While the idea of getting a super-pricy wedding element for free
sounds fabulous, some wedding freebies are to be avoided at all costs:
unwise 'cheap-outs' usually turn into wedding disasters. Like Uncle
Charlie, who promised to shoot your wedding video for nothing, then
didn't get any footage of your First Dance because he was outside
talking on his cell. Or Aunt Sally's homemade wedding cake that melted
and crashed to the ballroom floor because she didn't know to put
supports inside it. Or Grandma slaving over a hot stove during your
cocktail party, a sweaty mess with burns on her hands...and still not
churning out pigs in blankets fast enough for your crowd.
With the average wedding cost soaring over $20,000 these days, every
bride out there is looking for ways to save on her wedding budget, while
still having the perfect dream day. And, scarily, there are some brides
out there who go way too far with the price-cutting, inviting
catastrophes with the ultra-regrettable theory "If it's free, it's for
me."
But free is a dangerous game when it comes to your wedding. There are
just some things you should never try to get for a big, fat $0 in your
wedding budget spreadsheet. Because the adage is true: you really do get
what you pay for. And it gets worse: some freebies with $0 attached
lead to huge expenses when you have to undo the disaster, if not utter
heartbreak when your day is ruined.
Here are eight wedding freebies to avoid:
1. Free Photos and Video: Pro photographers and
videographers have top-quality equipment and editing prowess, and they
know how to be everywhere during your wedding, capturing every magical
moment. Uncle Charlie isn't trained in the art of wedding photography
and video and is likely to be at the bar. You don't want to end up with
75 photos because Uncle Steve thought that was plenty, or all of your
ceremony photos gone because he messed up his upload. You won't miss any
important footage or photos with a pro on your side.
2. Free Catering: Pro caterers know how to create a
menu that pleases all of your guests, and they have the best suppliers
for top-quality ingredients. They know how to perfectly time their food
prep so that the filet mignon is pink in the middle, and your phyllo cup
apps come out hot and tasty -- not charred or cold. Grandma shouldn't
have to play "Top Chef" for your wedding, and you definitely don't want
to have the food run out a half hour into your cocktail party. An
amateur could food-poison everyone, and create that 'where's the food?'
nightmare during your celebration. The artistry, timing and skills of a
caterer are all-important now.
3. Free Wedding Coordination: If you have a friend
who's planned her own wedding, that doesn't make her a trained
professional. Accepting her offer to plan your wedding for her
'portfolio' (since she now wants to be a wedding planner) is like having
someone who once cut their own hair cut yours the day before your
wedding. Event planning takes a lot of expertise, and the greatest
wedding coordinators know all the best vendors, sites and suppliers in
town. They can lead you to the best and away from the worst. So don't be
someone's practice wedding. Stick with a pro.
4. Free Wedding Gown Alterations: I don't mean the
free alterations offered at your gown boutique. I mean your aunt's offer
to alter your gown, since she makes her kids' clothing. Freebie
alterations just don't work, since the fabric of most gowns is slippery
and challenging, best left to expert hands. Freebie jobs leave you with
fallen hems, split seams, and bulges in your dress that guests will
think are bulges in your body.
5. Free Beauty Treatments: The Kardashian sisters
might wax each other, but waxing, bleaching, self-tanning, facials and
other beauty treatments conducted by a friend -- to save money -- will
almost surely send you right to a salon for an expensive fix, as well as
ripped skin in the worst places, breakouts, streaky tans and other
disasters, especially bad if it's just days before your big day.
6. Free Entertainment: Let your brother's garage
band stay in the garage. Only trained and experienced deejays and bands
know how to read a crowd to adjust their playlist and keep the dance
floor packed. They also have top technology with backup equipment to
prevent any potential problems with the music.
7. Free Wedding Cake: Don't wind up with a messy,
gloppy-sided nightmare that looks like a teen made it in Home Ec. Hot
days pose softening challenges for cakes, and tall cakes need the proper
dowel-inserted support...not to mention a safe and experienced ride to
your wedding site. Pro bakers can work magic even on a budget cake, and
get it to you in perfect condition.
8. Free Anything From a Bridal Show Drawing: Without
checking the company out fully first, that is. Some truly excellent
professionals display at bridal shows and expos, offering free
photography packages, free tuxes, free entertainment, and more for
big-ticket wins if your ticket is drawn. But some beginners or shady
types may be there, too. Never accept a free anything, no matter how big
a value placed on it, without investigating the company, meeting with
the owners in their shop, viewing their products, and -- important! --
asking your other vendors if they know that company and trust them.
Those free tuxes could be 10 years old, frayed, over-rented, ill-fitting
and made from crappy fabric. So treat that win as an invitation to
check the company out thoroughly before you sign anything. You can
always throw out that freebie voucher and avoid a wedding nightmare.
So where do good wedding freebies come from? Quality pros include
terrific ones in their wedding packages, and top wedding coordinators
and floral designers often have cases of pretty votives and lanterns in
their store rooms. They're all too happy to give them to you, when they
like you. So hiring vendors is the best way to score some great
freebies, and putting your wedding into experienced, accredited hands is
beyond priceless. Other freebies can be décor items borrowed from
recently-married friends, or found for the asking at your wedding site
(like outdoor couches and tables, or bistro tables, candelabras, and
more.)
Make it your philosophy to score smart, disaster-free freebies, and
you'll find lots of little $0s in your wedding budget adding up to a
surprisingly and delightfully large amount, helping you achieve your
dream wedding for far less than expected.
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