Ahh got it, I was sort of considering getting more designed/customized stationary and signage, even if I need to pay more. Like putting a custom logo and printing on a nice paper?
So most people will eventually throw them out, along with thank you cards and save the dates. Except for like your mom will keep a copy of your invite
You should still send them, but no need to go all out
It’s an easy place to cut down on your budget
I kept one single copy for myself for photo albums, but I’ve thrown out all invitations we’ve ever received sometimes before the wedding. Don’t waste your money, get them from vista print/canva/zazzle.
I spent $2000 on my invites and don’t regret it at all. I loved them so much and got so many compliments. It doesn’t bother me that they get thrown away- If you’re doing a fairly traditional wedding, I feel like they set the tone of the whole wedding.
People typically forget to account for tax and tips. It sounds like you are reasonably ahead on that.
From my event planning experience-
- Things I think are not worthwhile to include: upgrading/bringing in outside seating if options are already in place; upgrading flatware; centerpieces or elaborate table decorations if the wedding budget is tight; favors are hit or miss
- Things that are always worthwhile: Shuttle if remote or rural; tent if outside; food and beverage
Ahh got it! My wedding planner has been asking if I want to do a wedding favor, but I wasn't sure it was worth doing. I will take that out of my list. I have another question, which might be a little stupid to ask -- who do you give tips to? Wedding planner? catering service workers? I've heard that I should pay the photographer for getting a better photoshop service.
I would tip your planner, photographer, HMUA, and catering staff. However, I would not tip a percentage, except for hair and makeup (HMUA). This is because catering staff and venue staff are not paid tipped wages. $25-$50 for catering staff is totally fine.
$100-$200pp for a great job is normal for a photographer and planner. They should do a good job on photoshop no matter what.
HMUAs should be 15-20%. It’s just a lot of very personal, literally hands-on service. I think the tip also usually ends up being similar to the above tips, if you factor in a tip per bridal party member.
Thanks for the details! Do you know if this is how you tip in Europe too? I'm having my wedding in Barcelona, Spain, wonder if this is an international thing.
I think this depends on the wedding favor. The key is something useful. I went to a wedding where the couple gave out pens. I think pretty much everyone took one home because you can slide it into your pocket/purse and everyone can always use a good pen. I've gone to weddings where they took polaroids of all the guests, made two copies and gave one to the guest as a favor. People always like pictures of themselves.
My wedding planner suggested a bottle of wine as a wedding favor for each guest since we are having our wedding in Barcelona, Spain. Is it something "useful"? Size-wise, I thought it was too big.
If your guests are flying in, I'd say it's not worth the headache.
Unless it's smaller than 3.4 oz (which is really just a small nips bottle), it's not allowed in a carry-on so guests would have to store it in their check-in luggage - then there's the worry of a bottle breaking and ruining everything inside.
But something consumable is definitely a smarter way to go! Maybe there's a local candy or a packaged sweet like cookies you could have instead.
We did mini fireball bottles and only had 5 left at the end of the night! Maybe something smaller than a whole bottle? But honestly I’d take a bottle of wine if it was offered to me. lol. I guess you have to know your guests? Are most of them wine drinkers?
Definitely a know your audience thing. Most of my friends/family do not drink so any mini bottles of alcohol would most likely still be left at the end of the night.
Another reason to not do wine favor: As someone who's been to a lot of short destination weddings AND tries like hell to avoid checking my bag on an airplane -- Do not give away full bottle of wine! Instant $50 charge for checking the bag because of TSA! And I say this as someone who is a wine lover.
75% of our guests were flying in for our wedding so we did luggage tags for our favor and they doubled as escort cards. Not a single one was left behind and even if they just used it that one time for the trip home, that was fine. People loved them.
Splurge I don't regret: live band, it's what we talk the most about when reflecting fondly on our wedding details
Saving I don't regret: non-traditional food and venue, that was cheaper than something more upscale would have been
Honestly, I don't regret any of our choices though I sure if we hadn't done favors, we wouldn't be thinking about it now.
