Wedding Reception Savings Tips: Top Ten Non-essentials! Just Say No!

I enjoy talking shop with other wedding vendors from time to time, asking about trends, bookings, clients, and finding we often have many similarities in our line of work.  I recently spoke with my friend Celia Milton, a widely popular celebrant serving the Northern NJ area www.njvowsnow.com on the topic of how many of our brides and grooms are trying to save money on their big day.
Here are Celia’s Top Ten+ Wedding Non-essentials – and a few of my own thrown in for good measure.
“Just Say No!

If you are trying to stay on a tight wedding budget, you can do away with loads of things that no one will even notice. And you’ll be just as married at the end.
1. Save the Dates.  Spread the word through word of mouth and save the printing and postage for those babies.  You’ll also have some flexibility with your guest list when you actually do start to invite people.
2. Programs.  Unless you have an extremely complicated ceremony, or a giant bridal party that nobody knows, you don’t need these.  They will be sitting on the seats when everybody leaves the ceremony space.
3.  Bubbles.  Highly overrated.  No one remember to use them. (Ruth note:  they make a horrific mess on a wooden dance floor with people falling all over each other, btw)
4.  Adorable signs that say “here comes the bride” “last chance to run”. or, well, pretty much anything.
5.  Limousines.  If you are having your ceremony and reception at the same place, you absolutely do not need them.
6.  Complex, expensive invitations to the people you want to have in your bridal party.  Just ask them.
7.  Adorable sequined hoodies for your bridal party.  They will never wear them again.  (Ruth:  Have to admit to never having seen this in a Washington DC or Northern Virginia area…maybe that is regional?)
8. Champagne for the toast, unless you really love champagne,  people can toast with whatever they happen to have in their hand at the time, and most people can tell good champagne from bad champagne. (Ruth:  this is also something I bring up with my clients at our initial meeting – with over 30 years of catering under my belt, we have been witness to much sparkling wine being poured down the drain.  If guests are already drinking an alcoholic beverage, they may take one sip of the champagne, then go back to drinking their original drink.  That being said, if it’s the only glass of alcohol being served during the entire wedding reception, you can’t pry it out of their hands)
9. Wedding favors of any type.  You are hosting an expensive, gorgeous party with food, drinks, entertainment and hopefully, an inspiring ceremony.  That is your present to your guests.  An engraved bottle opener with your names and wedding date on it will never see the light of day.  It’ll live in the drawer forever. (Ruth:  admits to a bias with regards to cookies at end…)
10.  Gift bags for out-of-towners.  See number nine.
11.  Anything personalized: cocktail napkins, matches, pens, ribbon wands, shot glasses, chocolates bars cake servers, champagne glasses.  Trust me, no one notices.
12.  Elaborate baskets for the ladies and men’s room.  BONUS!!”  
Great ideas, Celia!

Things that I bring up with folks are the use of clear plastic disposable glasses for the bar instead of renting hundreds of real glasses.  If it’s not a priority, by all means do not spend money there.
Keep the bar to wine and beer instead of a full bar.  Or wine and beer with a signature cocktail.  

Catering with Teatime Delicacies, Inc.

Final note:  where to actually SPEND money?  Don’t skimp on amounts of the catered food.  People come to a wedding reception expecting to eat.  Thinking you can save money by offering less food will backfire and makes everyone look bad.  You don’t want to have the story told about your reception to include tales of having to get take out on the way home because they were hungry.


Thank you Celia Milton for input in today’s blog post, both of us have been recipients for the Weddingwire Bride’s Choice Awards for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.  I have no doubt we will again receive the award in 2015.  You can read reviews for either us at www.weddingwire.com

Everyone wants to save a few dollars when planning their wedding.  Share with us your best tip!
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