We recently asked wedding planners and experts of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us the wedding things couples should stop spending money on — and what they should spend money on instead. Here are the eye-opening results: 1. "Any kind of wedding favor that has the couple’s name on it and that isn’t food.
Instead, put that money into a great dinner, a good selection of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), something sweet (cookies are always a hit if you can do those in addition to a cake), and to-go boxes because people will take home food if they have an easy way to do so." "If you want to fancy those boxes up, get a few custom labels with your new monogram and slap them on." — lbburgess 2.
"Real flowers. They die, and you might not get exactly what you're looking for. Faux flowers today look SO realistic and are much less expensive! And you can choose exactly what you love.
You can easily find tutorials on making your own bouquets, boutonnières, and centerpieces if you want." "People won’t notice the difference, and even if they do, they will comment on just how real they look! You’ll save a ton of money, and you can make them into a keepsake after the wedding. " — goldenmagazine31 "Not to mention allergies! Lots of people are allergic to various flowers, and with fake ones, you don't have to worry.
Plus, they are easier to preserve to keep for years, or sell after the fact." — shaeshae87 3. "If you weren't a super dance-y couple before, you probably won't become a dance-y couple the day of your wedding, so don't spend a ton of money on a big DJ set-up.
Instead, spend your money on wedding entertainment that you'll actually enjoy participating in, and figure out how to incorporate music in a way that doesn't cost as much, and that you'll actually enjoy." — lbburgess 4. "Champagne towers or champagne/wine poured or opened at each table.
I manage a wedding venue, and we end up dumping soooo much wine and champagne at the end of the night when couples do this. Alcohol is already one of your biggest expenses, and this choice almost ensures that you'll be pouring money down the drain!" "Instead, have your DJ announce that a toast is coming so your guests can get themselves a drink of their choice for when the time comes!" —39, Illinois " Skip the champagne toasts — too many people don't like bubbly and most of it goes to waste." — ddblanton 5.
"Instead of a massive wedding cake that is more for looks than anything else, get cupcakes for your guests to enjoy! The presentation can still be really fun and beautiful, but this makes it easier to accommodate things like food allergies, vegan/specialty diets, and just flavor preferences!" "For example, at my wedding, we had quite a few guests who didn't like chocolate, a few vegans, and one guest with a severe dairy and nut allergy. Because we chose to have a cupcake table, we could separate out the vanilla, vegan, and allergy-friendly cupcakes for our guests who needed them. It was a big hit, and any leftover cupcakes ended up going home with guests who really liked them and to our neighbors who weren't able to attend.
" —24, Virginia 6. "You can save money on ceremony music (if you're going the live-music route) by looking for student musicians. We have a music conservatory here in town, which is a great resource for couples to find and hire a college student to play at the ceremony for them.
" — u/WillowOttoFloraFrank 7. "Don't have a bridal party. Believe me, many people don't want to be in the bridal party but feel obligated to say yes, and there's almost always drama.
Instead, invest in some entertainment for the guests, like a professional dance number or open bar." —Anonymous, New York 8. "Over-the-top flowers with tons of different types of flowers.
Keep it simple: Larger blooms, in-season varieties, and consider incorporating big items like lanterns that could be rented or resold after the event. Or, group smaller arrangements and plants that can also serve as favors or name cards." —51, Connecticut 9.
"[You'll waste so much money] not properly vetting your vendors. So many of my clients this year hired vendors from budget Facebook groups and didn't make sure they were licensed and insured businesses. Most venues require this these days, so essentially, they're being scammed since the person cannot legally perform services, and rarely do they respond to a refund request.
" "I've never had so many scammers in one wedding season hit my clients before I can educate them." —36, Washington 10. "Unless you regularly drink from champagne flutes or regularly use a large cake knife, don’t bother with Waterford or crystal sets.
Spend money on other things." —54, New York 11. "I may get hate for this, but [skip] the wedding favors altogether.
I cannot tell you how many times I've loaded mini succulents, candles, and koozies back into the boxes. I had a couple spend $700 on monogrammed drink coasters and candles, and I think we gave away 10 of each. People will snatch bags of candy on their way out, but that's about it.
" — sass4271c944b "Personalized wedding favors! I’m talking about koozies, cups, glasses, etc., that have the bride and groom’s names on them or a wedding hashtag, for instance. No one picks them up, and if they do, they get thrown in the trash pretty quickly.
Definitely a waste of money that could have been put towards something else." — atolli237 12. "Go with just beer and wine (vs.
a full bar with liquor) to help keep costs in check." — u/WillowOttoFloraFrank 13. "I was an event coordinator and saw way too many weddings.
Skip the personalized cocktail napkins. No one pays attention to them anyway." — ddblanton 14.
"The wedding [ceremony]. No one cares; guests are there for the party, food, booze, and dancing. Spend your money on that.
" — u/tjcenter58 15. "Massive wedding cakes with fondant, etc. Get a two- or three-tier cake, put it on a cake stand, and serve sheet or round cakes from the back.
Wedding cakes cost around $7–$15 a serving because of preparation and supply costs. Regular cakes are about half that." "Always save money by having regular cakes in the back! Plus you can have more flavor options.
" —47, Florida 16. "I always tell clients that centerpieces are a good place to save money. Think about the last wedding you attended before getting engaged.
..and tell me what their centerpieces looked like.
Most guests can't remember. They remember the meal and whether they had a good time (aka, alcohol and a good DJ, usually)." — u/WillowOttoFloraFrank And finally.
.. 17.
"I think big, elaborate weddings are such a waste of money. To me, it makes more sense to have a small, quaint wedding ceremony with close family and friends, followed by a small reception. There is no need to go all out on big, elaborate decorations, flowers, expensive wedding dresses, etc.
That money would be much better spent buying a new home, a new car, or a fancy honeymoon instead." "Most of the wedding decorations end up in the landfill, contributing to a bigger problem." — edgyflower45 People who've recently had a wedding, what are some things YOU bought that aren't worth the money? Feel free to let us know in the comments below! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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