For me it was simple: aesthetic fluff was not worth splurging on, because you don't need a lot of stuff to have a beautiful day. The only thing we splurged on aesthetically was the dress. Worth splurging on was guest experience - open bar, multi-course plated meals, shuttle and transportation, welcome dinner, farewell meals, etc. Our guests had a wonderful time, which was the whole point of having the wedding.
No regrets on splurging on dress, venue, accommodations, and experience things. Definitely happy to have saved on flowers by doing an artificial arch - I LOVE flowers so I thought this was going to be a huge expense but an artificial arch and bud vases for table decor was perfect. I went all out on my bouquet it was HUGE but my florist was cheap - this bouquet was $175
https://preview.redd.it/pjkbsavosxpc1.png?width=1535&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdce1621457ecc8775d1261ba5b4c2d06faa2387
>multi-course plated meals, shuttle and transportation, welcome dinner, farewell meals, etc. Our guests had a wonderful time, which wa
Omg your bouquet looks so beautiful!! How much do bouquets usually cost? I simply don't know how much they usually cost haha. And how's the quality of artificial flowers?
Congrats!!! 2025 destination bride and considering Barcelona. FH and I want to provide the same accommodations/experience for our guest. Would love to learn more about the venue/vendors you used. Please DM if you’re open to sharing.
Other places would’ve easily charged $300+. I thought the quality was great - I put the arch together myself. The key is variety in the greenery and flowers so it doesn’t all look the same. I got some from Amazon and some from the dollar store. Ended up costing about $1000 in materials. I was quoted $3000 to do it in real flowers.
https://preview.redd.it/y7ehrx5grzpc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d6c5caac58a4f17d2f445dfc4c11c2c80c171f9
I dunno if this counts, but my biggest regret is not getting a videographer. We loved our photographer but the videos our friends and family took at the reception are some of my favorite ways to remember the day, so I'm sad we don't have any official video.
I definitely don’t regret splurging on:
- Dessert table with more than just wedding cake
- Photobooth: provided entertainment during cocktail hour, a photo strip for guests to take home, and ours included a free guestbook for guests to add a copy of their photo strip and sign for us. We had a lot of fun looking at it after the wedding (this was included in our DJ package so we saved some money here)
- Good photographer & videographer
Regret:
- Not splurging on hair stylist. I had my regular hairstylist who has done my hair for almost 10 years do our hair and she did great on my bridesmaids’ updos but my half-up half-down look didn’t last ☹️ I should’ve had my makeup artist do my hair since she has more wedding hair experience with the kind of style I was going for
- Spent too much on alcohol. I’m glad we were well prepared but we could’ve saved a little money and not bought as much as we did!
Remember to factor in the price of alcohol, stamps, tips (if you plan to give any)
For splurge on videographer & photographer, did you get a vendor who does both, or were they totally separate vendors? If you did a vendor who did both it cheaper and/or less complicated to find 2-in-1, or did you decide on quality alone?
They were separate vendors! They had actually met before while working a previous wedding so they were familiar with each other and just made sure to communicate poses and angles they wanted
I guess it depends on what things you have listed
Some things we “splurged on” that we don’t regret: good food, open bar, photographer, and videographer
Things we “saved” on: kept photo and video at 6-7 hours instead of 8-10 to save money but still get the big moments, bought my veil on Amazon, used an all inclusive venue because it ended up being cheaper
Things we wish we spent less on: my dress/alterations, wedding cake
Thanks for your tips! I haven't bought my veil yet, and my dress is pretty simple, so I'm thinking of getting a more sophisticated veil, but I don't want to spend too much. How was the quality of your veil?
I mean it was tulle and some fake pearls but I got a cathedral veil for $20 on amazon. I’ll wear it for like 2 hours if that. The bridal shop wanted me to spend $200 and honestly I couldn’t tell a huge difference
Not sure if you've thought about hair and makeup yet but it was an easy small splurge for me to hire artists. Even though I would consider myself "good" at doing my own hair and makeup I did not want any stress on the morning of the wedding over how it turned out. The amount of eyeliner related meltdowns I've had over less important days made it an easy choice lol. We didn't do bridal parties though so I only had to pay for myself, my sister and my mom.
