Bridal Opinion...looking back...what would you have saved money on?

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Posted by miamimerger

honestly, i was such a budget bride that i think everything had a place and fit in the wedding perfectly!

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miamimerger, that is great to hear! I am definitely thinking about budgets and trying to keep my costs affordable. It is reassuring that other people have successfully done so!

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Posted by lyssamkay

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Posted by AugustBridein09

oh and my bath set----We registered for a really nice one that came with the toothbrush holder, lotion dispenser, and soap thing.


When we got our apt.....the soap thing and toothbrush holder were permanent fixtures in the bathroom....so those were a waste too.

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That is great advice. I didn't even think about permanent fixtures! This is a bit of a personal question, but did some people give you gift cards instead of gifts for your shower? If you don't feel comfortable answering this, I completely understand.

Thank you for your response AugustBridein09!

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At my actual shower...no, everyone brought a gift with big wrapping and those giant bows LOL However, a few people that couldn't make it and rsvped No- did send BBB gift cards.

I don't think I had anything that I wasted $ on. I'm pretty happy with the lack of 'stuff' we had at the wedding and I'm glad we slurged on things like the band, florist, and the beer pong happy hour a few nights before the wedding.

One thing--I ended up borrowing friend's shoes instead of wearing the ones I purchased because my feet were swollen---lesson learned, do not buy shoes in January that fit perfectly because your feet will be a different size in July. So now I have extra wedding shoes!

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Posted by AugustBridein09

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Posted by lyssamkay

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Posted by AugustBridein09

oh and my bath set----We registered for a really nice one that came with the toothbrush holder, lotion dispenser, and soap thing.


When we got our apt.....the soap thing and toothbrush holder were permanent fixtures in the bathroom....so those were a waste too.

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That is great advice. I didn't even think about permanent fixtures! This is a bit of a personal question, but did some people give you gift cards instead of gifts for your shower? If you don't feel comfortable answering this, I completely understand.

Thank you for your response AugustBridein09!

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At my actual shower...no, everyone brought a gift with big wrapping and those giant bows LOL However, a few people that couldn't make it and rsvped No- did send BBB gift cards.

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Thank you for your honest answer, I truly appreciate it! Your advice is great!

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Posted by rdubs

I don't think I had anything that I wasted $ on. I'm pretty happy with the lack of 'stuff' we had at the wedding and I'm glad we slurged on things like the band, florist, and the beer pong happy hour a few nights before the wedding.

One thing--I ended up borrowing friend's shoes instead of wearing the ones I purchased because my feet were swollen---lesson learned, do not buy shoes in January that fit perfectly because your feet will be a different size in July. So now I have extra wedding shoes!

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Thank you rdubs, that is good advice, I didn't even think of feet swelling based on the weather!

Let's see because there are a few things that I wish I would have spent less money on and a few things that I would still spend as much money on!!

first and foremost, my

videographer...$2500..wayyyy too much!!
photographer was $1800 with no albums or thank you cards...and he was NOT all that at all! (we booked on the spot like idiots without looking anywhere else!!)

florist...looking back I cannot believe that we spent 5K on our flowers...granted it was valentines day but still!!

flower girl baskets and pillow...$50 each for a total of $150...omg and the kids were 3 and under!!

our honeymoon we spent a good chunk of our wedding money...we had no budget and went crazy with the money! 2 weeks in hawaii is expensive!!!


things that I would spend just as much if I did it again:

definitely my headpiece and earrings!!...I am absolutely in love with them! they are by thomas knoell and to me they are priceless!

my invitaions..we spent total about $1300 and I would spend that all over again because I loved them and everyone loved them and were so impressed with them that they asked if there were any extras!! an invitation defines the wedding...ours were fabulous and our wedding was fabulous! lol

my reception hall...love love love my hall!! having it in february was a great idea too because it saved us about 65 dollars a plate and we were able to upgrade on things such as the full viennese hour!

awesome thread!!!

thanks for the tips ladies!

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Posted by lyssamkay

rdubs, your dress is beautiful, you looked stunning on your wedding day!

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Thank you!!!

Yes, be careful of the shoe issue! I should have gotten a size up and put pads in! In the end, I loved the shoes I borrowed but I was lucky I had a friend with gorgeous ivory wedding shoes in my size!

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Posted by TessMike621

Let's see because there are a few things that I wish I would have spent less money on and a few things that I would still spend as much money on!!

first and foremost, my

videographer...$2500..wayyyy too much!!
photographer was $1800 with no albums or thank you cards...and he was NOT all that at all! (we booked on the spot like idiots without looking anywhere else!!)

florist...looking back I cannot believe that we spent 5K on our flowers...granted it was valentines day but still!!

flower girl baskets and pillow...$50 each for a total of $150...omg and the kids were 3 and under!!

our honeymoon we spent a good chunk of our wedding money...we had no budget and went crazy with the money! 2 weeks in hawaii is expensive!!!


things that I would spend just as much if I did it again:

definitely my headpiece and earrings!!...I am absolutely in love with them! they are by thomas knoell and to me they are priceless!

my invitaions..we spent total about $1300 and I would spend that all over again because I loved them and everyone loved them and were so impressed with them that they asked if there were any extras!! an invitation defines the wedding...ours were fabulous and our wedding was fabulous! lol

my reception hall...love love love my hall!! having it in february was a great idea too because it saved us about 65 dollars a plate and we were able to upgrade on things such as the full viennese hour!

