Don’t Waste Your Money on These Wedding Items: Advice from a Wedding Planner
Explore practical advice on what to avoid at weddings to save on cost and reduce waste. Plan an economical, sustainable, and memorable wedding with these suggestions with these tips from a professional wedding planner.
If there’s one universal truth in wedding planning, it’s this: Someone will always take your money. Here’s the better question: Should you let them?
As a professional wedding planner for seven years, I’ve seen my fair share of wedding budgets. While many of the numbers track with what I’d expect, there are always a few items that, in my opinion, just weren’t worth the client’s money.
These are the biggest wastes of money at a wedding, according to a professional planner.
Late-night snacks
Yes, I said it: Late-night snacks are a waste of money. These treats, which are typically served an hour or two into the reception, were most en vogue a few years ago. No doubt they can be fun. I’ve seen French fry bars, popcorn, nachos. But often, your guests have just eaten, either a main meal or dessert. They’re simply not all that hungry.
The one exception: if you have a dance party that you see going for more than three hours (which, by the by, I don’t personally recommend; 90 to 120 minutes usually works best). In the case of an hours-long dance party, the core group of remaining guests would likely appreciate some fuel, especially if the bar’s also staying open.
But rather than spring for pricey catering options, I recommend your favorite fast food joint. Some of the most successful (and affordable) late-night snacks I’ve seen at weddings have been burgers, pizza, and even Taco Bell.
Be sure to double-check that your caterer is OK with the outside food — usually they are as long as it’s coming from a licensed place that won’t poison people — and be sure you have plates, utensils, and napkins for the extra addition.
Favors (unless you can eat them)
In a culture where often the wedding is more for the people attending than the people getting married, favors make sense. We feel obliged to thank people for spending their time, money, and energy for joining us.
And also: Didn’t you already buy them a meal, and maybe a lot of drinks?
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t say thank-you. A toast, thank-you cards, or even just a heartfelt in-person greeting accomplishes this same goal. Plus, you’ll have fewer things to throw away at the end of the wedding.
If none of that sparks with you, however, I encourage favors that your guests can eat, ideally during the wedding (this is especially useful for guest populations where most folks are traveling; your favor is one less thing they have to pack).
For my husband and I’s wedding, our favor — and also our place cards — were small jars of locally sourced honey that our guests could eat with their dinner rolls. It was a huge hit and an economical way to accomplish two goals: Tell people where they’re sitting and thank them without breaking the bank.
Menus (particularly if you’re doing buffet)
There’s a lot of paper collateral you can buy for a wedding: an invitation suite, signs, thank-you cards, programs, and, of course, menus. Many people feel a kinship to this kind of good. If that’s you, skip this part. Embrace that love of quality paper goods and find a local shop you can support!
But if you, like me for my own wedding, didn’t really care for more paper, skip the menus. This is particularly true if you’re doing a buffet; most likely, whoever is catering the buffet will provide food signs including any dietary restrictions, preference, and allergies.
If you are, instead, doing a family-style or plated dinner, menus might be useful if you have a high number of guests who have restrictions, preferences, or allergies. That said, usually the wait staff can fill folks in verbally.
Bathroom toiletries
These have become more popular at weddings I work, and while sweet, the airplane-sized containers of Pepto Bismol, hairspray, and mouthwash nearly always stay unopened for the whole wedding.
Again, if putting these items out means a lot to you, go for it, but nearly always, your guests (most of whom are adult people in the world) have taken care of their own toiletry needs. The gesture is nice, but the $50 you spent at the drugstore can go much further elsewhere.
Guest books
This one might be the most controversial entry on the list, but hear me out: Most guest books are giant. Who they design these things for, I’m not sure, but by the end of the wedding, there’s usually more than half the book left. What is the client going to do with that?
Instead, if you want a memento of who was at the wedding, I recommend something you’ll actually use. Examples include:
- a poster from a concert or other memorable location that has meaning to you and your partner(s)
- a photo where the guests can sign the matting around the image
- if you’re having a photo booth and/or Polaroid camera station, a photo album that fits the photo strips or the Polaroid pictures (bonus points if you provide guests pens to write messages to you on their photos)
Weather-related goodies
If I had a nickel for every client who’s panic-bought 150 clear umbrellas or 120 handheld fans, I’d have a lot of nickels (and also plenty of umbrellas and fans). There are, as always, exceptions to this rule; for example, if you’re having a full outdoor wedding with no tent and all of a sudden, it’s going to be either very cold or very hot.
That said, nearly always, your money can be better spent on providing your guests (and yourselves) with weather-related gear that they’ll actually use. Think: a tent, heaters, and extra water stations. The shiner stuff is, well, shinier but also a pain in the butt to resell later.
Special exit doodads
Wedding sparklers, glow sticks, or — god help us — confetti; the list of things to have your guests throw or aim at you as you leave your wedding is a long one. It’s also one of the bigger creators of waste at a wedding (the glow sticks alone!)
Not to mention, there’s a very good chance that your venue won’t allow many of these items; check your contract to be sure.
So before you bulk order those cowbells for your guests to ring as you run through a tunnel of their outstretched arms, consider what you actually want to get out of your wedding exit. Is it a photo-worthy moment? A final outpouring of love and attention?
Much of that can be accomplished without a knickknack, and you’ll likely need the budget to keep the photo and/or video team around that late into the wedding.