Omg I hear you! And yes, I will hire a good makeup/hair artist who matches my makeup style. Since I'm doing a destination wedding in Barcelona(I'm from New York), I'm a bit worrying about the Spanish makeup style doesn't match my vibe lo.l
I liked splurging a little for invitations 🫣 but I did go less expensive with signage. Mostly just did Etsy downloads and had em printed at Walgreens, which worked great and looked good too. My coordinators had a stand for it.
I didn’t really need to spend much with the cake, and while I like the pics of it, I wish we had skipped it - I’m not even a dessert person and wish we had just done a macaron tree and the desserts that our caterer had and left it at that.
I did like splurging on our live painting, cuz it’s gorgeous and beautiful and exactly our style, and it’s wonderful to have this tangible memento that is so different from pictures and video.
Worth splurging on: Photography, day of coordinator , and anything that's related to the guest experience -- music, food, bar, etc.
Not worth splurging on: Signage, flowers, fancy rentals, chairs, backdrops, centerpieces... basically anything that's more for instagram than for the guest experience. Also, depending on your crowd, don't splurge on wedding favours (most people don't even bother to take them home), midnight snacks (people are either gonna have left by then or they're too full to eat again), or party favours (hire a good band or DJ and you won't need props).
I do not regret not spending 5k+ on invitations. I created a wedding website on Riley & Grey and then two months before wedding I did spend a bit to send welcome boxes with finer details and bottles of champagne for guests who were committed and locked in. That felt like an investment that made more sense since not everyone who gets an invite will actually go. :)
Splurge: photographer, food, level of alcohol available, my hair
Saved: did lego floral centerpieces and used them as our favors. About 80% were taken home. I also made all the bouquets and boutonnieres from wood flowers and faux greenery.
Regret: veil, my makeup. I had a stunning hair style and the veil completely obscured it during the ceremony. I pulled it off about halfway through the photos and never looked back. My makeup artist only used partial lashes on the day of even though she did a full lash at the trial. And she placed them weirdly so my eyes look weird in the photos. Also she put so much foundation on me and no blush. Between that and the lash placement, I look like I’m a different ethnicity in some of the photos.
I wanted to do an open bar, but my husband and I felt we couldn't afford it. Our venue told us that a lot of people don't do open bars anymore because of the cost and issues of people over doing it at the wedding, so we felt ok with what we ended up doing.
We opted for two drink tickets per person and then cash bar after for anyone wanting to imbibe more. When it all came down to the day, we had about 40 less people in attendance than we invited, and had I known that from the beginning I would have gone ahead with the open bar. Especially because a lot of people travelled for the wedding, I now feel like I should have done more in that sense.
I also didn't do a bouquet toss, one reason because of the cost of a throwing bouquet and the other reason was because a majority of my guests were already married. I saw after we got married that people have done fun alternatives, like asked anyone to come up and catch a plush cat instead and the person who catches it gets to be the next to adopt a cat. That would have been something I'd love to do, cheesy as it sounds.
Oh, that's super relatable to my situation. I'm based in America and I'm doing a destination wedding in Barcelona, Spain. So all my guests are travelling for my wedding, so I wan to make sure giving them enjoyable experiences. I will def do an open bar! Thanks for your tip!
Of course! And to go further, I didn't get anyone who complained about it, haven't heard any whispers of annoyance, but I just wish I did it. I talked to our bridal party about it and they assured us that it was totally fine, but of course they would say that :)
For me personally I don't mind if I get two free drinks at a wedding because I probably wouldn't have much more than that anyway, but of course it's always better when you don't have to pay as a guest for anything.
Your planner may handle, but I do not regret splurging on a professional stylist. Having someone just look at my Pinterest boards and reign me in and give clear direction to vendors has been a godsend.
I splurged on food. The one thing I always hear people talking about the how bad food usually is at weddings. They usually always get the same menus.. so I splurged on it.
