I hope no one is upset by these ideas; some are not my own and the ones that are were just theoretical thoughts, not a critique, CH”V on anyone or anything.
I once heard someone suggest that (other than a family wedding) only the spouse who is friends with the chassan or kallah should be invited and attend, as opposed to automatically inviting the other spouse, too.
Alternatively, perhaps, I wonder if a viable and more economical alternative to the current system is to make each sheva brachos, including the wedding itself, into a “mini-wedding” so that the overall cost would go down tremendously. Meaning, say immediate family and a few Rabbanim and very close friends at the actual wedding (seudah) and then one sheva brachos per “segment” of everyone else (chosson/kallah’s friends, parents’ friends, etc.)
This way, you could also book at least 3 weddings per night per hall, which should give the hall the same parnassa but cut the cost by a 1/3rd or more.
I don’t know the numbers, but I wonder is that “7-day wedding” would make the whole thing more meaningful for everyone; the chosson and kallah get to focus on one group each night, and the joy of the wedding would get extended to the entire 7 days.
I certainly have not “thought this through” and don’t claim it is a solid idea, but I am curious if anyone else has ever thought along these lines and if anyone has any other thoughts on why it would or would never work.