101 Ways to Save on Weddings
Due to numerous requests from our readers, we are reprinting our article “101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding” in its complete form. Thank you for asking… 
With the cost of weddings spiraling upwards s of $27,000 (depending on where you plan to have your wedding), and the unstable economy, many engaged couples are looking for ways to save money on their wedding. We, at Completely Weddings, have listed 101 ways to cut your wedding cost and thereby saving you money to use somewhere else such as your honeymoon or savings for your first home.
Planning
1. Set a budget. Before you begin shopping and planning, set a goal for yourself of how much you want to spend. Make an effort to keep your costs in your budget, and remember that any additional money you save can go towards your honeymoon or your first home together.
2. Determine your priorities. Sit down with your fiancé and determine which area are most important to you. Do you both value traditions or could you do without a lot of them? Is a DJ the most important thing to have at your reception, or is it a full meal? Chose where you want to cut costs and what things are too important to you to skimp on.
3. Make your own traditions and ditch the old ones. If there are certain traditions that you don’t enjoy, such as throwing the garter and the bouquet (especially difficult if you have a very small wedding), don’t feel obligated to include them. You can create traditions all your own.
4. Don’t hire a wedding planner. If you are planning a small event especially, you don’t need a wedding planner. Invest in an accordion file and a wedding planning book from a bookstore and do it yourself.
5. Keep your eye out for bridal shows. Bridal shows are a great place to get freebies, gather information, and enter contests. The least you’ll walk away with is a better idea of what you want in your wedding, so find your next local bridal show and mark your calendar!
6. Order online. For everything from dresses to flowers to favors, you can get some great deals when you shop online. Do your homework before you make a purchase at any store and see if you can’t find the same thing cheaper on Amazon, EBay, or Overstock.com.
7. Take your time. Don’t rush into decision making. You may fall in love with all of the first things you see because you’re so excited just to be planning a wedding. Take time to make sure you’re getting the right wedding and reception items for your personal taste, and look into getting the best deal for each item.
8. Accept offers from friends and family. If you have particularly talented or crafty people in your family, chances are they will be jumping at the chance to offer their services. If you know that they’re good at what they do, take them up on their offers and enlist their help with DIY wedding projects.
9. Speak up and negotiate. Negotiation is not a lost art. Stand up for yourself and try to get the best deal possible with all of your vendors.
10. Befriend your local librarian. Before you go spending all your money on bridal magazines and books, go to your local library. Here you can browse etiquette and wedding planning books and magazines to your heart’s content without spending a dime.
11. Shop wholesale online. Search for wholesale retailers for everything from flowers to ribbon, and you can get a great deal online.
Invitations and Announcements
12. Skip engagement announcements and save the dates. These extra touches are cute, but no longer completely necessary. Take the time to make a personal phone call to the most important people in your life and let work of mouth do the rest. Or, if you must get the word out, use an email instead.
13. Cut down your guest list. The quickest and easiest way to save money on your wedding is to cut down your guest list. Have a small wedding with only family, or only invite very close friends. Cut the people you never talk to, or all of your coworkers from the list. If anyone is offended explain that it was a very small and intimate affair.
14. Design and print your invitations at home. You can buy blank invitations at any craft store, Target, or Wal Mart. If you or someone you know is handy with Photoshop or graphic design you can even create a very personal picture or logo for all of your wedding correspondence.
15. Print your own announcements. If you did this with your invitations as well, it will be especially easy to make them match. Invitations only need to be one simple card.
16. Eliminate the RSVP card. Have your guests RSVP by phone or online. This will save you the expense of printing the response card and including the extra envelope as well as on postage for the return envelope.
17. Opt out of an inner envelope and tissue paper. The inner envelope and tissue paper are sometimes considered an outdated inclusion. You can easily get by without one or both.
18. Include only the basics. Save on your invitations by only including the very basics on the paper invitation. Put ceremony and reception information on the same invitation.
19. Get an inexpensive personal wedding website. Provide the web page address and include the invitation and all the details online. To get more information on choosing the personal wedding website for you, read our blog “Creating A Wedding Website“.
Flowers
20. Make your own bouquets. You can purchase a wide variety of silk flowers at any craft store. These won’t wilt so you can take your time creating the perfect bouquets.
21. Know what’s seasonal and local. Choose flowers that are in season at the time are your wedding, and that can be locally grown. You can save a lot by avoiding exotic flowers out of season.
22. Incorporate greenery and ivy. You can fill out your bouquets with greenery and ivy. These are cheaper than using flowers only in your bouquet. This will work especially well if you are planning an “eco-friendly wedding” or to include green in your wedding colors.
23. Reuse your flowers. Consider using some of the same flowers decorating your ceremony to decorate your reception. Assign a few helpful friends to transport the flowers after the ceremony and set them up for the reception.
24. Don’t decorate the head table. Instead of decorating the head table with flowers, use the bridesmaids’ bouquets, set in vases along the table.
Food and Drink
25. Go for the buffet. By selecting a buffet instead of a plated meal, you’ll save not only on the meal but on the servers as well. This is also a bonus for your guests who don’t have to decide ahead of time what they’ll want to eat that day, and can fill their plate however they want.
26. Skip the filet mignon. Chose chicken, fish, and pasta as your options. Consider including pork of beef. Steak may seem like a very formal option but it will run up your bill more than it’s worth.
