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The wedding process can be overwhelming. Especially the monetary part of it! There are so many choices to make over the course of the planning phase and unfortunately most of them cost money. Once you’ve set your budget you can begin to make these choices both large and small. I’m sharing my opinion as a past bride on what to splurge on vs. what to save on!
WHERE TO SPLURGE:
- The dress, duh! I know this contradicts my past post but I do think if spending a little more (as long as it’s in your budget) for your dream dress is well worth it.
- The robe you get ready in the day of the wedding! I still wear mine and think it was worth every penny. It came from Nordstrom where they have a ton of great ones!
- A special piece of jewelry, shoes etc. to wear the day of your wedding. But in my opinion, I’d only choose one of these things since you’re already going to be wearing a stunning dress! I only chose a pair of earrings as my splurge piece since I wanted my dress to shine.
- The music for the wedding and reception. I had a violinist for our ceremony and it was worth every penny! She let me choose all the songs which was great since I didn’t use traditional wedding songs. I thought our violinist was the perfect musical backdrop to our beach wedding! For the reception had a band that played lots of 70s music which is what we both really like as a couple. The music can make or break a wedding so definitely splurge here!
- Save the dates and invitations were worth using premium printing and paper. My best friend is a graphic designer and customized all of our stuff but if I hadn’t known one I would’ve hired one for sure! She also hand lettered all our envelopes which also worth the money to me as well.
- Drink ware which probably just depends on the couple but we did neoprene koozies and frost flex cups with our logo on them both of which are more expensive but that was something we felt like was worth it!
- Food is a huge one to me! Wedding dinners per head are more expensive than you could ever imagine even just for a buffet. This has been one thing I’ve known forever but still didn’t want to skimp on. We did a couple different types of fish, chicken, and sides from a local caterer. It was all delicious! I just feel like if people take the time to come celebrate you they should at least be able to enjoy a nice meal.
- If you are having alcohol at your wedding I think it’s worth it to do the open bar. That’s what we did and we were happy with our choice. I will mention that because of county beach curfew our reception could only be until 10 pm so you probably would have to take into account how long your reception will last.
- Photography and videography. The first one I feel like most people know but the second one I really didn’t. I was not going to have a videographer until like a month before my wedding. I just didn’t understand the need in the age of cellphones! I’m so glad I had one. I love watching our wedding video. Photos are wonderful but they still can’t capture everything! If you take one thing away from this post it should be: book the videographer!!
- Your sendoff and whatever that entails. I knew I wanted a sparkler exit so we found the nicest sparklers that burned the longest for that. We also rented a vintage bentley and driver for our getaway car which I loved! This all made for awesome photos.
- Transportation for your wedding party to and from the wedding location(s). This will ensure everyone is safe and on time to everything!
WHAT TO SAVE ON:
- Flowers because you can do it yourself with a little help! I’m going to do a whole post on this but basically you can order them wholesale from Sam’s Club and arrange them. We did all of our flowers except my bouquet which was professionally arranged.
- Cake and sweets since neither my husband or I care about either much. We had a smaller cake and added a topper from ETSY. I noticed that a lot of times at weddings I’ve been to they have way too many sweets period and no one is eating them.
- Decor in general because I can promise people barely notice this stuff. I had a few hand lettered signs done by my best friend which I loved but other than that we had table runners, small flower arrangements, and a few pictures. Since we got married on the beach we wanted to let that shine through!
- Programs because I can promise no one cares about them. We had double sided ones printed at Office Depot for less than $30. They doubled as a fan for people if needed and I’m sure most were thrown away which is totally fine because we saved here!
- Favors which we didn’t do at all. Personally, I can’t recall one favor I got from a wedding ever. I’m sure I did but they’re just not memorable. I love a nice koozie so we had those and the cups.
- Wedding planner because you can definitely do it on your own if you do some research! It definitely takes some organization but it can be done and is worth the money you save.
- The venue itself which is what we did in deciding to do both the wedding and reception on the beach at a public access area that had parking and restrooms. Having everything at one location will help you save on everything in general and be easier for you and your guests.
Overall, when it comes to what to splurge on and what to save on when planning a wedding it truly depends on your personal budget and preferences. If you put your mind to it you can save on anything! Make sure to keep open communication with your partner, parents, in-laws and whoever is involved in the wedding planning process. Have questions? Leave them in the comments below!
Love,
Megan