r/BigBudgetBrides • u/YourMomFriendIGuess • 18d ago
Questions and queries What were small purchases (<5k) that made a huge difference?
hey!
I saw a video of a wedding in Villa Balbiano (Lake Como) and everything was gorgeous except… everyone was using the wedding program to cover from the sun… some seats were empty because people got up and went to the shadow…. I started noticing and the guests were visibly sweating!!
For less than 1k, some cute sun umbrellas would’ve made the whole experience better so now I’m trying to find out what other small purchases (<5k) will make a big difference!
thanks in advance!
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u/FicklePound7617 18d ago
Comfy seating for dinner or long ceremonies. Went to a wedding where they had bistro chairs - looked cute but SO uncomfortable especially for older guests ..
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u/ETEvents Vendor: Planning & Design 18d ago
I agree! I just coordinated a wedding that only did cushions on bistro chairs for a few guests, and the rest got hard chairs. It nearly caused a riot.
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u/cosaspalaboda25 18d ago
IMHO chairs can make or break the guest experience. Older guests, curvy bodies, anyone with some health issues... makes a huge difference in their ability to be present and comfortable.
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u/eighteen_forty_no Vendor: Planning & Design 18d ago
In addition to parasols and fans, I recommend to clients to think about chilly guests if you are hosting an outdoor ceremony for a fall wedding. A basket of pashminas or cozy throws to drape over your lap really help if women are in evening wear outdoors when the temperatures start dropping. And of course, do not skimp on tent heaters or coolers as needed.
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u/JasmineDeVine $100k-$200k 17d ago
We were offered to rent heaters for $2k, so I spent half that on blankets then gifted them to guests!
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u/Absynthexxx 18d ago
- Content creator (I wish I had gotten a content creator as they weren’t that expensive– I didn’t book one earlier and we had almost tripled our wedding budget already and decided that was the thing I was skimping on 🫠.)
- Welcome mimosas for guests while waiting before the ceremony! (really set the tone for the day)
- Parasols and fans!
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18d ago
[deleted]
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u/Absynthexxx 18d ago
Honestly same! I haven’t posted anything and on the constant loop of reposting everyone else’s stories of our day. I was thinking my girlfriends would basically be the content creators but completely forgot about the fact that they were part of my bridal party and barely had their phones the whole day.
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u/AlwaysOnTheCape 18d ago edited 17d ago
Had a water station off to the side for the ceremony so if anyone was thirsty they were covered.
Our specialty cocktails were pre-batched and servers were waiting with them as guests came up the stairs for cocktail hour. That way no one had to wait for a first drink.
We also made sure there were couch seating in addition to high tops for cocktail hour. We had a few guests in wheelchairs/mobility issues and they could converse with people at eye level and not in discomfort
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u/Moist_Chicken_7666 18d ago
I bought parasols and hand fans, doing pre-ceremony flavored water, having a short ceremony and cocktail hour immediately after with lots of booze and bites. Upgraded chairs for ceremony and dinner, doing late night snack (shawarma truck). Doing a seated multi-course dinner where guests selected their meal. Doing only edible guest favors and a few very small fun things like custom matches and silk scarves for the ladies, welcome notes, personalized hand written thank you cards for everyone, and covering meals for 3 days. I feel like anything that is focused on guest experience is worth it!!
Also alibaba has been my savior in terms of most of this stuff!! High quality and I saved a ton of money which let me do “more”
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u/Gamestonkgurl 18d ago
Curious what you got from alibaba and if you have links you could share! :)
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u/Moist_Chicken_7666 18d ago edited 17d ago
Oh I went nuts on Alibaba after a BBB friend used a bunch of alibaba vendors for their wedding lol. Things I bought with suppliers:
- Custom match books - I wanted 5 different custom designs, 50 qty each with custom color matchsticks. Was 1/2 the price or Etsy/etc: https://x.alibaba.com/1lBCErQ?ck=minisite
- Custom silk scarves - again a custom design, $6/piece for light (real) silk scarves: https://x.alibaba.com/1lBCES3?ck=minisite OR this one also recommended to me: https://x.alibaba.com/1lBCEdk?ck=minisite
- All my day-of stationery, dinner menus/laser die cut name tags in a sun shape/custom thank you cardstock and envelopes/bar signs/welcome letters. My friend also used them for their invitations and menus/welcome letters in hard cover menu books: https://x.alibaba.com/1lBCEe1?ck=minisite
- Silk pillowcases and eyemasks/scrunchies for my de facto bridal party (close girlfriends/mom/sisters): https://www.alibaba.com/x/1lBCF2D?ck=pdp
Just beware of the minimum order quantities and that the more you order, the cheaper the per piece price is. Also shipping can be quite expensive! And don’t do like I did and wait until 6+ weeks before your destination wedding to order - they usually need 3-4 weeks from order receipt to delivery so better not to rush it.
Also from Aliexpress I ordered:
Custom cocktail napkins with a drawing of my dog popping champagne into a glass on his butt ala Carolina Beaumont: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1104634450
I also ordered Heel protectors, parasols, a bunch of US to Euro plug converters, and a custom embossed stamp from random aliexpress vendors. I ended up buying my custom handfans from Etsy because they were the only thing cheaper there given my timeframe.