27. Serve fewer courses. You can serve a higher quality three course meal for the same price as a five course meal. There’s no need to over complicate things.
28. Skip the bar. Don’t feel obligated to provide your guests with a bar. Soda, tea, and water will often do just fine. If you have your reception at a hotel there is often a bar nearby that your guests can get drinks from on their own that won’t cost you a cent. Having a reception earlier in the day – during brunch or lunch is often a good excuse to have a dry party.
29. Have friends and family cater. If you don’t mind going for a less formal affair, you can have friends and family cater the reception. If this isn’t quite in line with your reception plans you can also consider doing this for the rehearsal dinner.
30. Have an informal rehearsal dinner. You can save a bundle by having a casual rehearsal dinner. Plan a cookout, potluck, or barbecue. Your guests will still have a great time, and probably enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.
31. It doesn’t have to be dinner. If you move your wedding to an earlier time, you can have the reception at brunch of lunch time. This will allow you to go for cheaper menu options, like fruit and tea sandwiches. If you want a buffet, consider setting up an omelet bar!
32. Save champagne for the toast. There’s no need to keep the champagne flowing all night. You can serve one glass to each guest for the toast, and serve other beverages the rest of the time. For a non-alcoholic toast, consider serving Martinelli’s sparkling cider. It looks like champagne, tastes good and it’s way cheaper.
33. Serve a limited bar. If you don’t want a dry wedding but aren’t ready to spring for a full bar, just serve wine, beer, and soft drinks to cut your costs.
34. Shorten your cocktail hour. Though it is called the cocktail “hour” you can limit the time during which you serve drinks and hors d’oeuvres to save a little money, and prevent your guests from filling up before the meal!
35. Bring your own alcohol. Many locations do not allow this, but if you do your research you may be able to have your reception in a place where you can bring your own alcohol. Wine and liquor can be purchased much cheaper by the case.
36. Select a seasonal menu. Try to include items in your menu that are both locally grown and in season. You can really work down the meal price if you select your fruits and vegetables carefully.
37. Use smaller plates. If you serve your meal on 8 inch plates instead of 10 inch plates, you can serve less food while still providing a plate that looks full.
38. Go for the keg. For large groups it will be much cheaper to buy beer buy the keg – not the bottle.
39. Cut down on servers. Only hire the minimum number of servers needed. Other than serving the meal, they won’t be doing much besides racking up your bill.
Location and time
40. Book a block of hotel rooms. If you will have guests coming from far away to attend your wedding, find a hotel near your wedding that will negotiate a discounted rate for a block of rooms. Advise your family and friends to make their reservations there. If you and your new spouse stay here before or after the wedding this will not only save money for your guests, but for you as well.
41. Choose your day carefully. The most popular, and expensive, time to have your wedding is on a Saturday. Friday and Sunday will be cheaper, and Monday through Thursday is your best deal.
42. Avoid the peak season. The busiest wedding season is May through September. If you avoid these months, you can save a lot of money, and get better services for a lower price. There are also lots of great themes you can incorporate for an autumn or winter wedding!
43. Use the same location. Have your wedding and reception at the same location. This is often available in hotels and country clubs where you can have the wedding in their garden, and reception in a banquet facility. You can negotiate a great deal by having both in the same place, as well as saving your guests some travel.
44. Have a garden wedding. If you choose a garden location for your wedding, you can save on decorations. You may not need any! Let the beauty of the location do it all for you.
45. Use your church. If you belong to a church, they will often provide function halls, some with complete kitchens, free of charge to their members.
46. Have it at home. Getting married at home may seem like an outdated tradition, but if you or your family has a large house or yard, it can often be the perfect location. You will have the freedom to decorate however you want, and your wedding will be a very private affair.
Cake
47. Skip the bakery. Any place that specializes only in wedding place is going to be expensive. Go to your local grocery store, culinary school, or even your favorite restaurant to negotiate a better deal.
48. Serve the entire cake. Saving the top layer of the cake is often considered a dead tradition. You can save a lot of money by serving your entire cake.
49. Use a fake cake. Instead of ordering an expensive wedding cake, why not opt for a “fake wedding cake”? These cakes are made of styrofoam and are beautifully decorated. They can stay on display all day long, even outdoors with no worries about bugs or humidity. They look so real, your guests won’t even have a clue it is fake.
50. Use cupcakes. Cupcakes for wedding cake are getting popular these days. They costs way less than the “wedding” cake and you can have them in different flavors that your guests can choose from.
51. Order extra sheet cake. If you want an elaborately decorated cake but can’t afford one big enough to feed everyone, go for a smaller cake on display, and have sheet cake in back for cutting and serving. If the icing matched, your guests will never know the difference.
Attire
52. Wear an heirloom or vintage dress. Vintage wedding gowns are in for 2009. See if any of your female relatives have a wedding dress they want to pass down to you. Ask your fiancé to do the same. His mother or grandmother may be thrilled to see you in their gown, especially if he doesn’t have sisters.
53. Rent tux’s from the same bridal shop you got your dress from. Many bridal shops will offer a discount on the men’s tuxes if you rent them from their location.
54. Let them wear suits. Instead of tuxes, you can save money for your groom and groomsmen by letting them wear suits instead.
