Id lіkе tο qυеѕtіοn fοr opinions fοr a low budget wedding.I hаνе аn аll inclusive hall reserved ѕο I don’t need hеlр wіth thаt.
Mу first qυеѕtіοnѕ whаt’s thе etiquette οn hοw much $ I ѕhουld spend οn thе gifts I hand out іn thе receiving line? Im really јυѕt trying tο spend few bucks bυt I remember getting a complete spice rack whеn wе wеnt tο a wedding. I don’t want tο seem cheap bυt wе hаνе nο $ fοr much.
I know thаt everyone wіll bring υѕ gifts bυt wе′d really prefer cash. Bυt wе don’t want tο bе rude telling thаt tο people аnd wе don’t want tο рlасе іt οn thе invitations. Hοw саn I nοt bе rude аnd qυеѕtіοn fοr cash? Alѕο hοw much іѕ usually given per person іn case Im qυеѕtіοnеd?
Anу thουghtѕ οn hοw I саn сυt thе budget οn anything еlѕе? Anythign I саn dο οr аnу рlасе (In toronto, Canada) I саn gο tο whеrе thеу hаνе bargains οn wedding dresses, cakes, etc?
Thank уου аll
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you don’t have to give gifts out in the receiving line. i’ve been to dozens of weddings and i worked in the restaurant business for years and catered hundreds of weddings. i don’t recall the bride and groom ever giving gifts to their guests in the receiving line.
sometimes small clever things on the table that they can take is nice. i’ve seen place settings that include a small bamboo plant in a small glass vase that each guest could take with them. i was at a wedding a couple years ago where the bride and groom made cd’s with some of their favorite songs and all of the wedding songs (they burnt them themselves). for the cover they place a cute picture of the 2 of them together and each guest had a cd at their place setting. [this was not one of my favorite party favorites, but it was a cute thought]. the same people also bought hershey bars with specialty wrappers dedicated to their special day. i reckon it had the date, etc on the back of wrapper and their picture on the front. there are a lot of places that you can get these wrappers and they are not very expensive.
another clean thought is to place a disposable camera at each place setting or at least 3 or 4 at each table. the guests can use them at the wedding and take them with them – they may even give you copies of the fun candids they take during the day. some of them will leave the cameras behind and again you have them if you want more candids from the wedding.
As for gifts. there really is no tactful way of saying you want cash. do not place this on the invitation!! TACKY! do you already live together? you could say, “we already live together so we pretty much have our house set up already”. that’s a excellent hint for people not to buy you some toaster that you don’t need. nowadays, most people give cash anyway. they know that’s what most new couples want and need and it is an simple out of trying to pick that perfect gift. the one thing that you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT DO is give them an amount. that would be way beyond tacky. i reckon if a bride gave me an amount of money that they wanted for a gift, i probably would not even go to the wedding. i’m certain that none of your guests will question you how much you want.
a lot of your older guests will probably buy a gift rather than cash. you should set up a very small and modest registry (you can place where you are registered in the invitations) if you leave the registry small and simple, they will see that you really don’t need or want much and have no alternative but to give cash. [make sure you register at some place that out of town guests have access to as well as you, like a large well loved department store - that way you can also return things if you get duplicates or just don't like the gift]
99% of your guests that are under 50 are going to give you cash.
excellent luck on your huge day
This is the only thing I know about Toronto budgets…
http://www.thebridesproject.com/
though if you go on places like craigslist you can place ads for invite bids or dresses…
etsy.com has a lovely wedding section. everything is handmade or vintage, so less expensive… you could do something personalized for the wedding gift, or a cute handbag that would match the brides maid gowns that could be used again…
and as for money… people will give you gifts no matter what you do… so I suggest you register for limited items… then when they get bought up they may opt for cash… or you can have an insert with the invites that gives your registry info and a note that monetary gifts are appreciated for the ‘new home’/wedding party/ honeymoon fund… etc… then it’s ‘going somewhere’
pickle_t.. has given you a fantastic answer.
You certainly cannot question for money except possibly your very close friends – such as your bridesmaids and your own parents. They are likely to spread the word too.
The distress with money is no-one ever feels they know just what the right amount to give is.
So whatever they give they wonder if it is enough even if it is more than they wanted to.
You might want to pick up the free guide in my source box for other thoughts.
Check out efavormart.com, we bought all the decorations for our hall for under $300! You have to be a bit creative, but the silk flowers were a steal!! As far as gifts for your guests, favor boxes should be just fine. We bought silver trinket boxes (around $5.00 for 12), filled them with candied almonds, wrapped them in tulle (about $5.99 for 100 yards!) and are putting these near the place cards with one single rose. Each rose will have a small card attached with a tidbit of wedding trivia (such as why almonds are given at weddings or where the tradition of white comes from) We also had matchbooks personlized (100 for $21.00!) to place at each setting! Keep your centerpieces simple! Use small votive candles (around $6.00 for 12!) and surrond them with rose petals (1000 for $5.99) add a few sparkling crystals and wahlah, your guests will reckon you spent a fortune! Ballons are also inexpensive and you can use 9-12 of them to make a pretty bouquets to place around your hall. Tie them with tulle and bows! Use two colors to add class!
