Wedding Freebies
Could wedding freebies help save your budget? Weddings and funerals are two of the most expensive events that are funded by families and personal finances. The freebies listed on this page may or may not be appropriate for your personal situation. The overall attitude of the page is to maintain positive creativity that can hopefully result in spending less, although weddings are certain a matter of personal preference.
Wedding expenses might include the venue, attire, flowers and decorations, food, and entertainment. Obviously the expenses are more manageable with smaller wedding parties.
Wedding Registries
Wedding gifts generally aren’t free for the people giving them, but they’re free for the couple getting married. Other than creating happy memories with friends and family, the gifts are one of the most beneficial aspects of a wedding for the newly married couple. This is an opportunity to stock up on items and supplies that will last until they can become more established on their own.
- Amazon.com
- Barneys New York
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Bloomingdales
- Borsheims
- Charity Registry
- Cloud 9 Living
- Crate & Barrel
- gifts.com/registry/wedding
- Gump’s
- Honeymoon registry by traveler’s joy
- honeymoonwishes.com
- Macy’s
- Michael C. Fina
- myregistry.com
- Pottery Barn
- REI
- Sandals Resorts
- Starwood Honeymoon Collection
- Target
- Tiffany & Co.
- Walmart
- Williams-Sonoma
Free Wedding Venue
You could possibly have a wedding in an open public place, such as a beach or a park, and avoid venue fees. Some churches may offer space with little or no fees involved, especially if they have a non-paid clergy and the facilities are completely funded by members who pay tithing.
Free Wedding Gown & Other Wedding Attire
If you’re very traditional, perhaps your mother or grandmother saved their gown for their daughter to wear. This may still require fees for tailoring.
If you’re not sentimental and you don’t have to keep the gown, then you could possibly use one for free by buying it, using it, and then selling it for the same price. This is free by arbitrage. Even if you don’t end up selling it for the same price as you bought it, this could still be the most economic option. A simpler option is just to rent the dress and other attire. Find resources to buy used dresses and sell a wedding dress in the Cash For Stuff Directory.
See also Free Clothes, which is related but doesn’t necessarily discuss wedding attire.
Interesting low-cost wedding gowns:
Free Flowers & Decorations
You could possibly get free flowers since they are a product that expires. However, coordinating and timing will be a challenge and there’s not guarantee that any free flowers that you get will match an overall wedding theme or design. Someone will still have to adapt the flowers into usable pieces for a wedding, such as table center pieces, bouquets and corsages. See Retail Leftover Freebies, Dumpster Diving.
Free Entertainment, Wedding Services & Labor
Use the resources of family and friends as much as possible. Some may be willing to provide free services as part of their wedding gift.
If you can’t find someone to marry the couple for free, then a license to marry people could potentially be cheaper than hiring someone, and it’s pretty simple to get a license.
The best chance of getting a free wedding photographer is to find a new photographer who is looking to build their portfolio. See also Free Services From Students.
The same strategy can be applied to a DJ or wedding singer. Find someone new who is looking to promote themselves and possibly build a social following or make a promotional video. Creating a promotional video could be part of the deal for you to give to them or allowing them to record during your wedding.
Free Food
Local restaurants offer to cater at business events all the time and your wedding party could easily provide an audience that is just as large. See if a local restaurant will cater your wedding in exchange for free promotions and marketing services. You could let them place a sign next to the buffet saying they sponsored the meal, have the DJ announce their name multiple times and/or encourage the guests to follow the restaurant on social media.
Free Honeymoon
Free honeymoon resources are more abundant for the adventurous couple. However, not all travel freebies will apply. For example, couch surfing is a source of free lodging while traveling, but it doesn’t offer that much privacy, which is what most couples would want on their honeymoon. Still, see travel freebies for ideas.
You could possibly win a free trip with a sweepstakes or contest.
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