Planning a wedding is expensive, and you need to budget according to what’s most important. To get your dream venue, you may have to make sacrifices. Or you could follow our tips and tricks to get a few wedding essentials for free. Who doesn’t love free stuff? Read on to discover the best wedding freebies and how to score them. We’ve covered everything from your engagement party to the day you and your partner say, “I do.”
Free Invitations and Thank You Cards
Many wedding experts, from event planners to recent brides, advise searching for free invitation templates online. Websites like Canva have beautiful layouts that don’t cost a cent! This way, you can send out cute invitations for every party along the way.
As you create these invitations, see if you can also create thank you cards. You’ll have a lot to write between all the celebrations to show your appreciation to your guests.
Bridal Tip
Now is also the time to search out templates for games you’ll play at the bridal shower, including This or That, Bridal Bingo, and Who Said It First.
Free Décor
If you have a friend or relative who just got married, reach out to see if they have some decorations that you could borrow. They may have leftover vases, place card holders, or signs that you could reuse for your engagement and bridal shower or the wedding.
Free Planning Tools
Planning a wedding can feel overwhelming as you juggle appointments, verify payments, note which guests are coming, figure out which vendors you need to contact, etc. The pen-and-paper method isn’t always ideal since it can lead to lost documents.
Download a wedding planning app or create a website. Many couples prefer making websites to track which guests RSVPed or send out digital invites easily. With website platforms like Wix, Blogger, and Zola, you can do it for free!
Bridal Tip
A wedding website also helps you communicate vital information to guests, such as arrival time, venue information, whether it’s child-free, and more. Putting all the key information on the site makes it easy for guests to know what to expect. And best yet, you won’t have to worry about countless calls to relatives to relay this information—instead, direct them to your website.
Score Free Gifts
There are many reasons to create a registry. Perhaps the most important is that it helps guests know what to get you. And as a bonus, some sites will also get you a few gifts if you register with them! The following retailers all offer incentives if you create a bridal registry through them:
- Amazon
- Bed, Bath & Beyond
- Crate & Barrel
- Macy’s
- Kohl’s
While some of these retailers will give you discounts as guests purchase your gifts, others send you physical items depending on how much guests spend. Not much can top gifts alongside what guests provide you.
Seeking Out Free Samples
You have a lot of decisions to make, and sampling makes things easier. Of course, free samples can be a bit tricky to obtain when it comes to the wedding industry. Some of the most important things to evaluate include dresses, makeup, and wedding cake.
Free Fabric Samples
While this isn’t always possible, some companies will send you swatches of fabric for bridesmaid dresses without charge. This gives you a better idea of the color and how the material feels. If you have a dress company in mind, reach out to see if they can send you a free sample before you have your bridal party purchase their dresses.
Free Makeup
Free makeup. Who doesn’t love hearing those words? On your wedding day, you want to look perfect, and you can sample different brands by browsing the beauty page on Amazon Product Sampling. You may also want help applying makeup to look bridal ready before the big day, and companies like Macy’s often offer free consultations at their makeup counters.
Free Dessert
The wedding cake is an important part of the wedding, and not much tastes better than a sweet and light cake. Reach out to local bakeries to see if they offer free samples. If you have a favorite bakery you plan to buy from and need to decide on a flavor, bring this up when inquiring about free samples.
You may not be able to find a business offering free baked goods for you to sample, but you can reach out to your inner circle. Talk to friends, family, and coworkers to see if they’d make the dessert and provide you with a tasting.
A Closing Note
Planning a wedding doesn’t have to be expensive. Now that you know about the best wedding freebies and how to score them, you can save some extra cash.After all, the more money you save, the more you can spend on those big-ticket items like a venue or a romantic honeymoon.