Spend a small money on your own bouquets and your attendents. Check out sites that offer wedding packages and do them in silk. You will probably spend about $260 for these but they include your groomsman’s boutinarres, mothers and grandmothers corsages and your bridesmaids bouquets. They will also include your throw away bouquets. Order with plenty of time in advance!
check out the following site for flowers!
http://www.hibiscusflorals.com/silk_flower_wedding_packages
Excellent luck and don’t overspend! As far as letting your guests know you want money. Since I’m assuming your french, just add the term greenback to your invites! This lets people know you want cash instead of gifts.
Congrats and excellent luck!
There is no reason to hand out wedding favors if you cannot afford to buy them. Wedding favors only work in two categories . . something useful (for example: a small vase or candlesticks or a candy dish) or something edible, preferably homemade (like cookies). The world is full of dumpsters that are filled with wedding favors that wedding guests did not want (they either leave it on the reception table or throw it away when they get home). Give a small donation to your favorite charity instead of favors and place that information in your ceremony program or on your gift table.
You cannot state your wedding gift preference on your wedding invitation. Your wedding invitation is not a billboard or a message board. Your gift preference can be passed on through your parents, family members and/or your wedding party members or make a wedding website page or a newsletter.
There is NO average amount given for wedding gifts. There are some people who will not give you anything but a promise “for later on” and there are some people who will be surprisingly generous.
Cost cutting suggestions . . control the flow of liquor by either controlling the time the bar is open or what type of liquor is being served. Wedding guests like FREE liquor . . and they will drink and drink and drink at your expense.
Order only FRESH seasonal flowers . . tulips in the spring, mums in the fall, poinsettias during December. Order pots of flowers for table centerpieces instead of an arranged centerpiece.
Have only one attendant each . . a Maid of Honor and a Best Man (the more attendants you have, the more bouquets you have to pay for).
Have a morning wedding . . breakfast or brunch is ALWAYS less expensive than lunch or dinner. Plus you will not need a bar at that time, just have a champagne toast to the Bride and Groom.
Order cupcakes for your guests and then just have a small two tiered wedding cake for cutting (and photographs).
Eliminate “wedding day accessories” . . like a guest book or feather pen or a unity candle set or a ring bearer pillow or a flower girl basket or personalized napkins or table cameras. All of these add up very quickly.
Try to find an apprentice Disc Jockey or someone “in training.” Their rate will be much lower BUT just remember you get what you pay for.
Answered by: A Certified wedding specialist / A Professional bridal consultant / A Wedding ceremony officiant
Hi and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
I see you are in Canada. In the U.S., we don’t hand out gifts (favors) in the receiving line….sometimes there is something set at everyones spot, sometimes not. Really, this is an unnecessary expense. Your guests will not care. Save your money and DON’T do favors!
Prefering cash: This question has been questioned lots on this forum. The best thing to do is to NOT register at a store for gifts. Your guests are smart enough…they will figure it out! If they see that you are not registered anywhere, they will simply buy you a card and give you money. You may still get some gifts, though, as many people do like to buy gifts.
DO NOT place anything on the invitations! And no one will question you how much is to give per person….so don’t worry about that. What someone wants to give you is a personal choice and is usually based on how well they know you (i.e., I would not give my co-worker the same as I would give my excellent friend.)
Thoughts for dresses and cakes: I don’t know when your wedding is…but if you have some time, surf on Ebay for dresses! There are many, many to pick from. Some are even groundbreaking new! Search under “vintage wedding gowns” if you like some of the older styles….they are soooo pretty and some go for only $10!! The are very reasonable and they could be updated a small by removing the sleeves, etc. Check it out!
Cake: I don’t know if there is a Zayers (sp?) near you, but my sister lives in Kingsville and I know there is one there. Anyway, a excellent way to save on a cake is to go to a bakery in a grocery store. They will be lots cheaper than a regular bakery (at least here in the U.S. they are!)
Excellent luck!
Instead of asking for cash, you can always set up a tasteful gift list that lists all things you’d spend wedding money on, then collects the money on your behalf and gives it to you…I’m not explaining it very well but here’s a link to a excellent example
http://www.justthething.co.uk/steveandsally/giftregistry
Its so much better than a store gift list cause you can list honeymoons, home improvements etc and then people know exactly where the money is going and that it is going toward something you really want. My cousin is getting married early 2008 and has listed a some items for their honeymoon. Now they don’t expect guests to book ahead to the honeymoon destination and buy stuff, instead the company collects the money and passes it onto the Bride & Groom before the wedding.
Its always hard asking for money and I’m sure plenty of people will say its tacky to expect a gift. But the truth is that most guests want to give something and few guests would really want to reckon of their gift being returned or sitting in a cupboard somewhere gathering dust. If you want cash, I’d certainly set up a ‘virtual list’ so guests know what their money will go toward.
Depending on where you are, there’s a few excellent companies. for the Uk I’d use Just the Thing, for the US I’d use Honeymoon Wishes.
If you are looking for jewelry for your bridal party, I would recommend GlamForLess.com. Though the site doesn’t look that fantastic, they do offer fantastic deals and I was pleasantly surprised when I got the jewelry set I ordered. The quality of the jewelry really exceeded my expectations. I got mine from http://www.glamforless.com/Jewelry.htm.