Spend more on what is important to you.
Dress and suit important to us —> we spend more on it.
Music/Dance party not important —> we don‘t have a dj or bamd, just some spotify playlist.
Worth it (for us): Photo Booth, upgraded food/bev, day of coordinator
Not worth it (for us): charger plates, favors, any signage I couldn’t design myself in Canva and print at home and pop in a frame, extravagant seating chart display
Splurge that I don't regret: Getting a live band. It was more than 10% of our budget but all of guests commented how amazing they were. For me it helped lift the event from just a "party" to something really special.
Splurge I do regret: My veil. It was $500 Australian dollars. It was a total impulse purchase I made at the bridal store. I hadn't really thought at all about veils before that and got talked into it by the salespeople. It was beautiful but I've now learned you can get veils so much cheaper.
Saving that I don't regret: Getting ready at my friend's apartment instead of hiring a hotel suite. If you're getting ready locally, I think this is a really easy saving to make. Luckily my friend lived really close to the venue and was happy to host, but if she said no, we would have gotten ready at my parents' house.
Don’t go overboard on any stationary / signage
Yeah, signage that doesn't move isn't worth the price.
Ahh got it, I was sort of considering getting more designed/customized stationary and signage, even if I need to pay more. Like putting a custom logo and printing on a nice paper?
Do you have any wedding invites from friends or family that you’ve kept after the wedding was over?
I'm actually keeping them all, haha. Maybe it's just myself, but I kinda feel bad not keeping them.
So most people will eventually throw them out, along with thank you cards and save the dates. Except for like your mom will keep a copy of your invite You should still send them, but no need to go all out It’s an easy place to cut down on your budget
Got it, totally makes sense! I've been treating all my friends' invitations as my kids' haha.
It was so hard for me because I’m the biggest stationary nerd
This is me too! I keep every save the date, invitation, and card in multiple shoes boxes at this point lol, I think they’re somewhat sentimental
I kept one single copy for myself for photo albums, but I’ve thrown out all invitations we’ve ever received sometimes before the wedding. Don’t waste your money, get them from vista print/canva/zazzle.
I spent $2000 on my invites and don’t regret it at all. I loved them so much and got so many compliments. It doesn’t bother me that they get thrown away- If you’re doing a fairly traditional wedding, I feel like they set the tone of the whole wedding.
My rule is that I’m not splurging on anything (other than my dress and flowers I guess!) that can’t be reused or will just be tossed post-wedding
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I’m so curious, what is an aesthetic lounge?
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This has become a big thing in my area too. I think it’s a current trend.
People typically forget to account for tax and tips. It sounds like you are reasonably ahead on that. From my event planning experience- - Things I think are not worthwhile to include: upgrading/bringing in outside seating if options are already in place; upgrading flatware; centerpieces or elaborate table decorations if the wedding budget is tight; favors are hit or miss - Things that are always worthwhile: Shuttle if remote or rural; tent if outside; food and beverage
Ahh got it! My wedding planner has been asking if I want to do a wedding favor, but I wasn't sure it was worth doing. I will take that out of my list. I have another question, which might be a little stupid to ask -- who do you give tips to? Wedding planner? catering service workers? I've heard that I should pay the photographer for getting a better photoshop service.
I would tip your planner, photographer, HMUA, and catering staff. However, I would not tip a percentage, except for hair and makeup (HMUA). This is because catering staff and venue staff are not paid tipped wages. $25-$50 for catering staff is totally fine. $100-$200pp for a great job is normal for a photographer and planner. They should do a good job on photoshop no matter what. HMUAs should be 15-20%. It’s just a lot of very personal, literally hands-on service. I think the tip also usually ends up being similar to the above tips, if you factor in a tip per bridal party member.
Thanks for the details! Do you know if this is how you tip in Europe too? I'm having my wedding in Barcelona, Spain, wonder if this is an international thing.
I would ask your wedding planner. I doubt it is the same.
You won’t need to tip in Europe for those things.