55. Casual groomsmen attire. If you are planing an outdoor wedding, especially, you have a lot of options for the men’s attire. Consider a colored button down shirt and black pants or khakis. Ties are optional.
56. DIY jewelry. You and your bridesmaids can make some of your jewelry yourselves. Buy the thread, beads, and clasps and get all the girls together to craft their own jewelry. This way you will match, while still allowing each girl to have their own personal touch.
57. Go barefoot. If you’re planning a beach wedding you can ditch the shoes altogether! Have the girls go barefoot and consider making barefoot sandals instead.
58. Get a tiara at the mall or online. Avoid bridal shops and fancy jewelry stores. You can find a great tiara at department stores or online at Bridal ‘N Beauty.
59. Rent a wedding dress. You can save hundreds or even thousands by renting a wedding dress instead of buying one. Your wedding dress can be a very sentimental item, so not everyone will want to go this route, but if you’re able to it’s a surefire way to save.
60. Let the bridesmaids choose their own dresses. Many people will now simply choose a color and let their bridesmaids run with it. This works especially well if you have a color like black that’s easy for everyone to match.
61. Borrow your jewelry. You need something borrowed anyway, why not make it one of the more expensive accessories? Ask friends and family members if you can look through their jewelry for your “something borrowed”. They will likely be flattered and you can find some great pieces!
62. Don’t limit yourself to bridal shops. You can find wedding dresses now in most department stores and even online at places like Target! These dresses are a lot less expensive and often look just the same.
63. Choose a non-traditional dress – Your wedding gown can really be any dress that you love and feel beautiful in. If you love vintage clothing, consider any lacy vintage dress for your wedding gown. If you’re getting married outdoors or at the beach, you can even wear a more casual dress.
Hair and Makeup
64. Have a friend do hair and make up – Instead of hiring a professional to do your hair and make up, you can take a more DIY approach. Many people are often best at putting on their own makeup and know exactly how they like it. Or consider having a friend help with the task.
65. Go to a local cosmetology school – Consider getting your hair and makeup done at a cosmetology school instead of a licensed professional. These students are often just as good and will put extra effort into their work to impress their instructors.
66. Get a group mani/pedi’s – Make an appointment to get manicures and pedicures together with your bridesmaids. Let the salon know you are a bridal party. You can often negotiate a discount for the group of you, or get the bride’s free.
Rings
67. Shop for your rings online – Purchasing rings online, especially from a place like Amazon.com can save you a bundle.
68. Opt for simpler rings – If you and your fiancé are on a tight budget, skip the giant diamonds. Get small, simple rings for each other. If you’re a girl who secretly longs for that perfect diamond, you can agree to get new, custom designed rings on your 1, 5, or 10 year anniversary when you may be more secure financially.
69. Use an heirloom – Many families have heirloom rings that they want to pass on. Your only expense may be resizing it.
70. Reuse stones – If you don’t want to use an heirloom ring, consider using the stones from an inherited ring to create your own.
Music/Entertainment
71. Put together your own music – Skip the DJ and play music from a CD you’ve burned for the occasion, or hook up your iPod and set it to a special wedding playlist.
72. Have a friend or family member announce you – If you’re playing your own music, enlist a friend or family member to announce the wedding party as they enter.
73. Make your own short video – Rent a projector (or borrow one from work if you can!) and put together a short video of the bride and groom together. Set it to music and play your video after dinner.
74. Set up a slideshow – Rent or borrow a projector and set up a slideshow or pictures of you and your husband. Set it to loop so guests can catch all your pictures throughout the reception.
75. Enlist a local band – If you know of a good local band, or are friends with any musicians, enlist them to play for the ceremony or reception.
76. Hire student musicians – If you want live music for your ceremony, you can often find a beautiful rendition of traditional of classical music by looking for talented students. Many high schoolers are much better than they get credit for. Contact a high school band director and ask him to see if any of his best students are interested. They will likely do it for a very affordable price. Make sure you get to hear them play your selected piece a couple times before you hire them.
Photography/Videography
77. Hire a student photographer – Many people will urge you not to skimp on your photos. While this is true, hiring a student photographer or even a talented family or friend isn’t a bad idea if you look at samples of their work first and know that they are good at what they do. Students often do better work because they are anxious to build up an impressive portfolio and impress instructors and future employers.
78. Get pictures from your guests – Encourage your guests, especially close friends and family, to take lots of pictures and send you copies or burn them to a CD. Oftentimes, it’s these people who get the best candid shots. Look through their pictures before you purchase everything from the photographer.
79. Use disposable cameras – Don’t hire a photographer for the reception and instead set out disposable cameras on all of the tables. Your guests will have a great time capturing your special moments. You can also enlist one special friend or family member with a digital camera to catch specific moments that are important to you.
80. Purchase the negatives – Negotiate a deal with your photographer where you can purchase the negatives. This way you can make as many prints as you want in a variety of sizes.
81. Get a picture CD – Purchase a CD from your photographer with all of your pictures on it. You can edit the pictures on your own computer, or take the CD to a drug store and use their software. This way you can print the pictures at your convenience and get reprints at any time. Wait for your CVS or Walgreens to run a special and take advantage of their great deals.
82. Enlist friends and family – For video of the wedding and especially the reception, compiling several videos from guests can often be more fun and personal than paying someone else to do it.
