How much money do you have available to pay for a wedding? Do you have money saved? Do you have to borrow it and then pay it back? This conversation about money is extremely important and must happen before the wedding because it will determine how much you can spend on the bride's dress, invitations, postage, the florist, transportation, food, beverages, favors, etc.
When you've figured out how much you have, then you need to sit down, and write down the names of those people you want to invite. (This can always change later.) Take the amount of money you have available and divide it by the number of guests you wish to invite. If you come up with $1.50/guest, you have a problem. Hopefully, you have enough to pay for all the things that you want and need.
Vendors, those that will provide goods and services for the wedding, are in business to make money. They will expect a deposit when you sign a contract for their services, and payments every 30-60 days before the wedding date. Without your money, they cannot and will not provide you with anything. Despite what you may have seen on TV on shows about bridezillas, a rude attitude won't get you anything.
If you have friends who've recently gotten married, ask them if they have some suggestions on various vendors. This can be very helpful to your planning and budget.