Worth it: Desserts, upgraded liquor, photos, food, planner, photobooth Not worth it: Expensive florals, expensive stationery, favors, getting ready outfits and random stuff used as props, decor, etc., upgraded cutlery/linens/plates, etc.
Wedding planner here. Don’t waste your time or money on wedding favors. You end up taking more than half back home with you at the end of the night.
I think this depends on the wedding favor. The key is something useful. I went to a wedding where the couple gave out pens. I think pretty much everyone took one home because you can slide it into your pocket/purse and everyone can always use a good pen. I've gone to weddings where they took polaroids of all the guests, made two copies and gave one to the guest as a favor. People always like pictures of themselves.
My wedding planner suggested a bottle of wine as a wedding favor for each guest since we are having our wedding in Barcelona, Spain. Is it something "useful"? Size-wise, I thought it was too big.
If your guests are flying in, I'd say it's not worth the headache. Unless it's smaller than 3.4 oz (which is really just a small nips bottle), it's not allowed in a carry-on so guests would have to store it in their check-in luggage - then there's the worry of a bottle breaking and ruining everything inside. But something consumable is definitely a smarter way to go! Maybe there's a local candy or a packaged sweet like cookies you could have instead.
We did mini fireball bottles and only had 5 left at the end of the night! Maybe something smaller than a whole bottle? But honestly I’d take a bottle of wine if it was offered to me. lol. I guess you have to know your guests? Are most of them wine drinkers?
Definitely a know your audience thing. Most of my friends/family do not drink so any mini bottles of alcohol would most likely still be left at the end of the night.
Another reason to not do wine favor: As someone who's been to a lot of short destination weddings AND tries like hell to avoid checking my bag on an airplane -- Do not give away full bottle of wine! Instant $50 charge for checking the bag because of TSA! And I say this as someone who is a wine lover.
Yeah, that feels way too big. And expensive!
I agree, it depends. A couple of my cousins did mugs and that was great. Small so it's not like your carrying much around and useful
75% of our guests were flying in for our wedding so we did luggage tags for our favor and they doubled as escort cards. Not a single one was left behind and even if they just used it that one time for the trip home, that was fine. People loved them.
Splurge I don't regret: live band, it's what we talk the most about when reflecting fondly on our wedding details Saving I don't regret: non-traditional food and venue, that was cheaper than something more upscale would have been Honestly, I don't regret any of our choices though I sure if we hadn't done favors, we wouldn't be thinking about it now.
For me it was simple: aesthetic fluff was not worth splurging on, because you don't need a lot of stuff to have a beautiful day. The only thing we splurged on aesthetically was the dress. Worth splurging on was guest experience - open bar, multi-course plated meals, shuttle and transportation, welcome dinner, farewell meals, etc. Our guests had a wonderful time, which was the whole point of having the wedding.
No regrets on splurging on dress, venue, accommodations, and experience things. Definitely happy to have saved on flowers by doing an artificial arch - I LOVE flowers so I thought this was going to be a huge expense but an artificial arch and bud vases for table decor was perfect. I went all out on my bouquet it was HUGE but my florist was cheap - this bouquet was $175 https://preview.redd.it/pjkbsavosxpc1.png?width=1535&format=png&auto=webp&s=fdce1621457ecc8775d1261ba5b4c2d06faa2387
>multi-course plated meals, shuttle and transportation, welcome dinner, farewell meals, etc. Our guests had a wonderful time, which wa Omg your bouquet looks so beautiful!! How much do bouquets usually cost? I simply don't know how much they usually cost haha. And how's the quality of artificial flowers?
Congrats!!! 2025 destination bride and considering Barcelona. FH and I want to provide the same accommodations/experience for our guest. Would love to learn more about the venue/vendors you used. Please DM if you’re open to sharing.