Decorations
83. Print your own place cards – You can easily print your own place cards at home and print decorations on them, or decorate them with ribbons.
84. Skip the place card holders – Use place cards that fold in half and stand on their own in place of fancy place card holders
85. Arrange your own centerpieces – You can arrange the flowers yourself for the centerpieces at your reception. Buy silk flowers so you can take your time putting them together.
86. Get creative with your decorations – Instead of flowers, you can decorate with candles, Christmas lights, fruit, seashells, or any number of creative items. Go to a craft store and browse around for inspiration. One way to start is with a fishbowl or shallow dish on a mirror. You can fill the bowl with water and floating candles, or sand and seashells.
87. Have your wedding near a holiday – If you have your wedding near a major holiday like Christmas or Easter you can often save on decorations because the church, or other venue, will already be decorated beautifully. Choose wedding colors that will complement the seasonal decorations.
88. Share your decorations – If there are other weddings taking place in the same venue on the day of your wedding get in touch with those couples and see if you can arrange to split the cost of some decorations and share them for the day. If you want to keep any of these items, be sure to make this clear ahead of time.
89. Decorate with pictures – Instead of flowers or candles, incorporate artistic pictures of the happy couple into the decorations. These can be edited at home on your computer and printed out at your local drugstore.
Favors
90. Make your own favors – Many craft stores sell a variety of small bags, ribbons, and candies. You can save a bundle by filling the bags yourself with chocolates or mints and adding cute ribbons in your wedding colors.
91. Have decorations double as favors – This route is a perfect two-for-one money saver. Place candles at each place setting in a holder with your wedding date engraved on it. Set candies in small decorative glass bowls. You can even make a floral centerpiece out of several small potted plants set together. All of these decorations can become your favors at the end of the night and go home with your guests.
Attendants
92. Buy your attendant gifts online – Shop online at theknot.com or other online bridal stores to find great deals on attendant gifs. Most offer free personalization
93. Have a small wedding party – Opt for only asking your two or three closest friends to be in the wedding party. The fewer attendants you have, the more personal your experience will be.
The Ceremony
94. Print your own programs – Your wedding programs can be a simple trifold, or several pages tied with a pretty ribbon. Any way you do them, these are simple to print at home and put together yourself. Invite your bridesmaids over and make a party of it. If you’re having a small, nontraditional wedding you can go without programs entirely.
95. Give them bubbles – Instead of rice or flower petals, give your guests bubbles. You can buy small bubbles for just this purpose at craft stores or Wal-Mart. Many come with wedding bells or doves already crafted onto the lid. You can decorate them further with ribbons or paint.
96. DIY Guestbook – Buy a guestbook at any craft store and make it your own. Add ribbons or lace to the cover, and decorate the front page. A guestbook that doesn’t specify that it’s for weddings will probably be cheaper, and exactly the same in every other way.
97. Make your own ring bearer’s pillow – If you have a ring bearer, don’t spend a lot of money on the perfect pillow. This is the perfect item to make and decorate yourself. It doesn’t need to be elaborate or complicated.
Extras
98. Skip the limo – You can hire town cars instead of a limo for your transportation.
99. Have a friend drive – Enlist a friend with a nice car to be your driver for the event, and save on a limo.
100. Buy simple thank you cards – If you want a personal touch, print your own thank you cards. For an even easier approach, simply buy a box of simple thank you cards from a craft store. Even stores like Target and Wal-Mart carry these.
101. And lastly, but not least, avoid anything labeled “wedding” from gowns to shoes to cakes, the word “wedding” adds extra costs and usually without added benefits.
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With more and more couples waiting longer to get married, they typically already have the usual wedding gifts such as pots, pans, linens and household items. Thus, many engaged couples are skipping the traditional wedding gift registries and are opting for the modern “honeymoon registries”.
Honeymoon registries allow your wedding guests who would normally buy you sheets and pillow cases to instead purchase part of your honeymoon experience. This is not the same as asking your guests for cash, which is often frowned upon as unacceptable wedding etiquette. Honeymoon registries are as courteous as gift registries. Items on the honeymoon registries can vary widely just like the items you choose in a traditional gift registry.
What Can You Include in your Honeymoon Registry?
After picking the location of your honeymoon, you can register for items such as:
- Hotel stays or bed and breakfast accommodations
- Transportation such as limos and rental cars
- Romantic dinner for two
- Tickets to local shows
- Spa massages for two
- Entrance fees to tourist attractions
Your honeymoon registry isn’t limited to the items seen above either! If you’ve always wanted to do something crazy like skydiving, you can add it to your list and go for it on your honeymoon. Also the more details you give on your registry the more the person giving the gift will feel involved. Don’t just say you want to visit a museum while on your NYC honeymoon, but say you want to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead of saying you want three nights at a hotel, you can say you want to stay three nights at the beautiful 5 star St. Regis overlooking Manhattan’s world famous Fifth Avenue.
There are many online services that will help you plan your honeymoon registry. Some even have example registries so you get a feel of how your registry should look. Don’t be afraid to compare companies either before deciding which one to register with, this is your honeymoon you are planning. Pick a registry site that is trustworthy. Here is a site that compares popular honeymoon registries: Creative Honeymoon Ideas
Registering with a travel agency in person is also an option. It may make you feel safer knowing you can speak with someone face to face about your trip. With the right planning, you wedding guests can help you have the honeymoon of your dreams, and you won’t even have to return five crock pots to get it!
