Here's Everything You Should Splurge, Save, Or Skip At Your Wedding

Number one is a no-brainer. You want to prioritize photography in the top tier of your budget. Get to know your photographer before you sign any contracts and make sure that you feel confident they match the style that you’re looking for. You’ll look back on these photos for the rest of your life and they should be as close to perfect as possible!

Wedding invitations are so exciting to design and prepare, but they can be wildly expensive depending on what you’re looking for. If you’re worried about invitations taking up a large chunk of budget, you have options. Instead of bulk ordering the most extravagant invitation suites, order a handful to use in day-of detail photos and for your closest family and friends, and then order some slightly less detailed for the rest of your guests.

We all LOVE a good complex cocktail, but on a night that your bartenders will inevitably be slammed, avoid over-complicating any signature drinks with too many involved ingredients. This will hold up the line, and your guests will spend more time waiting for drinks than celebrating!

This often gets forgotten until the last minute, but you and your bridal team will spend a full day in this space. You want it to be as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Consider ordering catering to span over breakfast and lunch so you can keep everyone from getting antsy or hungry. A mimosa or spritz bar is another great touch to add to the bridal suite, but be sure you and your party don’t drink too much before your trip down the aisle so you don’t actually trip…down the aisle.

Programs are incredibly cute, but most people won’t pay much attention to them. And let’s be real…they get thrown away so quickly. Take what you would spend on programs and reallocate that into your signage budget to commission custom calligraphy pieces.

While many may say you should save on wedding florals, arrangements really will change the look of your event drastically. Your photos will burst with color and texture, and a statement piece in the reception space will wow your attendees, leaving them talking about it all night.

Whether you’re a foodie or not, no matter how much work you put into crafting your menu, an abundance of things can go wrong with your catering. While you should definitely have what you want, don’t put it at the top of your list of things to stress about being the most extravagant meal your guests have ever had. Just pick what's good and go with it! A pizza bar, taco trucks, and breakfast buffets will all leave your guests excited and satisfied.

No need to skip a toast in general, but you can do it with whatever your guests are already drinking. Take the champagne budget and add it to the rest of the bar.

It may seem like an extra expense, but a photo space or lounge will give your guests something to do while you’re taking photos or a break from the dance floor. Not only that, but you’ll get so many fun photos from your friends to scroll through and see what they were up to throughout the night!

There’s a vast array of options when it comes to centerpieces, so you’re not required to splurge here. You can even mix and match centerpieces around your reception space with some that are more complex than others. And even better? You can reuse your bridal bouquets for the reception tables.