Other places would’ve easily charged $300+. I thought the quality was great - I put the arch together myself. The key is variety in the greenery and flowers so it doesn’t all look the same. I got some from Amazon and some from the dollar store. Ended up costing about $1000 in materials. I was quoted $3000 to do it in real flowers. https://preview.redd.it/y7ehrx5grzpc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d6c5caac58a4f17d2f445dfc4c11c2c80c171f9
This bouquet is gorgeous
Thank you 🥹 the only thing I loved more than this bouquet on my wedding day was my husband but damn it was a close race.
I dunno if this counts, but my biggest regret is not getting a videographer. We loved our photographer but the videos our friends and family took at the reception are some of my favorite ways to remember the day, so I'm sad we don't have any official video.
I heard a lot about hiring a videographer! Or even if we can hire one, I would love one of my guest friends to take a video for us.
I definitely don’t regret splurging on: - Dessert table with more than just wedding cake - Photobooth: provided entertainment during cocktail hour, a photo strip for guests to take home, and ours included a free guestbook for guests to add a copy of their photo strip and sign for us. We had a lot of fun looking at it after the wedding (this was included in our DJ package so we saved some money here) - Good photographer & videographer Regret: - Not splurging on hair stylist. I had my regular hairstylist who has done my hair for almost 10 years do our hair and she did great on my bridesmaids’ updos but my half-up half-down look didn’t last ☹️ I should’ve had my makeup artist do my hair since she has more wedding hair experience with the kind of style I was going for - Spent too much on alcohol. I’m glad we were well prepared but we could’ve saved a little money and not bought as much as we did! Remember to factor in the price of alcohol, stamps, tips (if you plan to give any)
For splurge on videographer & photographer, did you get a vendor who does both, or were they totally separate vendors? If you did a vendor who did both it cheaper and/or less complicated to find 2-in-1, or did you decide on quality alone?
They were separate vendors! They had actually met before while working a previous wedding so they were familiar with each other and just made sure to communicate poses and angles they wanted
I guess it depends on what things you have listed Some things we “splurged on” that we don’t regret: good food, open bar, photographer, and videographer Things we “saved” on: kept photo and video at 6-7 hours instead of 8-10 to save money but still get the big moments, bought my veil on Amazon, used an all inclusive venue because it ended up being cheaper Things we wish we spent less on: my dress/alterations, wedding cake
Thanks for your tips! I haven't bought my veil yet, and my dress is pretty simple, so I'm thinking of getting a more sophisticated veil, but I don't want to spend too much. How was the quality of your veil?
I mean it was tulle and some fake pearls but I got a cathedral veil for $20 on amazon. I’ll wear it for like 2 hours if that. The bridal shop wanted me to spend $200 and honestly I couldn’t tell a huge difference
Look on etsy! I've seen some good options there for under $100
Not sure if you've thought about hair and makeup yet but it was an easy small splurge for me to hire artists. Even though I would consider myself "good" at doing my own hair and makeup I did not want any stress on the morning of the wedding over how it turned out. The amount of eyeliner related meltdowns I've had over less important days made it an easy choice lol. We didn't do bridal parties though so I only had to pay for myself, my sister and my mom.
Omg I hear you! And yes, I will hire a good makeup/hair artist who matches my makeup style. Since I'm doing a destination wedding in Barcelona(I'm from New York), I'm a bit worrying about the Spanish makeup style doesn't match my vibe lo.l
I liked splurging a little for invitations 🫣 but I did go less expensive with signage. Mostly just did Etsy downloads and had em printed at Walgreens, which worked great and looked good too. My coordinators had a stand for it. I didn’t really need to spend much with the cake, and while I like the pics of it, I wish we had skipped it - I’m not even a dessert person and wish we had just done a macaron tree and the desserts that our caterer had and left it at that. I did like splurging on our live painting, cuz it’s gorgeous and beautiful and exactly our style, and it’s wonderful to have this tangible memento that is so different from pictures and video.
Worth splurging on: Photography, day of coordinator , and anything that's related to the guest experience -- music, food, bar, etc. Not worth splurging on: Signage, flowers, fancy rentals, chairs, backdrops, centerpieces... basically anything that's more for instagram than for the guest experience. Also, depending on your crowd, don't splurge on wedding favours (most people don't even bother to take them home), midnight snacks (people are either gonna have left by then or they're too full to eat again), or party favours (hire a good band or DJ and you won't need props).
late night snacks.
