(Closed) Looking Back, What Could You Have Done Without on Your Wedding Day?

• laciekate
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: September 2015

Commenting to follow too!

• sweetbee29
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: October 2012

I wish we would have chosen a cheaper flowers. We could have gone without the candy table, but I wish we would have bought a nice cover for the kneeler

• scarlet_letter
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: December 2013

Yikes. Some of you are scaring me with the DJ/Band stuff.
We’re REALLY going back and forth on that. We have a pair of friends who DJ regularly and we’ve negotiated a discounted rate with them.. but we also have a friend who is a part of a 5 piece band that is getting a LOT of amazing attention right now. We go see them perform at least once a month, and always dance our butts off each time..
But the cost difference is scaring me. :-/

We are working on an extremely limited budget, so things we have gladly cut are:
-favors (we are counting the photobooth strip as our favor)
-escort cards (we will have a multi-picture frame with table numbers and guests names at the entrance of reception room)
-Live music for ceremony (Ipod+speakers)
-flower centerpieces (will prob order wholesale from costco just for our bridal party)
-formal guestbook
-champagne toast (people can toast with whatever they’re drinking, but we will not have any champagne or formal flutes)
-videographer. I have an intense phobia of being videotaped. No one will be able to convince me otherwise.
-Letterpress invites. We are minimilists when it comes to paper products. Used vistaprint for the STDs, will prob use them again for main invite card (have groupons for them). DIYing the rest with paper already purchased on deep discount at craft stores.
-higher end wedding gown. I dreamt of a few from day 1 but ultimately could not justify spending more than 5% of our budget on my attire. 
-limo. We will use our personal vehicles
-pricey centerpieces. (I’m DIYing them)
-catering hall for reception venue. We’re renting space from a local college

Things I probably *could* cut but I am not:
-chair covers/sashes. The whole look of the venue changes with these added.
-smores station. Cannot cut it. Cannot express how much I’m looking forward to this.
-small bathroom baskets. I think some essentials are important.
-hair/makeup. I am *not* good at wrangling my unruly hair. 
-Second photographer

I’m sure I’ll think of more. 
 

• Sweet_Tea
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: November 1999

What I could’ve done without on my last wedding? The groom! (I kid, if it weren’t for that marriage, it wouldn’t have led me to where I am today). 🙂

• luvmyDwight
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: April 2012

Dance lessons $500 and we messed it up anyways and it was a dumb dance. Would have looked more romantic if we just high school danced!

• geekspice
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2013

As it turns out, the groom.

• juicytray
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: May 2014

Commenting to follow!

• lanipapillon
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: November 2012

The thing I would have cut would have been our first dance!! So freaking awkward swaying in place while everyone watches. We looked back at pictures and you can see our guests in the background looking super boored.  Yup. That would be it 🙂 

• LavenderBride24
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: May 2013

• MrsYoshida
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2014 - DD born 2015 DS born 2017

I’ve been using my aunt and uncle’s reception (the ceremony was abroad) that I attended as a teenager 12 years or so as a guide. Note: I haven’t seen pictures of the party since as they divorced a few years later.

What I remember:

-The cake (it was unique- lovehearts cupcakes)

-Sequins all over the tables

-Disposable cameras left on each table (but I hear the guests didn’t take many pictures)

What I don’t remember:

-Flowers colours, colour scheme, balloon colours, the food, the bride’s dress (!!)

So basically from using that as a guide, I don’t think people care about the details as much as you think.. all the guests care about is that you are happy on your wedding day!! I’m not saying don’t choose flowers or balloons, but don’t stress out over the tiny details!!!

• MarieeToBee
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2014

this is a great post!

• cheetah2b
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2014 - Italiano\'s Humble

Commenting to come back! This thread is uber informative! I’m figuring out so much! It’s nice to know that alot of stuff I was considering not doing, is irrelevant either way 🙂

I do plan on the bathroom baskets, simply b/c our venue is in the middle of nowhere almost, so in the event of a female emergency, unless our guests wanna ask strangers, running to the store isn’t an option really. So honestly, I think I’m only going to do a girlie basket. For the men, I’ll probably just put a couple bottles of axe or other men’s cologne, and gum…that’s about it.

• EastMeetsBarn
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: June 2012

One more thing- DH picked a tungston ring from the jewelry store for over $100.  Then, here on the Bee, there was a code going around for tungston and titanium rings from JVL for just $25 (do a search and I’m sure you’ll find it).  We used the code and got DH a ring for him to wear on our honeymoon so there was no risk of losing his “real” ring.  Well, he likes his JVL ring better, and now wears that one every day.  He wishes he’d found that one first.

• Sharebear
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: May 2013

Haven’t gotten to the wedding part yet but definitely the Save The Dates!  Some thought they were cute and liked them but they also confused a surprising lot of people.  We got a lot of phone calls asking us how they could respond.

• mmm_jacklyn
• 8 years ago

• Wedding: July 2013

our wedding is in July, and although our parents are paying, I have cut out alot to save money.

-photographer – friend of ours who does it professionally

-flowers through a local grocery store, but only doing bouquets and corsages for the necessary ppl, 500.00

-edible favors, local winery reallly cheap.

-no uplighting, the room is all windows overlooking Lake Erie, decided to save the money.

-Cake, doing sheet cakes in the back to serve, and 2 smaller cakes to cut and freeze for presentation. Overall will be about 100.00