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A popular way to celebrate a friend’s last days as a single girl is to honor her with a bachelorette party, otherwise also known as a “hen party”. This event is usually hosted by one or more members of the wedding party, or any friend in honor of the bride-to-be. Although the bachelorette party is never hosted by the bride-to-be, you can participate in its planning.
Generally people think of bachelorette parties as a night of alcohol and watching male strippers. Now a days, it is becoming more of an opportunity for “female bonding” with activities that are fun and appropriate for bridesmaids and friends of any age. If you are looking for alternative activities for your bachelorette party, here are four great ideas for that special girls’ night out.
1. Spa Night
A night at the spa is a popular theme many brides are choosing for their bachelorette parties. Spas are now opening up for private events and will cater to the party requests of soon-to-be brides. Many women find that a facial, pedicure, manicure, and massage not only helps them to de-stress before the big day, but is also an activity that tops a night out in a crowded smoky club. The next day you and your girl friends will be glowing and refreshed instead of nurturing a hung over.
2. Sleepovers
Sleepovers are no longer for thirteen year old girls. Today’s brides are inviting over their best girl friends of all ages for a night of chick flicks, pizza, and secrets. Play some games in between the movies and trading secrets. One such game is “toilet paper bride”. Women team up in pairs of two, each team gets a roll of toilet paper, and the teams try to come up with the prettiest toilet paper wedding gown. You, as the bride-to-be gets to pick the winning team. Another version of this game is to see which team can wrap up their “bride” the quickest with the toilet paper, mummy style. These ultra hip slumber parties aren’t just limited to houses either, for a fun twist have the sleepover at a hotel and order ice cream from room service.
3. Karaoke Bar Fun
For bridal parties that still want to party but want to skip the traditional strip club, a karaoke bar is a fun alternative. You do not need to be an “American Idol” to stand up and belt a tune or two. Who knows, you, one of your bridesmaids and / or girl friends might have a hidden singing talent that is waiting to be discovered.
4. Group Cooking Class
For the undomesticated bride, group cooking classes are a unique idea. Not only will the bride learn some handy kitchen skills, but she can also learn a tasty recipe to cook up for her new husband. If the bride cooks like a pro, substitute the cooking lessons for group scrap booking classes. The bride can learn how to make a beautiful wedding scrapbook instead of having to pay a professional. Bridesmaids can also discover their inner scrap booking or cooking talents in the group class.
Bachelorette parties are no longer just about drinking and watching male strippers. Brides are skipping the traditional party themes and instead are going with a more modern approach. No matter which party theme you choose, you’re wedding group is bound to have a blast!
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It used to be an “in-thing” to have disposable cameras readily available for guests to snap photos at weddings. The wedding couple purchases the disposable cameras in bulk, sets them on the tables, the guests take photos, leave the camera on the table and a few days after the wedding the bride and groom remember to have the photos developed. These days, it is no longer fashionable to distribute disposable cameras because you can never be sure how the photos will come out in the hands of novice photographers. You might get dozens of photos of your guests’ feet or the ceiling, over exposed or under exposed photos of otherwise great pictures. In the end, you wasted your money on the cameras plus the cost of developing useless photos.
An Alternative to Disposal Cameras
A new alternative to buying disposable cameras is renting high quality digital cameras for guests to use. I found several companies that offer such services, but Camera Renter is by far the best that I found. This online store offers a photo package for weddings that includes the rental fee for the cameras, shipping fees to you and return shipping, damage insurance, a CD of your photos, unlimited photo downloading for you and your guests, photo hosting, and photo sharing.
Why Use Rented Digital Cameras
Your typical disposable wedding camera holds less than thirty photos, while cameras from Camera Renter hold an average of 450 photos and can take a 15 minute video. A teen sitting at the table may take 10 photos of their date before they realize they just used half the role of a disposable camera. With a digital camera, they can still take 440 more photos or they have the option to delete the photos they just took. You can even order the camera early so you can use them for the rehearsal dinner, too.
The online photo sharing is convenient as guests and family who couldn’t make the ceremony can view your photos and still share in your wedding experience. You can send them an online invitation and they can even view the videos your guests took with the cameras.
For DIY Brides: A Good Alternative to Hiring Professional Photographers
While renting a digital photo package may cost more than disposable, when you add up everything that’s included it’s actually a pretty great deal. Disposable cameras run around $3-10 per camera, plus shipping and handling if purchased online. You run a risk of the film not turning out and having to pay for processing photos you don’t really want. A 10 camera photo package from Camera Renter is $495 and allows you and your guests to take many more photos, videos, and have better quality prints. This is a good alternative for a DIY bride who does not want to spend thousands of dollars for a professional photographer.
Hand Rented Digital Cameras to Trusted Friends or Family
If a cheap disposable camera is lost or broken, it’s not a big deal. If a camera from Camera Renter is damaged you’re covered under the 100% damage insurance included in the photo package. On the other hand if one of the rented cameras goes missing there is a $100 replacement fee. With disposable cameras you would be comfortable letting anyone use them, but with the rented digital cameras you might want to only hand them out to close family and friends who will keep track of them.
