The question is, where exactly do you want to cut back. Really on the clothes? Really on the food? Really on the location? Really on the dance course? Really on the photographer? We paid around 13,000 euros in total in 2016, but the day was simply worth it. I can still start working on the outdoor area in half a year, but that one day will definitely never come back. Every now and then pulling out the old pictures, looking at them, and reminiscing is simply very valuable and becomes more precious over time. You don't have to waste money unnecessarily, but you should make this (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime experience in your life as beautiful and pleasant as possible.
That's where it starts... Nowadays, a wedding for just under/around 10,000 euros is already considered "inferior" in society. For me personally, weddings have way too much importance—they're supposed to be the most beautiful day in the couple's life. By now, I believe most weddings just have to conform to the "social norm" and appear expensive/good externally so people can say: I really had everything that other weddings have. A wedding is not about a candy bar, a photo booth, an expensive table decoration, a location where the rent alone costs 2,000 euros, a wedding dress for 3,000 euros, or a photographer for 3,000 euros, right? You can definitely organize the whole thing much more cheaply, for example in a nice hall owned by the municipality (rent there is around 500 euros or so), rent a wedding dress for 500 euros, get an "amateur photographer" (really, everyone does that nowadays, every second person) and the pictures will be just fine!! xD As I said... I can just as well pull out the pictures, look at them and reminisce. The most important thing is that the most important people participate and that you have fun together. In my opinion, that doesn't require much... I like to remember past parties, etc.—the best ones were definitely not the "best organized or the most expensive." But nowadays it’s like that in everything: nothing is ever enough... Everyone wants to outdo the other, even more so with weddings than with house building, which I think is really a shame... Oh, I almost forgot the wedding cake: In my opinion, anyone who spends huge sums on that has completely lost their sense of money... Especially people who are also building a house on the side!! That is, of course, always the premise. Who can afford it? Why not... The thing is: the money for the outdoor area doesn’t just fall from the sky... So, maybe you have to save throughout the year on things you actually don’t want to save on... And let’s be honest: after four weeks everyone has forgotten the wedding—ultimately only YOUR memory, your photos, etc. counts... You have those just the same whether the wedding costs 7k or 20k, I'm sure about that :)