extravagant and expensive affair. Not only that, my mother has been throwing out a random dollar amount for the whole wedding budget. Thanks Mom! Thanks for telling people how much you think my wedding will cost (FYI - I have not given her any numbers).

My wedding will not be extravagant. These are the 10 ways I'm pinching pennies.

1) No Bridesmaids, No Groomsmen, No Wedding Party - It's not traditional in Spanish-speaking countries to have these anyways. Also saves me money on having to give gifts, get flowers for the party, provide them with transportation, etc.
2) No flowers with a few exceptions - There will be no flowers with the exceptions of two bridal bouquets (one for me to hold and one for me to throw) and a few boutonnieres. And I'll be making the bouquets and boutonnieres myself to save money.
3) Ceremony and Reception are at the same place - I'm not having a church wedding. Both the ceremony and reception will be at the same location. We won't have to worry about paying for transportation to get people from one location to another or to pay two rental fees. Also, the location I chose is owned by my Alma Mater and I got an Alumni discount. Food/Catering is included in the price and they don't charge us a ceremony fee like other places do.
4) No Limousine - If the ceremony & reception are in the same place and I have no wedding party, why would I need it? It's a gross waste of money in my opinion.
5) No Rehearsal Dinner - Why would we need one if we have no wedding party?
6) No Engagement Party, Bridal Shower or Jack and Jill Party - I think our money was better spent on Engagement photos than a party. The wedding is the big party anyways. Also, while the Bridal Shower/Jack and Jill Parties would be organized by someone else and would be an opportunity for us to get presents, I think it's best to skip them to lessen the stress overall of wedding planning.
7) Hair and Makeup - I'm not 100% sure about this but I might be doing my own hair and makeup. It's expensive and if I pick a hair and makeup style early and practice it in advance of the wedding date, I can master it in time for the big day. However, two people have offered to gift me Hair & Makeup so I'm still deciding.
8) Decorations - No lights, no special tablecloths or napkins, no ice sculptures, etc. We may have some non-floral DIY & themed centerpieces but I'm not sure yet.
9) Dress and Accessories - Probably not going to have a veil. My ideal dress would be light enough to move and dance in. It will not be expensive because I'm only going to wear this once. Why would I want to break the bank buying it? I'm seriously considering ordering a handmade custom dress on Etsy however I just found out that my fiancee gets a 25% corporate discount at a well-known Bridal boutique chain.
10) Free help! - I have a wedding coordinator who is not charging us but is helping us out in return for experience. I'll be asking a few people to help out on the day (minor stuff). And I use TheKnot.com for free wedding help and their organizational tools and Twitter for advice.

Things that are important for me to invest in include: save-the-date magnets, invitations, wedding cake, DJ, photographer, videographer, wedding favors, disposable cameras, honeymoon, travel for the ceremony officiant, wedding bands, marriage license, bachelorette party, etc.

So why am I being so cheap? I want a house desperately. And I also really want a honeymoon. I haven't traveled any significant distance for a proper vacation since 2003. I'm long overdue. I'd rather save money and keep costs down so I can have what I really want but still have a nice wedding.