In Addition to Professional Photography
For those of you who plan or already have a professional photographer for your memorable event, let him/her handle the official pictures. Give your trusted friends or family relatives these rented digital cameras to capture intimate moments in pictures or in video of your closest friends and family at your rehearsal dinner, wedding ceremony or reception. You will be happier with the number and quality of photos, and enjoy sharing them online with family and friends.
Photo Credits: Camera Renter. This article is written without monetary or other compensation from Camera Rental. It is a service for soon-to-be brides.
Writing Thank You Notes
Writing thank you notes for all the gifts you received is your next big challenge after your wedding. This could be daunting, especially if you had hundreds of guests to thank. Here are some tips to help you alleviate your fears of tackling the “thank you notes” writing:
Start from the Planning Stage
Assign someone with the responsibility of listing gifts that you received during your engagement, bridal showers and wedding gifts. The list will contain the name of the giver, a short description of what was given, the occasion (engagement, bridal shower, wedding), the date the gift was received and a space to place a check mark once the thank you cards are mailed. You can use a simple Excel file to create this list. This way, you have all the names of the persons you need to send thank you notes.
Avoid Procrastination
Refer to the gift list above and write the thank you note within two weeks after you receive the gift, but the sooner, the better. This way you do not have to write all of them at the same time. Your notes will sound more sincere because you do not have to rush writing them. Once the thank you note has been mailed, place a check mark next to the guest’s name and watch your list fill with check marks.
Writing Tips
- Sending thank you notes through emails is not appropriate.
- Send handwritten thank you notes. They do not need to be written in calligraphy, but do write legibly.
- Acknowledge each gift separately. For example, if you receive an engagement gift, a bridal shower gift and a wedding gift from your friend, Mary, send her 3 thank you notes – one for each of the gifts.
- Mention the gift specifically and how you plan on using it.
- For money gifts, acknowledge it by mentioning your plan on how you will use it. There is no need to mention exact dollar amount.
- Don’t forget to acknowledge your bridal party and ushers. It is also expected of you to give them gifts not just thank you notes.
- Thank you notes are not only for gifts. Thank all those who helped make your wedding special, including any wedding professionals and family members. Include their names in your gift list and write down the service or how they helped you on the column for “gifts”.
- Ask your fiancé/husband to share the responsibility of writing thank you notes to help you out.
Photo Credits: The White Aisle
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Bridal Registry Shopping
One of the most fun and exciting parts of planning a wedding is going shopping with your fiancé and selecting items for your bridal registry. While you can’t politely broadcast your wish list, most guests will ask what kinds of gifts you want to receive. Therefore, it is important to be prepared with an answer.
The most common way of selecting gifts for a wedding is through a bridal registry. You can now find bridal registries at almost any store from Crate&Barrel to Target. Choose one or two of your favorite stores and visit their website or inquire in person about their bridal registries.
You may want to select more than one store for your registry if you can’t find everything that you want in one location. However, it is best to stick with two and do not go over three separate registries. When you have multiple registries you must keep very careful track of what you have selected at each store. Keep in mind that a guest visiting one registry won’t know what the other ones are. Therefore, if you select two sets of knives at different stores, you could very well receive two knife sets. If you only want one, you must select a single store to register for that gift.
You should also keep location in mind. When selecting which stores to register at, select at least one that is a chain. This is especially important if you have guests coming from a variety of locations. If everyone receiving an invitation or announcement is located in the same general area, this will be less of an issue, but you should still make sure you select a location that is convenient for everyone. Most stores also offer online registries that will allow your guests the convenience of ordering gifts online and having them shipped directly to you.
Once you have registered, start getting the word out. Most guests will find out about your registry through word of mouth. Your close friends and family and bridal party should all know how to answer the question of where you are registered. If you have a wedding website, you can also provide your registry information, and possibly even a link, on this page. It is tacky to add your registry information on your wedding invitation, but when your guests ask you directly, just respond politely, but don’t hesitate to express your wishes.
But what do you do when you receive something that was nowhere to be found on your careful, detailed list?
Obviously this is no problem if you receive something you still enjoy. If, however, you find yourself gifted with something you would never need or use…you should explore your options carefully. Hold onto the gift until after the wedding. Once the event is over and the guests are safely home, you have a few choices.
You are not obligated to keep a gift that you do not enjoy unless it is an heirloom. In the case of all other gifts, if you know where it came from, you can probably return it. If returning it isn’t an option, there’s always the dubious method of regifting. Regifting is still considered by many to be extremely rude, so if you go this route you need to tread carefully. Never give the gift to someone who might know where it came from (like forgetting to remove the card from the original giver), or who knows the original gift-giver. Can you imagine what would happen if the original gifter finds out what you did. And never regift something just to get it off your hands. Only pass the item on to someone who would truly enjoy it. If the original gift-giver asks after their item one day, be prepared with a quick explanation that it’s packed away somewhere.
If you receive duplicates, you should have a much easier time. You can return or regift duplicates as well. When either of the gifters who gave you the item asks after it or wants to see it, simply show them the one you kept. There’s no need to let them know about the mistake. Unless you get duplicates of something you really would use two of, don’t keep them both. This will just create clutter in your new home.
