To all the married women out there.... What do you wish you hadn't spent so much on or bought at all?

Sorry just realized it says one, meant once its all said and done.

Signs. I actually didn't buy any, but I know they are a huge thing. I didn't buy a single sign, but my guests knew we were happy to have them, and they were all able to transition between the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception just fine without a single sign. We also didn't have any programs or favors, and that seemed good. Actually, we had some fresh hydrangeas as part of our centerpieces, and people took those home and loved them.

My candy buffet table. Surprisingly not as many people took candy as I thought they would.

The only thing I really wish I wouldn't have spent on was extra dresses. I ended up with three dresses because I kept having dress regret. The first two were ivory and the one I'm actually wearing is white, so I also went through a few veils as well. Granted I still probably spent around $2000 total which seems to be normal. Other than that, I don't regret any of the little extras I bought. I mostly did DIY to add personal touches.

For me I wouldn’t have done favors because so many people left them behind.

My dress alterations were really the only thing I felt this way about. Circumstances of dress delivery made alterations rushed and I was kind of backed into “who could fit me in and do it in time” that I was overwhelmed and anxious and just paid for everything she said we should do. Retrospectively, it was a lot of work and money for very little change (sure it fit better, but it fit okay to begin with), so I wish I negotiated through them, with a “this is too much, what can we skip” — the only absolute musts were bustle and hem and a little smoothing out of the back, and she was all over the place with pins. I had a “it’s pinned it’s done” attitude, I should’ve just said “let’s not bother with this part”

Otherwise, I don’t really have this feeling— we spent a lot on food and drink and have no regrets there (it was amaaazzinngg, could we have omitted an app or two, especially the pricier ones? Sure....but....my mini lobster grilled cheeses were a must haha— and got RAVE reviews from guests ...worth it!). I didn’t spend a lot on flowers/decor we it wasn’t a meaningful part of guest experience for me— and that is how I prioritized spending

I'm glad I didn't spend much on my dress. I only spent 200 dollars. I'm happy I spent money on real flowers. I'm glad I didn't personally DIY anything. I didn't buy any signs, good move. Splurging on a venue with good food was worth it. After seeing how much it costs to rent suits/tuxes, I'm glad my husband used one he already owned. He looked great. We didn't have any programs, menus, or favors. I'm glad we didn't waste our time carting around and organizing a bunch of junk. I had a lot of people saying to me at my SILs wedding 2 months later, "I bet you're so excited for this wedding because you don't have to stress." Wth is there to stress about other than payments or dealing with vendors? I didn't worry about color schemes or themes. I had a wedding. A wedding with great food, drinks and lots of dancing. Just keep it simple and enjoy. To each their own though. Some people LOVE all the details.

Overall I have no splurge or purchase regrets except programs only because it became a hassle with the last minute catering change so I couldn’t use them unless I cut and rearranged everything which I had no time to do, so I just never used them. And the weather was so great we never needed the $200 worth of umbrellas for shade and/or bad weather - they were set up but never opened.

I don't think I regret any of the money that was spent, but I do wish we had been more selective in our guest list.

Signs, garter toss, aisle runner, and as much as I liked it the unity ceremony was more expensive than it needed to be.

We splurged on flowers, it wasn't needed. My mom wanted several extra bouquets (one for the memorial table, one for the dessert table, etc.) and the florist to hang greenery on the ceiling. We did it, but it wasn't worth and we would have been fine without it.

I'm not quite married yet, Sept 7th, but I wish I had stuck to my original dress budget. I LOVE my dress, so much, but it was double what I wanted to spend. I set my budget not for actual budget reasons, just I didn't see the point of spending so much on a dress for one day.

I suppose my biggest regret is buying so many invitations, intending to send out a second wave, and then letting family drama prevent me from sending said second wave.
Other than that, no. If I didn't care enough about something to drop money on it, then I don't care now.

View Quoted Comment I felt the exact same way. I actually also spent double, but I wouldn't redo it. I would be miserable if I didn't love my dress

View Quoted Comment I could definitely see this.

View Quoted Comment I feel ya on this one- not married yet...

I’m having the great “NO kids/Kids” debate. The venue is a Resort/Casino and would prefer to only have wedding party kids, if any, but FH is getting kick back on the No kids thing. It’s a YEAR away- save up for a sitter, ask a relative!- and a 6-8hr drive. The couple people that have given issues are surprising- and I’ve never met their wife or kids.

I actually don’t have any regrets. The more time passes the more I fall in love with how everything went even with the hiccups. I do think little details go overseen even those personalize. I love personalize and details so I don’t regret it and to those who really notice they really comment on it later on. I would skip the cost if is not your thing. If I had to change something would be to give more times for the guys. Apparently the window I gave them for getting ready time wasn’t enough and they were rush.