Trust me when I say that no one really recalls the gifts you gave out at your wedding, and if you monogram something with your name and wedding date on it, guests will not want to take it home with them. Why would you desire a tote bag that reminds you of a friend’s wedding? If you can’t stomach the thought of your guests leaving without a mark of your gratitude, consider something edible, such as a box of sweets or a locally produced culinary item.
We adore saving money for our couples, and we have to intervene when we see them spending money on things they don’t really need while they’re already on a tight budget.
Here are some suggestions for what you can leave out without jeopardizing your day!
Invitations with multiple parts and fancy envelopes
Invitations with multiple parts and elegant envelopes are usually not worth the money. It’s possible that you’ll wish to keep your design simple. Over-the-top invitations with complex embellishments like key chains and embellished envelopes are a superfluous investment for most couples. There’s no need to squander all that paper and make your invitations heavier.
The envelope is the first item to be thrown away. Put additional money into the invite itself and get a thicker cardstock, or pay for embossing or engraving if you want to make a statement. That is the portion that will be kept in the refrigerator until your wedding day. Furthermore, some couples may prefer to forego physical invites entirely and instead rely on a wedding website to manage RSVPs. Photo booths are a delightful touch to a wedding reception, but they are by no means required.
Wedding photo booth
Instead, you could hand out disposable cameras. Expensive photo booths aren’t necessarily the finest and most cost-effective way to remember important occasions. Many businesses charge by the hour, so having a photo booth for the duration of your reception will almost certainly cost you hundreds of dollars. And the photo booth’s sole purpose is to take additional images of you and your guests.
Instead, have your wedding photographer capture genuine images of your friends and family throughout the reception. You may even buy a few disposable cameras and invite your visitors to take pictures of the magic on their own. Ensure to check out these Indian outfits.
Printed programs
Printed programs are expensive, and they aren’t always required. However, they can be useful for large weddings. Wedding programs might be a needless and costly add-on. Unless you’re holding a wedding outside in the heat and it can double as a fan, putting a program on each guest’s seat is a complete waste of money.
These programs are simply thrown away, and your wedding guests should already have a decent sense of who is in your bridal party. However, if you’re having a wedding with hundreds of guests or if any of your guests are unfamiliar with the religious or cultural customs in your ceremony, programs may be useful.
Champagne toast
A champagne toast is a popular wedding tradition, but providing bubbly for your entire guest list can be costly. If you have to pay for flutes as well, it might get dear. The truth is that the majority of the champagne in the glasses will go unused. Allow your guests to use the glasses they already have with whatever beverage they choose to drink if you’re planning a toast. If you want to do a champagne toast, investigate if your venue has flutes you can rent or use for free so you don’t have to spend even more money on glassware.
4. Extravagant floral arrangements
Expensive floral arrangements aren’t always worth paying the top price for. Excessive flower use can devastate your wallet and leave you with piles of wilted foliage at the end of the night. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on flowers to wow your guests. When it comes to wedding flowers, price does not always equate to effect. Many people believe that to create a good flower arrangement, you need to spend a lot of money, but choosing a few more expensive “statement blooms” and balancing them out with well-placed greenery can have just as much impact.
If you’re on a budget, centerpieces constructed of uncut ripe fruit, colorful sand, or fragrant plants like mint or eucalyptus can also be used.
Ceremony backdrops
Ceremonies are lovely, but they may often be a waste of money. You won’t always be able to retain a floral arch or a large placard. Floral arches, personalized signage, and skillfully draped linens are all ways to make a ceremony setting stand out, but they come at a price.
Though there’s no denying that ceremony decor adds to the atmosphere, the cost of a ceremony set-up may easily go into thousands of dollars. The most important aspect of your wedding day is the commitment you’re making to your partner, not what would look best in photos. Rather than spending money on a photo-friendly ceremony backdrop, Norian recommends focusing on smaller ceremony touches like personalized vow booklets that you may treasure long after your wedding day is over.
Wedding dessert
Wedding cakes can be more expensive than trendy dessert stations. Having a selection of delectable goodies sounds appealing, but a dozen donuts, pastries, or pies aren’t cheap. You might be in for some price shock if you decide to forego a traditional wedding cake in favor of a sweets and candies buffet. Ordering a variety of desserts for a large group may be expensive, and because they’re perishable, there’s nothing you can do with them once the event is finished. Sticking with this traditional dessert can actually save you money because there is so much diversity in terms of style and flavor when it comes to modern wedding cakes.
Wedding cakes have a reputation for being expensive, but you can save money by asking for only one real portion of the cake. After the cake-cutting ceremony is over, visitors can be handed slices from a more economical sheet cake that has been frosted with frosting.
Confetti
Confetti is entertaining, but it can also be an expensive and dirty extra expense. It’s possible that you’ll be charged for the mess it causes. Confetti is frequently more trouble than it’s worth when it comes to weddings. Confetti is a major pain; it lasts for a few seconds and amuses the visitors, but it always necessitates a large cleaning and is frowned upon by many venues. If you use confetti, some venues will charge you for cleanup, which might be costly. Whether you want things to fly through the air after your ceremony but don’t want to spend a large cleaning charge, see if your location allows bubble-blowing as an alternative.
Buffet snacks
You don’t have to serve expensive late-night munchies to your guests. Some couples elect to serve a second small dinner later in the evening to keep their guests comfortable while they party into the early hours. These appetizers, on the other hand, can add a significant amount of money to your overall wedding bill. A late-night food table is something that a lot of couples plan for. However, in most circumstances, some of the guests have already left, and the remaining guests are either full or unwilling to eat late.
The majority of the time, this food goes to waste and can be costly to give. Consider offering a late supper or a few small snacks like fresh fruit or antipasto instead of a full range of post-dinner snack alternatives. In general, couples should think twice about spending money on items that are too trendy, especially if they have little sentimental meaning.
Extra Boutonniers and Corsages
Having boutonnieres/corsages for Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, and other members of the Immediate Family was a terrific way for visitors to know who was a part of the Immediate Family. However, it appears that an increasing number of couples are learning that not every member of the family requires a flower for the day, as flowers tend to slip off easily and are difficult to reattach. Not to mention the fact that they are fairly expensive for only a few hours of use. Save your money and use it to decorate the space with more candles or more decorative things that will be shot. Ensure to check out these blouse designs.
Menu cards
While these are excellent in principle and look fantastic on the table, they are a terrific method to save money because the servers will most likely inform you of what is being served when they bring your guests’ meals.
Two Limos
If there is a time constraint in the morning to get both of you to the Ceremony, this may be necessary. If you live within a 10-minute driving distance of each other, having the Limo pick up the Groom and Groomsmen first and drop them off at the Ceremony before looping back around to pick up the girls may be the best way to save money on transportation overall.
Scheduling everyone’s speeches
You might be thinking, “This doesn’t cost anything,” but it does. If you pay for an open bar all night and your dinner service takes three hours due to long speeches. You’re paying for a DJ to sit there, photographers who don’t take any new images, and an open bar where no one drinks.
Just because you have three sisters and two Maids of Honor doesn’t mean they all have to give speeches. Instead, advise that they write you a really lovely letter to give you on your wedding day. Or that they all get together and produce you a charming video. It will become very tiresome for your visitors to listen to more than six individuals speak throughout the dinner service. Especially if you have some talkers in your family.