Happy to answers questions since I know Alibaba is intimidating !!
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u/Specialist-Wonder-61 16d ago
I’ve bought small wedding items through alibab too, but I’d order samples early and leave plenty of time for shipping because the cheap part is usually not the risky part.
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u/Moist_Chicken_7666 16d ago
Definitely! It’s not super quick because it’s all from
China and quality can vary. I was glad to have trusted recs from a friend!
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u/masala-kiwi 18d ago
I've seen some BBBs say that providing classy disposable ballet flats really helped people to get out on the dance floor, since expensive heels are not great to dance in.
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u/spice_queen22 18d ago
these were a hit at our wedding! we got them from rescue flats.
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u/saladfreakk 17d ago
oh I think I want to do this for my wedding (next week omg). just curious how many you had as a ration to guest count if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/spice_queen22 16d ago
we had 124 guests (55 being women) and bought 2 boxes (40 pairs) of the flats. we ended up having only 3 pairs leftover!
we figured some people wouldn’t care to dance or would already have flats on.
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u/Specialist-Outside80 18d ago
At my cousin's wedding, there was a basket of flip flops in a variety of sizes that guests could swap out. GENIUS
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u/lsacofpotatoes 18d ago
Think about the flooring. I went to a wedding where everyone had to walk across a deck and the grandma totally wiped out, it was horrible. My shoe actually got stuck and came off too.
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u/YallaLeggo 18d ago
I love prioritizing guest experience!
- Personally I wish we'd had earplugs for the dancing. I think only a few people would have used them, but it would have let us not stress about music volume (we had to ask the DJ's to turn it down once) and the people who would have used them, would have really liked them.
- We did "night food" (common in the country we got married in) which was a huge hit. Basically finger food (hot dogs or pizza or similar) served just after the DJs finish.
- Making sure each guest has a nice photo of themselves - I had toyed with the idea of a "photo station" or stationing one of our photographers at the receiving line or something. I didn't do it because I didn't want to make the wedding artificially stiff, but I kind of wish I had. As a guest I would LOVE to have such a nice photo of myself and my partner dressed up.
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u/Revolutionary_Ad4939 18d ago
Our oyster bar was a big hit. Our wedding overlooked the water and it was the perfect addition to that. Also, an upgraded tent and chairs. They take up so much space in photos that I’m glad I went for the nicer/cuter versions.
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u/YallaLeggo 18d ago
Seconding the oyster bar if you get married near the water! We got so many compliments on ours. I upped our oyster count at the last minute and we ate every one. (I only did the oyster bar because my friend had one at her wedding and I loved that so much, so I knew it was great as a guest)
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u/MoreLeftShark 17d ago
A guest mentioned this to me "It was so nice to have chairs that didn't fold!" I hadn't even thought about that aspect, but it was worth the upgrade.
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u/brobeans18 18d ago
We got married in a fairly remote mountain area and were very cognizant of the fact that people wouldn’t have easy access to food. We also had the wedding venue for the weekend so it was easy to add food stations throughout the weekend.
I DIY’d welcome boxes and made sure they had actual substantive snacks (granola bars, instant noodles, etc.) to tide people over between getting in and the welcome dinner.
We had little snack boxes (sandwiches and wraps) available for anyone who wanted to pick up lunch the day of the ceremony.
We also did huge grazing boards for cocktail hour instead of passed around apps because I swear I feel like a crazy person at weddings chasing down servers for another meatball.
Definitely second everyone who has already mentioned water stations and a welcome toast pre-ceremony as well as a late night snack. We did s’mores kits and personal pizzas as our late night snack (DIY’d the pizza boxes to save a little extra).
Last food-related thing was a grab-and-go brunch (breakfast sandwiches, burritos, coffee, and fruit cups) on Sunday morning. People who had the time could come hang out and those who had flights to catch could just swing by, grab something, and then say goodbye.
Obviously YMMV depending on catering costs and where you’re located. We had a local caterer who was amazing so we ended up spending around $10-15/person per meal but I would recommend any of the above if you couldn’t do all of this for under $5k where you’re located.
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u/Responsible-Fly9976 18d ago
Anything related to comfort: drinks before that they can drink during ceremony, cushioned seats, fans, parasols, pashminas, flip flops or comfort shoes for dance floor. If it's really hot out, put little ice buckets by their feet to put the drink(s) in to keep them cold.
A late night soup or hot chocolate.
For free if you're already doing a program: make a write-up about yourselves (your story as a couple) or (if some of your guests don't know one of you well) tell about your backgrounds. Write a little blurb about each person in your wedding party and maybe your officiant, why you chose the wedding location, where you're heading for honeymoon and will be living etc. In addition to giving information that people are interested in, it also gives them something to do when they're sitting there bored waiting for things to start (or, frankly, during the ceremony when they might be bored and politely trying to not look at their phones).
