Time line
Planning Timeline Calendar

Wedding without Going Over Budget
In order to decide how much your wedding will cost you need to consider the following list and decide what would suit you best.  There are a great range of wedding services available in the Vancouver area, so you can pick and choose to your heart’s content. It would be advisable to assign a budget figure to each of these, as there may be some things that are more important for you than others.

See city park web sites such as Vancouver’s for a list of  14 park locations that are available to reserve.  New Westminster, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond, Coquitlam, Surrey, White Rock A permit is required that reserves the location and some basic amenities and the cost is reasonable.
Some couples save on wedding expenses by having a wedding that is small enough to be accommodated at their home or at the home of a relative or friend.    Our Unitarian Lay Chaplains have officiated at many of these and find that with the friends and family being involved in the wedding there can be a wonderful feeling of support for the new couple.  Always anticipate what you will do if the weather is not perfect.

Location of Reception
What determines this is how many guests will be invited, as well as whether you want to have a sit-down dinner or a more casual smorgasbord event. 
For smaller weddings, reserving a separate room in a good restaurant and choosing from a special menu can provide all that is needed.
For at-home weddings why not let friends and relatives bring pot luck dishes, or have a catering service provide the cake and some items to make the food table look beautiful. Rentals of canopies, tables, chairs, dishes etc. may help make this option possible.
 
For larger weddings there are a multitude of catering services and venues available on line, and some of them can arrange canopies, tables and chairs and decorating as well as the meal and everything needed to serve it. Some of these are willing to set up outdoors, or will have an optional indoor arrangement if the weather turns.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Reception Hall
How To Choose The Best Wedding Banquet Hall

Photos
Some couples have friends, or friends of friends who are willing to be wedding photographers for a day, sometimes as a gift.  But if the photos are important to you get recommendations from friends about photographers who do a good professional job. Most of these will have websites with examples of their photos, and price lists.
Important Things To Consider When Choosing a Wedding Photographer
Selecting your Wedding Photographer

Music (for the wedding ceremony and the reception)
The Vancouver Unitarian Church has a list of musicians available who will play in a wedding ceremony according to your wishes. Consider hiring a music student or group of students to play at wedding or reception
Wedding Ceremony Music
Wedding Music Central
Choosing the Music for Your Wedding Ceremony

Flowers 
Flowers are an important part of any wedding.  Will the bride and attendants be holding flowers, or wearing them.  Flowers will be needed to decorate the sanctuary space for the wedding itself.  The groom and best man, as well as parents of the bride and groom need pin-on bouquets or lapel flowers.   Get quotes on some of these options. 
The smaller the wedding, less flowers are needed and for some it is possible to buy arrangements at a flower shop and arrange for a friend to deliver them. For home weddings, flowers picked from a friend or neighbour’s garden will be quite suitable.
 
Rehearsal lunch or dinner
This usually involves welcoming out of town guests to get together informally before the wedding to meet each other and the wedding party just after the rehearsal.  Vancouver is full of restaurants that would suit this purpose .so you can check prices and choose according to your budget.  This tradition is not always necessary.

Etiquette
An excellent online book which covers all the major topics regarding weddings, including etiquette: 1000 Best Secrets for Your Perfect Wedding by Sharon Naylor. You can read most of this book online (although the pale blue print is not the easiest to read) or you can order it from your local bookstore or online from Chapters for $15.96. It contains thoughtful and creative ideas about a wide range of topics from Planning Your Ceremony to details about Photography and Videography to Dressing for the Wedding.
 
A new and revised book by the publishers of Bride's magazine: Bride's Book of Etiquette Revised also covers the main wedding topics. An overview of topics covered is available online, but there is no content. The book is available in all major bookstores or online from Chapters for $18.81. Or check your public library.
 
If you have surveyed the above resources and still have not found the answer to your questions, another site Top Wedding Questions will answer your personal queries. You must register if you want to ask a personal question, but you can surf the responses to other questions in your category.

Resource Links
Green Weddings
The Frugal Bride
Weddings Canada
The Urban Wedding
Weddings West