Always keep careful track of all gifts as you receive them. When writing your thank you notes, thank your guests for the gift they gave you. Even if you didn’t keep it, thank them for that item. Include notes in your thank you cards that mention specifically why you enjoy the item and what you will do with it. And remember, as much fun as the gifts are, the wedding is about spending your life with your spouse and celebrating your love, whether you get the exact blender that you wanted or not.
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Out of Town Gift Bags
When planning a wedding, every courteous bride wants to take good care of her guests. When you have guests who have traveled a good distance to attend your special day, it can be important to let them know how appreciative you are of the time and money they spent on their trip. The best way to do this is to provide small gift bags to out of town guests (also called OTT bags for “out-of-town” bags) at their hotel. Bags are a great choice because your guests can fold the bags, which easily fit in their luggage. Here is a video on how to put together your OTT bags.
When deciding whether to use OTT bags, consider the type of wedding you’re having and how far guests have to travel.
Destination Wedding Guests
For guests attending a destination wedding, the answer to OTT bags is almost always yes. All of your guests are traveling a good distance to get to your wedding. When they check in at their resort or hotel, arrange to have an OTT bag waiting for each guest either at the front desk, or in their room. These bags should include
- local maps,
- a guide to nearby attractions
- an itinerary for any events you have planned
- snacks and drinks
- warm thank you note for coming to the wedding
You can also include items that go with the locale you are in. For example, sunscreen and leis in tropical locations, or scarves for a snowy mountain retreat.
Traditional Wedding
If you have several guests coming in from out of town you may want to consider OTT bags. These gift bags should match your wedding theme and colors. Consider including
- candles,
- bath beads or salts, or
- candy
If your guests are coming from a very long distance and are unfamiliar with the area you may consider including some local maps and information as well.
If you only have one or two guests staying in a hotel, but the majority is local, you will probably want to skip the gift bags. Instead, invest that money in nicer wedding favors that all of your guests enjoy. If you have just one special family coming from another country, you can of course always give them a special gift to show your appreciation for the distance they traveled to attend your wedding.
Don’t Play Favorites
It is important to keep in mind that gift bags like this should be all or none. If you choose to greet your resort guests with OTT bags, you will have to provide these to everyone regardless of how far they traveled. As well, you should probably provide some gift bags to guests who have come from out of town but are staying with friends and family.
Do-it-Yourself OTT Bags
If you do decide to put together gift bags to greet your guests, put some time and attention into creating these fun treats. There are a plethora of sites offering personalized wedding favors that can be used in gift bags. As mentioned above, bath salts are a good idea as well as soaps or lotions. You can also provide bottled water with personalized labels, sleep masks, and airline pillows to ensure a comfortable return trip for your guests. Putting together gift bags can be a unique and fun personal touch to let your guests know just how important they are to you.
Wedding Reception Seating
Many brides consider coming up with a seating arrangement for the reception was one of the most difficult tasks in the wedding planning process. While this will always be an important and time-consuming job, there are some tips that can help make the process go a little smoother.
The first thing you need to know before you begin your seating arrangements is how many tables you will have and how many people will be seated at each table. Once you have this information, you can begin making short lists of who will sit at each table.
Head Table
You should start with the head table. There are several options for this. If you have one long head table, the bride and groom sit in the middle. The bride will sit to the right of the groom. Then, your first option is to seat the best man beside the bride and maid of honor beside the groom, in which case you will seat the other bridesmaids and groomsmen in alternating order along the table (each bridesmaid between two groomsmen and vice versa). The second option is to seat the maid of honor beside the bride, with the bridesmaids together along one side of the table, and the best man beside the groom with the groomsmen together along the other side of the table.
When it comes to seating the head table, you should consider the people who are in the wedding party, and which arrangement they will be more comfortable with. Many couples now opt out of having a head table altogether. In this case the bride and groom will sit alone at a sweetheart table for two. You can then seat all of your attendants together at one table, or seat your attendants with their dates or spouses at several tables.
Parents Table
After you have decided where to seat the wedding party, next up choosing a table for the parents. Traditionally the parents of both the bride and groom will sit together at a table with the officiate and his wife. Divorced and/or remarried parents can make this arrangement a little trickier. If either the bride or groom has divorced parents that would be uncomfortable sitting together, then by all means, seat them with other family members that will make the evening more comfortable for them. The best way to handle these types of situations is to sit down separately with each parent and determine what will make them the most comfortable.
Kids Table
Your next consideration may be the other little participants in the wedding – the ring bearer and flower girl. If you choose to have children in the wedding, the best idea for the reception is to seat them either with their parents, or at a children’s table if you have one. If they are sitting with their parents you may seat them all at the same table so the children feel that they are still at an important table.
Guests Table
When it comes to seating the rest of your guests, the most important thing is that they have a good time. Make sure that every person has at least one and preferably two or three people at their table that they know. You will probably have to have one or more tables where your guests will be seated with some people with whom they are not familiar. Use your best judgment and try to put together people with similar interests, or within the same age range.
Seating Plan
Your last task in the seating process is deciding where each table will be placed. The head table should face the rest of the room and remain mostly unobstructed. T he next closest tables should be those with parents and other close relatives. Be careful to seat the more elderly guests away from speakers or the kitchen, as they may not be able to hear very well from these locations. Likewise, children seated near the kitchen may get under the feet of servers.
