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The invitations are homemade, the bouquets small and seasonal, and the guest list has been trimmed to the nearest and dearest.

As thousands of Toronto couples plan their weddings during uneasy times, many are finding ways to make sure the vows they take aren't ones of poverty. But, according to vendors at two of the year's biggest wedding shows, held this weekend at the Metro Convention Centre and the Carlu, there is a hierarchy to what is being sacrificed.

"To be honest, the first thing they cut back on their weddings is the stationery," said Christine Flynn from Love the Card. "If they find it too expensive, they'll do it themselves."

Where brides used to order everything from invitations to seating charts, many are getting the bare minimum. "It's definitely been more budget-concerned than last year," Ms. Flynn said.

Approximately 150,000 couples plan to tie the knot in Canada this year, spending an average of $25,883 on their wedding days. That makes the wedding industry a $3.8-billion concern.

If times are tough, flowers are often the next to go, vendors said. Brides are already opting for smaller, simpler bouquets. "They're still buying," said Claudia Morgan from King West Flowers, "but they're just more careful how they spend their dollars.

Bonbonnieres and favours are giving way to cards detailing a charitable donation made on behalf of guests (with the couple claiming the tax credit), and wedding cakes are being split in two (a small, elaborate cake for display, supplemented with a cheaper, plain cake for serving).

And guest lists are getting smaller: At the New Paradise Banquet and Convention Centre in Vaughan, a room that used to accommodate 400 people has been split into two smaller rooms.

Bookings for this year are down 10 per cent, but owner Joe Pandolfo said the drop is manageable. After all, the marriage business won't disappear.

"They'll have a smaller wedding or they'll try to get a better price, but they'll still get married," he said.

At Canada's Bridal Show, couples selected from the crowd sang and danced for their chance to win prizes, companies thrust endless leaflets into overstuffed hands, and people sampled everything from cakes to teeth whiteners.

While Kathleen Stewart's wedding isn't until July of 2010, she was keen to book vendors early in the hope of scoring discounts.

As well as making her own invitations, Ms. Stewart is hoping to find ideas to help keep her budget below $20,000. "I'm doing probably more shopping around than I normally would," she said.

But not everyone is tied to the bottom line. Perched above the corner of College and Yonge Streets like a gilded balloon, the exclusive bridal show at the Carlu catered to couples who have considerable savings, or whose parents are footing the bills.

Vendors said there was little discussion of budgets during the three-day event. Elizabeth Wanless, owner of Great Events, said in some ways the industry is untouched by widespread economic trends.

"Weddings are almost the sacred territory," said Ms. Wanless, who has planned weddings ranging costing from $20,000 to $100,000. "They still want that dream and that fantasy. ... We're all quite aware that we have to be careful, but we're in a bubble. It's a sparkling bubble."

The personal economy is a series that looks at people in the Toronto region coping with the economic downturn. To share your story, write Tenille Bonoguore at tbonoguore@globeandmail.com