5 Easy Ways to Save Money at Your Wedding

Let’s face it – weddings are expensive.

With wedding season ramping up, I am here to tell you where you waste money at your wedding. There are so many things people do not want from weddings, do not care about, and would not even notice if they are missing.

You’re probably wondering, how does she know? Well, as someone who is 1. Married & had a 200+ person wedding at a Cape Cod resort 2. Been in 7 weddings (9 if you count readings), and 3. Been a MOH 4 times, I would say I have a decent amount of experience with weddings. Not to mention I cannot even count how many weddings I have been invited to and invited as a plus 1! One year alone (2016) my husband and I attended 7 weddings – 7! I’m the more relatable and realistic Katherine Heigl from “27 Dresses”.

Below are the 5 Things you can Skip at your Wedding:

Favors
This is the big one! No one wants a candle with a picture of you on it or some other tchotchke thing they will either leave behind or throw away at a later date.
If you absolutely must do favors, make them edible 😉 or drink koozies, people love koozies.
Centerpieces
The elegance and simplicity of the place settings, linens, and a nicely presented table number, just *chef’s kiss*. The only generation still trying to take centerpieces home are boomers.
Flip flops
The first time the flip flop basket was done, super cute. But now? No one needs $1 Old Navy flip flops in your wedding colors. They will again be discarded at the end of the night or, if people do take them home, tossed out eventually. Not to mention, these flops are straight trash. No one over the age of 21, scratch that, 18 or maybe even 16 wants these.
Aside – I did go to a very fancy wedding (read: WASP-y) and they had pashmina scarves for drinking and smoking on the lanai and *clutch my pearls* – CLASS!
Invitation Response Cards
This is both a money and time saver. I wish I did this. Traditionally, invites include: the invitation, the directions & accommodations card, the response card for attending or not & food choice, and finally a pre-stamped response envelope. Eliminate the response card and stamped return envelopes. Have the RSVP date include your wedding website.
Ex. RSVP by Month Day, Year via YourWeddingSite.com
This is extraordinarily convenient for you as the couple to track who is coming and eating what. You will then know a head count and a food count for the vendors without having to manually track it. It’s amazing and I wish I did it.
Savings: the card stock, extra envelope, stamps for the return envelope, and *bonus* the mailing cost for the invitation, the lighter the total invitation package = less to mail.
Dessert and Cake
Just do a cake. I have seen more cake left on tables because people are already dancing; having an additional dessert or a dessert station will be a waste. I even knew 1 couple who had a fake cake except for the piece they sliced and the top tier (saved for the 1 year anniversary). Otherwise, it was frosted cardboard and styrofoam. They served a sheet cake to their guests because they had seen how much cake has been wasted at weddings.

Short and sweet list:

Favors
Centerpieces
Flip flops
Response cards
Dessert

You’re likely here because you are on your way to some nuptials, so congrats and good luck! I hope this helped you make some decisions and save some funds for your honeymoon or house!