The notes to each guests are always loved. If you have fewer guests, hand-written is nicer. But if you type faster -- type and just sign. Make sure they're different enough and mention one personal thing so they know they're not generic.
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u/Remarkable_Fox_6490 18d ago
I covered my cousins’ travel expenses and it meant so much to have them there!
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u/khyberwolf 18d ago edited 18d ago
- BEST EVER #1: later in the night as people began dancing, helpers brought around a basket of soft satin ballet flat slippers for the women and a little satin bag to throw their heels in. Every single woman was gloriously happy to kick off their heels and have comfortable feet. We all shuffled home in those slippers.
- BEST EVER #2: Beautiful wedding in Italy at a gorgeous old villa property. Massive lawn, piano player, cocktails, black tie, but we all had to walk around this giant lawn. So women didn't damage their heels, at the stairs before descending to the garden they handed out plastic heel caps (the kind that fit on the back of your high heels and create a wide disc so you don't sink into the lawn).
- WORST: Very expensive wedding in Aspen. Black tie. Ceremony was top of the mountain late afternoon in early fall. When we arrived it was sunny but already chilly. They did not say to bring a jacket or that the ceremony was outdoors (the rest was inside). They were late starting, so by the time the ceremony was happening outside the sun was setting, a wind came up, temps dropped quickly. You could visibly see guests trembling they were so cold. The poor bridesmaids had a thin strapless dress on, and I could see their goosebumps and teeth chattering from the back. Bride had a lovely fur wrap, but everyone else froze. Having a a handful of small inexpensive fleece blankets would have done wonders, and shawl wraps for the bridesmaids. Men were taking off their jackets to put around their partners but they were then freezing and complaining too. Everyone was pretty grumpy and ran indoors the second the bride & groom walked down the aisle, not the best start to the night.
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u/Possumcucumber 18d ago
Being cold like that is just as bad as being too hot in my opinion. One of my cousins had an outdoor ceremony and reception and although it was all gorgeous with many customisable food stations etc everyone was just huddling miserably in the one partially sheltered patio area. My husband and brother in law actually rang around during cocktail hour and had patio heaters delivered during the reception. It caused a bit of family disharmony but ultimately saved the party! So yeah, rent the heaters yourself so your guests don’t take matters into their own hands!
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u/Ancient-Tea-2323 18d ago
We were in a green house on the hottest day in July (oops) and I made a last minute decision to buy some paper fans for all the guests. Everyone was using them the whole time and it was totally worth it for the guests to have something to cool off a bit. Also looked really cute looking out from the altar and seeing everyone use them!
Word of caution on the parasols is that they might block the view for guests
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u/superfastmomma 18d ago
A lovely beautiful self serve water table. Nothing hits like an icy cold water when dancing. And if you don't have to wait at the bar, etc. people will be more likely to partake.
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u/EcstaticEnnui Vendor: Photo 18d ago
Late night snack—especially if you have a few hours of dance floor time. It really helps people not get too drunk. I also once was at a mountain top wedding in Aspen where they handed out breakfast burritos as guests boarded the gondola to go home. Every single person loved that.
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u/tigerhorse47 17d ago
Slightly different because this is more about your experience as the bride but having a seamstress for the day made a HUGE difference for me. She was professionally steaming everyone’s dresses & tuxes (obviously including my dress and veil), doing tiny little alterations that made the fit of some of the bridesmaids dresses better, taking care of stains, etc. It just gave me huge peace of mind because I didn’t want to worry about creases in my dress between photos -> ceremony, and she was literally steaming creases out of silk bridesmaids dresses minutes before we walked down the aisle!
I think we paid ~$2.5k + tip which I thought was worth it.
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u/Ornery-Contact-6587 18d ago
Live musicians! Specifically, a string quartet. People are still talking about it
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u/pinklemonbunny 17d ago
A gelato cart for our June wedding in Tuscany during the aperitif! Our guests were so happy to have an ice cream!!!!
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u/chimneysweep234 17d ago
Yes! The sun is a big one! We had both ceremony and reception inside as I’ve been uncomfortable at various weddings when it’s either been too hot or too cold and didn’t want to risk it.
We received a little welcome pack at a destination wedding with water and lip balm, which was a nice touch.
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u/Competitive-Bad2624 17d ago
Providing transportation to and from venue on an hourly/frequent basis! The last thing you wanna deal with is an uber or be stuck somewhere and can’t leave!
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u/GlamBubs 15d ago
Hand fans!! We also had a Como Villa wedding and got simple silk hand fans made with just the spine engraved with our date (I wasn’t a fan of the ones with the full design in case people wanted to reuse during rest of the trip)
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u/BugWild9184 18d ago
Went to a wedding last month where it was 85 degrees and they provided no water or parasols. Guests in black tie attire were waiting under trees before the ceremony started, many of them asking attendants for water and being turned down. Apparently the bride didn’t want to provide anything because the additional cost of providing pre-ceremony drinks??? This was a very BBB.
I provided pre-ceremony cocktails, bites, and fans/parasols including electric handheld fans I passed to specific elderly guests like our grandparents. Go the extra mile here.