Money talks and cash speaks the loudest, so when you’re talking to a vendor or the reception hall, ask them if they offer any sort of discount for paying with cash and most places, if they aren’t huge outfits like a Marriott or a Sheraton, they will offer a bit of a discount.
Why are they willing to do this? Well, with a credit card they have to pay interchange processing fees which can run somewhere in the neighborhood of 3% - cash has no associated fee. If you pay with a check, while there are no fees, there’s always the risk that the check will bounce - cash won’t bounce.
It’s estimated that the photographer and videographer will run about 10% of your total wedding budget and so it should be at least second on your list of things to investigate trimming (the first being your guest list). One of the ways you can cut costs on a photographer and videographer is to hire them for the ceremony only. For the recording folks, a large portion of their costs has to deal with the hours they spend taking photos and video and so if you can trim that down, you can trim down their costs. Having great photos and video footage of the ceremony is crucial, something that you likely will regret skimping on, but cutting out photos and videos of the reception probably won’t be missed too badly, but that’s a personal decision.