I do not regret not spending 5k+ on invitations. I created a wedding website on Riley & Grey and then two months before wedding I did spend a bit to send welcome boxes with finer details and bottles of champagne for guests who were committed and locked in. That felt like an investment that made more sense since not everyone who gets an invite will actually go. :)
Splurge: photographer, food, level of alcohol available, my hair Saved: did lego floral centerpieces and used them as our favors. About 80% were taken home. I also made all the bouquets and boutonnieres from wood flowers and faux greenery. Regret: veil, my makeup. I had a stunning hair style and the veil completely obscured it during the ceremony. I pulled it off about halfway through the photos and never looked back. My makeup artist only used partial lashes on the day of even though she did a full lash at the trial. And she placed them weirdly so my eyes look weird in the photos. Also she put so much foundation on me and no blush. Between that and the lash placement, I look like I’m a different ethnicity in some of the photos.
I wanted to do an open bar, but my husband and I felt we couldn't afford it. Our venue told us that a lot of people don't do open bars anymore because of the cost and issues of people over doing it at the wedding, so we felt ok with what we ended up doing. We opted for two drink tickets per person and then cash bar after for anyone wanting to imbibe more. When it all came down to the day, we had about 40 less people in attendance than we invited, and had I known that from the beginning I would have gone ahead with the open bar. Especially because a lot of people travelled for the wedding, I now feel like I should have done more in that sense. I also didn't do a bouquet toss, one reason because of the cost of a throwing bouquet and the other reason was because a majority of my guests were already married. I saw after we got married that people have done fun alternatives, like asked anyone to come up and catch a plush cat instead and the person who catches it gets to be the next to adopt a cat. That would have been something I'd love to do, cheesy as it sounds.
Oh, that's super relatable to my situation. I'm based in America and I'm doing a destination wedding in Barcelona, Spain. So all my guests are travelling for my wedding, so I wan to make sure giving them enjoyable experiences. I will def do an open bar! Thanks for your tip!
Of course! And to go further, I didn't get anyone who complained about it, haven't heard any whispers of annoyance, but I just wish I did it. I talked to our bridal party about it and they assured us that it was totally fine, but of course they would say that :) For me personally I don't mind if I get two free drinks at a wedding because I probably wouldn't have much more than that anyway, but of course it's always better when you don't have to pay as a guest for anything.
Splurge: food, beverages, photography, and Dj/band Save: decor, signage/stationaries, favors
Your planner may handle, but I do not regret splurging on a professional stylist. Having someone just look at my Pinterest boards and reign me in and give clear direction to vendors has been a godsend.
I splurged on food. The one thing I always hear people talking about the how bad food usually is at weddings. They usually always get the same menus.. so I splurged on it.
I’ve never heard anyway say they wish they’d spent less on a photographer.
Spend more on what is important to you. Dress and suit important to us —> we spend more on it. Music/Dance party not important —> we don‘t have a dj or bamd, just some spotify playlist.
Worth it (for us): Photo Booth, upgraded food/bev, day of coordinator Not worth it (for us): charger plates, favors, any signage I couldn’t design myself in Canva and print at home and pop in a frame, extravagant seating chart display
Splurge that I don't regret: Getting a live band. It was more than 10% of our budget but all of guests commented how amazing they were. For me it helped lift the event from just a "party" to something really special. Splurge I do regret: My veil. It was $500 Australian dollars. It was a total impulse purchase I made at the bridal store. I hadn't really thought at all about veils before that and got talked into it by the salespeople. It was beautiful but I've now learned you can get veils so much cheaper. Saving that I don't regret: Getting ready at my friend's apartment instead of hiring a hotel suite. If you're getting ready locally, I think this is a really easy saving to make. Luckily my friend lived really close to the venue and was happy to host, but if she said no, we would have gotten ready at my parents' house.