Costs can get out of hand when planning a wedding. When you are excited to plan for that special day, you may not necessarily think twice about what you are spending money on. Here is a list of wedding expenses that you probably should not be spending any money on:
1. Super Expensive Shoes and Accessories
You may want to wear Vera Wang on your special day. However, you don’t really need to wear Manolo Blahnik shoes or similar branded accessories. If you plan on dressing in luxury items from head to toe, it will constitute a majority of your overall wedding expenses. That’s right; overall. No one cares what kind of hair band the bride wears. So, save your money for a nice dress and a groom’s suit and don’t waste any more money than you need to on anything else.
2. Elaborate Wedding Favors
Keep wedding favors simple and on a budget, otherwise, the total expenses for these can get really out of hand. Don’t give each guest a gift basket unless you can really afford to. Choose simple wedding favors like having a photo booth for guests to take pictures to take home, or wrapped pieces of wedding cake to go. You can even give guests little gift boxes so they can take any foods or sweets home from the reception without shame.
3. Full Bar
You can have a full bar, but only if it’s not too expensive. You absolutely do not need to indulge your guests with liquor, and probably shouldn’t. Do you really want your uncle or aunt spending the whole day at the full bar? As there are financial and practical problems associated with having a full bar, it’s best to ditch it. The least expensive and smart solution is to serve guests drinks, with alcohol as an option.
4. Fancy Programs or Menu Cards
You may have already seen really cute and fancy programs and menu cards you can get for your wedding. As alluring as these things may be, it’s important to remember that they are an unnecessary expense. If you really want themed programs to send guests, you will have to save for it months in advance. Otherwise, do not add these expenses to your budget last minute. Plus, most people just get their invitations via email or social media nowadays. The paper items you send may very well go into the trash can.
5. Champagne Toast
Champagne toasts have become a part of weddings as much as the cake and the bouquet throwing. Keep in mind that this seemingly necessary activity will cost you a lot of money. Champagne bottles are expensive, and so are the flutes and the other items you need. Renting these things for a wedding can add several thousand dollars to your budget. Some may be able to afford this; others less so. Think carefully about whether your wedding can do without this expense. If you are on a serious budget, do a wine toast instead of a champagne toast.
Those with strict budgets for a wedding should avoid the above mentioned, totally avoidable expenses.
Would you skip these to save money on your wedding?