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Thank you TessMike621! This information is incredible! I can't thank you enough for your honesty, I didn't even think about honeymoon yet!! Also, congratulations on your pregnancy, I wish you and your family all the best!

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Posted by lyssamkay

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Posted by TessMike621

Let's see because there are a few things that I wish I would have spent less money on and a few things that I would still spend as much money on!!

first and foremost, my

videographer...$2500..wayyyy too much!!
photographer was $1800 with no albums or thank you cards...and he was NOT all that at all! (we booked on the spot like idiots without looking anywhere else!!)

florist...looking back I cannot believe that we spent 5K on our flowers...granted it was valentines day but still!!

flower girl baskets and pillow...$50 each for a total of $150...omg and the kids were 3 and under!!

our honeymoon we spent a good chunk of our wedding money...we had no budget and went crazy with the money! 2 weeks in hawaii is expensive!!!


things that I would spend just as much if I did it again:

definitely my headpiece and earrings!!...I am absolutely in love with them! they are by thomas knoell and to me they are priceless!

my invitaions..we spent total about $1300 and I would spend that all over again because I loved them and everyone loved them and were so impressed with them that they asked if there were any extras!! an invitation defines the wedding...ours were fabulous and our wedding was fabulous! lol

my reception hall...love love love my hall!! having it in february was a great idea too because it saved us about 65 dollars a plate and we were able to upgrade on things such as the full viennese hour!

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Thank you TessMike621! This information is incredible! I can't thank you enough for your honesty, I didn't even think about honeymoon yet!! Also, congratulations on your pregnancy, I wish you and your family all the best!

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Also, I almost booked with your photographer, but luckily my mom convinced me to look around. They definitely suck you in!

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Posted by BellaRegina

Great thread!

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I am glad you are enjoying this thread, BellaRegina!

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Posted by cMm2011

awesome thread!!!

thanks for the tips ladies!

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cMm2011, I am so glad you are enjoying the thread. I hope it helps!

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Posted by Alyssa79

Chocolate Fountain. Everyone was toooooooo stuffed to have it.

I have to say my garter too. I spent a pretty penny on it and never even got a picture of me wearing it. We didn't do a garter toss either so i guess I just got caught in a Wedding Fever moment

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I had the chocolate fountain at your wedding if it makes you feel better.

Sand ceremony....it was a last minute things...we forgot the container, the swan club made me one and then the officiant forgot it.

hotel rooms...we stayed at the hotel room 2 nights...the a/c wasnt working.

i was a pretty budget conscious bride but here are some tips:

-- I DIYed my invitations and place cards to save money. made menus on Vistaprint (they always have coupons if you google for them)

-- i know this sounds tacky but i would probably get all the flowers from stop & shop or something (you can do a bulk order and they deliver everything to you including CPs, from what i understand). For me, flowers are flowers - they die regardless. i know a lot of others would disagree with me though.

-- since DH and I got married at the reception hall, we didn't do limos to save money

-- as for HM, we are doing a cruise to save some money .... we plan on taking an insulated lunch tote of sorts with us and bringing food off the ship with us so we don't need to buy food for lunch if we're out. we're limiting our alcohol on the cruise since we're not huge drinkers anyhow and those drinks add up really quickly (and you don't even get a buzz off of them!)

NOTE: DH and i were *this* close to spending $1000 for some lounge furniture for CH ... we opted against it and the RH ended up giving us that furniture for free .... if we spent $1k on it, we would have been pissed off! it was nice, but nobody would have missed it not being there!

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Posted by AwaitingAugust

i was a pretty budget conscious bride but here are some tips:

-- I DIYed my invitations and place cards to save money. made menus on Vistaprint (they always have coupons if you google for them)

-- i know this sounds tacky but i would probably get all the flowers from stop & shop or something (you can do a bulk order and they deliver everything to you including CPs, from what i understand). For me, flowers are flowers - they die regardless. i know a lot of others would disagree with me though.

-- since DH and I got married at the reception hall, we didn't do limos to save money

-- as for HM, we are doing a cruise to save some money .... we plan on taking an insulated lunch tote of sorts with us and bringing food off the ship with us so we don't need to buy food for lunch if we're out. we're limiting our alcohol on the cruise since we're not huge drinkers anyhow and those drinks add up really quickly (and you don't even get a buzz off of them!)

NOTE: DH and i were *this* close to spending $1000 for some lounge furniture for CH ... we opted against it and the RH ended up giving us that furniture for free .... if we spent $1k on it, we would have been pissed off! it was nice, but nobody would have missed it not being there!

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Me careful Mor, some ports will confiscate certain food because they are afraid of bugs and stuff getting into their crops.

I'm not married yet, but I've saved a ton of money by doing my STDs, invites, and menus on Vistaprint, and they came out great (pics in album). And we're not having a limo either since we're getting married at the RH.