When it comes to the one day you’ve been dreaming of your whole life, there’s a particular wedding vision you might have in mind, and it’s easy for things to add up quickly. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of 4 things that can drive up costs and what you can do to avoid them.
Linens
As a venue, one of our most frequently asked questions is, “Do you provide linens?” It’s no doubt that rental costs are top of mind for most couples—and rightly so. Specialty linens can quickly become expensive to rent. It’s not just the banquet dinner tables that need linens, but also the cocktail tables, cake table, gift table, sign-in table, memory table, and the list go on.
TIP: Look for a venue that includes farmhouse tables as part of the amenities. Farmhouse tables are the perfect alternative because they don’t need to be covered up. So, what you should really ask your venue is, “What kinds of tables are included with my booking?” You can cut your linen costs in half by incorporating farmhouse tables into your table layout. At The Annex, we offer both farmhouse and banquet tables free of charge. We also have different size farmhouse tables to use for the list of specialty tables you will need.
Wedding Favors
Giving out wedding favors is the #1 way to thank your guests for coming to your wedding. We’ve seen everything from koozies to flip flops to scratch-off lottery tickets to homemade cookies individually wrapped. Although wedding favors can seem great in theory, they are not always practical. More times than not, we’ve seen couples take home over half of their wedding favors because guests either didn’t know to take them or just plain forgot. Whatever the case, valuable time and money is lost on something that may never be used.
TIP: The best way to show thanks to your guests is to tell them “thank you!” After all, they came to see you. Reserving time in your wedding day schedule to greet and visit with each table is the most memorable and intimate thing you can do for your guests, and it’s more personal than any party favor you could offer.
Heavy Floral Arrangements
Flowers, flowers, flowers…and then more flowers! Flowers make up a large part of the wedding décor. They have a special way of bringing everything together. Most couples don’t realize that certain flowers are seasonal. Depending on your wedding date and season, you can end up paying more for the flowers you want just because they aren’t in season.
TIP: A budget-friendly alternative is to opt for using more greenery. You can save a ton, and you’ll feel better knowing that you won’t have to throw away a bunch of flowers the next day. Past Annex couples have run greenery down the aisle, draped greenery above the stained-glass windows, and even substituted greenery for table runners. But if that isn’t your thing, definitely talk with your florist about which flowers are in season before deciding on floral arrangements.
Specialty Napkin Folds
Napkin folds is one of those minor details that sneaks up on you at the last minute. Once you’ve got your place setting picked out with a charger, plate, utensils, and glassware, it’s easy to succumb to the idea of having a fancy napkin fold to finish it off. Your rental company may offer to handle this for you, but beware! Napkin folding can cost as much as $0.95 per napkin (on top of the rental price per napkin).
TIP: At the end of the day, napkins will be used as napkins, so don’t get too hung up on how they’re folded. If you have a day-of coordinator, talk to that person and see if he or she can handle the napkin folding for you. The Annex offers day-of coordinator services at a highly competitive rate, and assistance with décor setup is included.
Conclusion
These are just a few ways you can keep unnecessary costs down, with the option to use the cash you save on other things you’ve been dreaming about for your special day. We, at The Annex, believe you can have it all, and we want to help make that happen! As an added bonus, when you book with us, you will receive up to 25% off all Minted wedding products to help you save even more.