If you've never been married before, it can be really tricky to figure out what is worth splurging on, and where you can just make do with a thrifty swap. While choosing your spending priorities for your wedding is a personal decision at the end of the day, it's useful to hear from people who have done it before. These married folks shared what they regret spending money on at their weddings, and their answers might surprise you.
While one person might wish they had spent a little less on an expensive outfit for the big day and a little more on the spectacular wedding cake, another might feel that splurging on food wasn't worth it and they would have much preferred getting married in the suit or dress of their dreams. There's no one right way to distribute your wedding budget. Rather, it comes down to what is most important to you and your partner personally. If you are total foodies, arranging a meal service full of the finest local delicacies might be the way to go. If the two of you love nothing more than a great dance party, you might prefer booking a legendary DJ to keep the jams coming.
Below, eight people share what they feel like they should have spent less on for their wedding.
1Jessica, 28
"While I am overall very happy with the financial choices I made surrounding our wedding, the one thing I really regret is paying extra for a plated meal. A buffet would have cost far less, but the idea of servers and meal choices on invitations was too alluring. In the end, no one really cares how the food is getting on their plate, so looking back I wish we'd gone the cheaper route with a buffet."
2Amy, 42
"My biggest wedding regret is the amount of money I spent on flowers for my first wedding. The flowers looked amazing, but the price tag (somewhere around $3,000) wasn't so awesome. I remember looking around and wishing I had spent the money on food and photography instead."
3Alisha
"I am personally getting married in less than two weeks and I know I really regret spending money on the people that tell me they can’t come at the last minute. For example, you have to pay a venue fee for the number of guests that are attending, and you often times can’t get that money back if people bail last minute."
4Estrella, 31
"I regret spending over $3,000 for a five night stay at an all-inclusive resort in Greece for my honeymoon. The resort was lovely, and during the hectic months leading up to my wedding sounded like the escape I needed. But after two days of just sitting around on a beach (and stuffing myself with delicious food), I was so bored. Knowing what I know now, I would have spent that money on buying more flowers and decor for the wedding, and extending our time in Santorini instead of moving on to the resort."
5Lucy
"I regret spending more money than I probably should have mostly when it comes to my dress and the invitations. Although my dress and the invitations were beautiful, I probably could have got something else that I was perfectly happy with at a fraction of the cost. In reality, you are really only going to wear the dress once and the invites get thrown out. So, I would say save a little on these costs and invest a little more on your honeymoon, rings and photographer."
6Monica, 40
"Without a doubt, the worst money we spent on our wedding was the solid ice punch bowl. Special-ordered, massive chunk of carved ice with a light built in the bottom and real flowers frozen in it (the flowers matched my centerpieces ... apparently I thought that was important at the time). Don’t get me wrong ... the bowl was beautiful. In the pictures, at least: I don’t recall even seeing it on our wedding day. And I also don’t recall a single person since then saying to me, 'You know what I loved about your wedding? The punch bowl.'"
7Kristy, 31
"I typically don't wear makeup and when I do it is nothing overdramatic. I paid for two different trials. The first trial, two women came to my house to do airbrush makeup and hair. The second time I went to a salon to get traditional makeup done. Both times I ended the experience feeling disappointed and uncomfortable. I wanted to look and feel beautifully natural and comfortable. I ended up buying my own makeup to apply myself and looked up a step-by-step on Pinterest of how I wanted my hair to look. On my wedding day, my cousin assisted with hair using the picture, while I applied the makeup. I could not have been happier with the decision to skip the professional service and pictures turned out beautiful."
8Jacqueline, 36
"I regret spending money on two things for the wedding: bridesmaid dresses and high chairs. I bought royal blue strapless, knee-length dresses that I thought could be used for other occasions. Afterwards, I realized that these dresses will probably never be worn again. People wear what they choose themselves and not what others choose for them.
There were numerous kids at our wedding that needed high chairs. The venue didn't come with high chairs. I only realized this close to the wedding date. We scrambled to rent high chairs last minute and paid way too much for them."
So regardless of where you decide to scrimp and where you opt to go all in on the detail that means the most to you, do your best to really think about what will matter most to you in the long run. If that means passing up traditional decor in favor of an endless chocolate fountain, go for it.
