Category Archives: discounts

I Should Have Guest It Wasn’t Free

A wedding invitation is akin to a golden ticket. Your choice to include the recipient in this milestone of your life shows their importance. However, most brides, nor guests don’t initially realize these come with a price. Here is a short breakdown of some of the expenses:

Attire: Most buy a new outfit. Everyone wants to look their best and spend on average $155 on something special. If there is a dress code, it likely will be more. Your bridal party also must pay for their ceremony dresses too.

Gifts: Presents are typically given whether one can attend or not. The range is $50 to $100 for a friend and $150+ for those closer or family. The ladies (or gentlemen) who go to your shower and/or bachelorette party usually give additional items.

Travel: Guests from out of town have more expenses due to accommodations, flights etc. Prices of travel have increased exponentially due to the pandemic and space is limited. If the time can be turned into a vacation, many find the costs more budget friendly and easier to save for.

Other: Members of the wedding party usually foot the bill for the bridal shower and bachelorette party.  If you have a cash bar at your reception, tabs can quickly add up. If you choose a child-free wedding, some will have to find babysitters. The list goes on.

Statistics: A 2022 survey showed most people were invited to an average of four weddings a year and spent as much as $3,000 attending each. Nearly two-thirds of guests feel financially stressed. 37% said they couldn’t afford a present or new outfit and one-third had to decline attending because of the costs.

Nothing is impossible with things such as pay-later programs, establishing a wedding guest fund in one’s budget or renting rather than buying. Keep in mind, if some you care about can’t share in your big day, it’s likely nothing personal and they will be there in spirit.

You’re My Favor(ite)

Despite the fact that your guests should and probably do feel honored to be a part of your wonderful day, it is only appropriate that you give them favors as a token for their attendance, any gifts they have given you and especially if they have traveled or rearranged their schedule to attend. However, that is not an indication which requires spending a great amount of money nor be typical or easily anticipated.

One inexpensive way to kill two birds with one stone is to use small and economical containers, each filled with different sorts of succulents. On the front, you can put labels with the name of each guest and simply the number of their table at the reception. Therefore, not only does it keep you from making seating assignment cards but is a token of your appreciation which can grow and is long-lasting.

Select something meaningful and useful to which you can attach a card letting each guest know that you have made a donation to a charity on their behalf. No matter the organization, each attendant would be both surprised and humbled by the thought behind your decision to do so.

Find something local and unique to your area, whether candy, granola, tea etc. and package them in modest containers. If you wanted to extend yourself, cover the containers with local maps giving extra meaning to guests who have traveled for the occasion. If you choose not to use a map as a cover, simply fold it into a uniquely styled tag with a hand written message.

Any favor would be appreciated but there are many ways you can show your gratitude while both remaining in your budget and thinking outside the box.

Best Kept Hidden Secrets

It goes without saying that every detail of your wedding, from the smallest to the largest, comes with a cost although it may be surprising that the price tag you see or are quoted is not the price you will actually be expected to pay. Many times, fees are added that either aren’t mentioned or that you certainly wouldn’t expect (although later you can be told that you should have). Here are just a few….

Invitations are representative of your motif and you want them to appear engaging, charming as well as welcoming. It is very easy to be sold on more decorative invites, heavier cardstock or are simply bulkier. What may not cross your mind is that you have to pay extra postage for each of those, not to mention the costs for RSVP cards and thank you notes all of which quickly add up. The message is the same and may be presented equally creatively in a simpler and more cost effective fashion.

While your dress should be the first (if not only) item to splurge on depending on your budget, it’s important to consider that the listed price is not the amount you are going to veritably spend.  The vast majority of dresses require alterations which are not included in the cost of the gown but your veil, jewelry, undergarments etc. must be accounted for as well. Modifications alone can set you back up to $500 unless you are lucky enough to find a bridal shop where everything is included for a set fee.

Customarily, when you pay for a service, whether a photographer, DJ, coordinator, use of your venue etc., the quoted amount is for a specific period of time. It may take you longer to get ready than expected, causing the wedding to run late and it’s easy to lose track of time during the subsequent celebration. Be aware that, just as with any other profession, additional charges accrue for overtime. Either you need to be exceptionally aware of your schedule or set aside a portion of the budget in anticipation to cover overages.

Although your wedding day is one of the most special in your life and has tremendous meaning to you, at the end of the day, to most vendors, it is a way to make a living and a means to an end. It is important that you don’t spend every penny allocated without being aware of unforeseen expenditures as almost every aspect of your special day will include them.

Knot Going Overboard

Many brides feel as if a more expensive wedding showcases a greater amount of love for their fiancé, more of a commitment or an increased amount of sincerity to their guests. Weddings, however, are not competitions and you can easily be just as happy paying the small filing fee at the courthouse for your license and that being the end of it.

Despite the growth of the wedding industry, studies show that as the amount spent on ceremonies decreases, the likelihood of marriages being successful and lasting increases. There are many reasons this could be the case and here are a few…

Spending a great deal on a particular day (although being the most important barring having children), will begin your new life with a huge amount of debt. The beauty is that intimacy, commitment and a lifelong promise are each actually free. The only cost is that is of being willing to give your heart and all that you have to someone else.

Favors are most often left behind as, without being unkind, in a short amount of time, no one really wants a match book with your wedding date inscribed on it nor do they care about personalized wine glasses. If you choose to give gifts, make them edible, seeds to plant in their yard or a meaningful reminder which will be lasting neither of which cost very much.

Choose a pair of shoes you already own and feel comfortable in. Most gowns are long enough that your footwear won’t even be seen and, as you will be spending many hours of the day on your feet, chances are you’ll end up taking them off/changing out of them anyway. Additionally, pain or discomfort can be noticeable and add an unwanted quirkiness to your gait as you walk down the aisle. Doing so not only makes you have one less thing to worry about but will often save several hundred dollars.

Paper seems a minimal expense as it is never something very costly. However, most likely, individualized place cards and menus are produced on card stock, will have to be duplicated (one for the menu and another for the seating location) and the cost increases infinitely as the number of guests does. To be more cost-effective, have a single menu at each table listing the names of every invitee at the table, as typically, it is unnecessary for each person to have their own list. Menus and place cards are other items that no one is going to take home, hold on to nor will most likely even recall.

The one element of your wedding day that matters doesn’t cost a single penny, won’t put you into debt, won’t be remembered by your guests and won’t cause you a single minute of stress or anxiety. Sometimes, that gets lost in the mix but it is very important to keep in mind as, in an industry that makes brides so easily get caught up in the smallest details, the sole reason the event is happening is temporarily forgotten.