Enlist the help of your parents and attendants during this planning. Here is a Setting Arrangement Plan that you may consider when giving your seating arrangement the care and attention it deserves. By following these tips, you should be able to set up the perfect reception in no time at all!
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Inviting Children to Your Wedding
Deciding whether or not to invite children to your wedding and reception can be a tricky choice. First and foremost should be what you, as a couple, really want. Do you want your wedding to be truly a “family affair” where your little nieces and nephews can be part of your big day or do you want your wedding and reception to be an adult-only affair? Do not include children out of a sense of guilt or obligation if it will only cause you more stress. Be completely honest with yourselves as this can be a big decision in the wedding planning process.
Children are Invited
If you choose to include children, you should be prepared to plan for them. At your reception, have a kid friendly meal for everyone under a certain age. Good ideas include chicken fingers, pizza, or macaroni and cheese. Young children will also need to be entertained during the festivities. Set aside a special corner, or a whole kids’ room if possible. Provide them with coloring books, games, pinatas and toys. If you have a whole room available, set up a television and DVD player and pick out some good movies suited for kids.
If you’re going to have a large group of children present, it’s also a good idea to appoint someone to look after them. Teenagers can be asked to watch the younger kids, but don’t enlist someone too close to the family, as they are likely to resent being stuck with the children when they want to participate in other activities. You can also appoint an adult or two to be on child watch. This adult should be prepared to politely and discretely ask a child’s parents to step in when necessary.
The most important thing to keep in mind when inviting children, is to stay light-hearted. Kids will be kids, so don’t get upset if they make a mess or get under your feet. Be prepared with a smile and laugh, and enjoy their antics instead of letting them bother you.
Children are Not Invited
If you choose not to invite children, be prepared for the fact that their parents will likely be more upset than the children are. You must be firm in your decision, however, and don’t bend the rules. Some families may opt to decline the invitation altogether if they can’t bring their children. If this happens, let it go and move on.
If you are inviting several families who have children not invited in the wedding, it’s important to make your decision clear. Start by making your choice clear to close friends and family and ask them to politely spread the word. Follow this plan of action by listing only the parents’ names on the invitation. Some will probably even call you to tell you that they will come with their children thinking that you just forgot their children’s names. If there’s any confusion, simply explain that this is an adults only event. You shouldn’t feel obligated to explain and justify your decision. This is your wedding, after all.
To accommodate guests with children, you may want to consider offering recommendations for a babysitter in the area, or arrange for more than one babysitter to take care of all the children during the wedding and reception so that the kids get to have a party of their own while their parents attend your adults-only affair.
Whatever your decision, do what feels right to you and stick by your choice. Selecting the right guests for your wedding is an important part of setting the mood and achieving the kind of event that you want.
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Planning your guests does not end after you’ve finalized your guests list. Do you know that the first 2 minutes of a reception or event is the most important? This means engaging your wedding reception guests as soon or even before they arrive at your reception venue. Here are some wedding planning tips to keep your reception filled with happy guests who will remember what a great time they had at your wedding.
Get your guests involved even before they come to the wedding reception.
Get your guests excited and involved by requesting them to come dressed in attire appropriate to your wedding theme or formality. For example, asking your guests to come dressed in red, white and blue for a July 4th wedding; or in long formal gowns for ladies and black ties for gents for a “celebrity” style wedding theme; or flowery shirts or dresses for a beach wedding theme. You get the idea.
If you would rather have your guests pick their own attire for your wedding, you can still engage them in another way. Ask your maid of honor or a trusted friend to request your guests to bring with them any of the following items to the wedding reception:
- a photo of them with both or either one of the marrying couple; the older the picture, the better. These will be collected, arranged and presented to the newly weds as one of their wedding keepsakes.
- a personal greeting to the wedding couple written in the stationery provided. They can drop these notes into a decorated basket or glass jar or hanged from a dried twig at the reception. This is a good alternative to the traditional guess book and it saves time for guests since they do not have to wait in line to sign the guest book.
Engage your guests during the first 2 minute of your wedding reception.
Where does your guests engagement start? The moment they step out of their car to enter your wedding venue. Have a greeter at the entrance. The greeter’s attire should give your guests another glimpse of what to expect in the reception. Dress your greeter as a butler complete with white gloves, top hat and tails for a formal wedding reception. For a fun, informal, eco-wedding, how about a lady dressed as “Mother Nature” as a greeter?
Not too keen on costumed greeter? How about greeting the ladies with a bunch of flowers in season or a single rose in the same color as your wedding colors? They can then place the flowers in pretty glass vases waiting for them on their table while attending the reception. The flowers and vases create a pretty table decoration. At the end of the reception, your guests can take the flowers and the pretty vases as your wedding favors.
Entertain your guests while waiting for you and your bridal entourage’s appearance.
There are several ways to entertain your guests while they wait for you and your bridal entourage to join them.
- Ask someone to hand them a drink, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Or, if it is in within your budget, serve hors d’oeuvres with the drinks.
- Have an entertainer to distract your guests from waiting. This could be a harp player, a string quartet, a karaoke singer or even piped in music that are in line with your wedding theme.
At the end of the reception, everyone, including you and your hubby, will be talking about how much fun they had at your wedding. Isn’t that a good enough reason to engage your guests in your wedding?
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