What's a bride to do in a recession?

I was hesitant to do a "recession-themed" post since it seems everybody else is doing enough talking about it. But after I had two of my brides try to cancel their weddings on me in the last 24 hours, I thought I'd share my perspective.
Think carefully before you cancel your whole wedding. I am not a financial advisor, and I have seen sad situations where it's better for the couple to cut their losses and lose deposits than spend even one more dime on the wedding (think "major medical emergency"), but in many cases an extreme money-saving measure can backfire. Read your contracts. You might get a few of your deposits back, but the "biggies" like your reception venue, your dress shop, and your caterer probably won't give you a refund, especially if it's late in the game. I don't give refunds and it says so right on my contract. Even if you cancel two months out, my helpers and I have still put hours of work into your wedding, and two months isn't always enough time to get another bride to fill your place.
What's a bride to do? Downsize. As long as you haven't mailed your invitations, you can cut that guest list and save big on catering costs. Many reception venues charge by the person so you will save there too--at Deejays banquet halls in Raleigh, cut your guest list from 300 to 100 and you'll save more than 50%. With fewer tables to decorate, you will also save on tablecloths, decorations, and flowers.
If you've downsized and you're still in trouble, downgrade. If you can't cancel, call your vendors and see if you can switch to a cheaper package. Most will oblige; I have found that as long as you don't cancel your wedding entirely, the majority of vendors will work with you if you give enough notice. Sit down with your caterer and discuss less-expensive menus; buy fewer prints from your photographer and skip the album; fewer and less-elaborate flower arrangements from your florist; a smaller and plainer cake from your baker, and so on. If you've already ordered your dress from a shop, you're out of luck, but if you're having your dress made, you may be able to simplify the design and save some money there.

More Cake Tips - How to decorate the cake table

Don't use your nicest table cloth for the cake table! When my parents married, my mother had the brilliant idea to use Great Grandma Ann's hand-made lace tablecloth for the cake table. Guess what happened. Needless to say, that heirloom is not in my family anymore.

Anything you put on the cake table will get cake all over it. The table still needs to look nice, since it will be in a lot of your pictures, but don't use something you're not willing to throw away to decorate it. I recommend renting a white table skirt to go around the edge of the table, and a throw-away square yard of nice fabric from Jo Ann's to cover the table top. The colored fabric top avoids that blah white-cake-on-a-white-table look, and you won't cry when you get frosting all over it.