Married Knotties...What could you have done without and what was your best wedding investment?

Re: Married Knotties...What could you have done without and what was your best wedding investment?

• Brina105

  

  April 2013

  Hello! I was a former Tower's Bride from August.
  I could have done without some of the detail items that I thought I needed.
  We put our initials on the outside tower's doors, thinking they would be a photo op. but we kept getting shooed in and out of the building by the side door. On the day of I TOTALLY forgot about the letters on the door and getting photos under the tower arch.
  
  I also did things like cstomized order napkins-- ie i made my own design, paid a design and had them printed, I could have save $200 by just buying some preprinted ones from the Knot Shop or Michael's. No one really cared that we made a special saying on our napkins, and they were all crumbled int he trash at the end of the night (the point of a napkin!)
  
  Our best investment by Far was in our photographer and our DJ.
  We used Hello,Love photo and Victor Events for a DJ.
  Everyone was on the dance floor all night! My dad's cousin, a long time musician who has played at the grammys, even commented on how a great DJ makes or breaks and event and how ours "MADE" the night..
  
  And as far as pohtos, I'm a perfectionist so I always wish we got "one more shot" but TOTAL STRANGERS have complimented our wedding photos, I mean people have messaged me on facebook asking who my photographer was, and how unique some of the shots she got were.
  

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• MissMeghan80 member

  

  April 2013

  I'd love to hear some additional suggestions!!

  

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• Sarah MD member

  

  May 2013

  I tried not to make too many "investments" as I was on a serious budget.  I really liked having an open bar - though was less than $1k since we used our own alcohol.  Getting the pasta station from out caterer Steve McKendall was one of my favorite things.  I loved getting a clay wedding bouquet - I look at my flowers almost every day and it was really depressing when the real ones died, so I was glad I had my permanent flowers.  I was glad we got really nice wedding rings.
  
  I really couldn't have done without much - again, I'm super thrifty and was on a budget.  I told myself I wasn't going to by any decorations without being absolutely positive I was going to use them.  That saved me money- I am such a bargain shopper I know I would have bought random things b/c they were a good deal without this rule. 
  
  I wish I had spent a lot More on my alterations.  That's probably my biggest regret.  The hem was too long, the bustle broke.  The safety pins I had to use poked me and people stepped on it all night long.  As someone who looked down upon those girls who bought more than one dress, thinking it was so wasteful, I found myself wishing I had bought a short reception dress.

  

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• Eyejewel member

  

  May 2013

  I obsessed over many small details and some were probably overlooked. I know it was only $50 but i spent on a pretty bridal purse. But that got dumped in a big vb tote and hauled for the day by the bridesmaid it never saw a photo ops or really used. I probably would have planned a little more for rain and going with the flow. Just realize you cant control what may happen. Most of our day was inside but it massively poured so we didnt get outdoor golf pics or to use the firpits on the venue deck. Good splurges. Spend a little more on a venue, Spring Valley Country club in MA and there service and all the yummy food was so worth it. We ordered stoli drink jars for cocktail hours. Those were a very good investment. We couldnt afford the open bar prices but these gave people options of flavors and they were good and strong and lasted a into part of the reception. Our DJ moondance prod. made the event very fun. We splurged on the videographer David Bettencourt and we love the images and the highlight reel. 

  
  

  My regret was not giving the photographer a full list of pictures we wanted. The day was crazy and the rain threw us. So i ddint get a picture with my godmother. We got alot of good photos but if you have some specifcs make sure and write them down. If you want table shots of people mention it. But the video fills in some holes that the pictures dont grab. i said i wanted a picture on the piano that i saw in a magazine, the photographer took the time to grab me before the end of the night so i got the piano shot. It didnt look like the model but it was fun and a crowd including my grandma all came over to gawk and find out what the heck was going on.

  
  

  Paid for dance lessons, but it was a groupon so not too much wastful $. Looking back i could of used the time better for other things and maybe less stressed. We learned and choreographed but was unable to complete all the moves because one part of my bustle wasnt buttoned and i could not go backwards w/o putting my heel through the lace. so we just started swaying. 

  
  

  Small things we did that made a difference was we bought glowindark necklace/bracelets from oriental trading and the DJ handed them out. The kids opened them early but it kept them occupied and the adults loved them later. We paid for a dels truck outside our church after the ceremony. Didnt get the outside photo op we were hoping for but it was unique, us and everyone got a snack before heading to reception.

  

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• dd123456

  

  May 2013

  I was a wedding planner for years and I always asked this question.  "What was the best and what was the worst part of the wedding?" and the best part that always made the wedding fun and got the guests into the wedding was the DJ.  I always use DJ MaShane http://www.DJMaShane.com or DJ Ra-Mu for my clients.  The worst thing they say was either not going with the right venue, food wasn't good, or they should have hired a videographer.

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• URIsweethearts

  

  June 2013

  wow, I wouldn't say I loved my wedding, but I am in love with the person I married, so that's all that counts. we had too many mishaps the day of and the planning was so stressful and rushed at the end (i HATE to be rushed). i would definitely do again - signature drink - cupcake tower - candy buffet - my dress- my flowers - invitations-transportation loved all those. I would like a redo - bridesmaid choices (long story) -venue - in the end, wasn't crazy about it - DJ (used BM's dad -who I thought was OK but then found out later people really didn't like him)- photographer(got very snippy with me at the end of the night).

  good luck to all! in the big picture of it all, it's worth it!

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• RIFallBride member

  

  June 2013

  We were married last fall and it was the most spectacular day, throughout the planning process I was horrified at the costs adding up but at the end of the day I would change very little.

  We hired a DOC which was the best decision ever, she was my right hand woman and I just loved knowing someone else was looking out for us.  I cannot stress how important it is to be comfortable with your photographer (all vendors), we searched and searched and went with our gut, our photos are amazing and worth every penny.  Venue is another area I would not skimp on, we went with a venue that put the couple first and really listened to what we wanted.

  I spent more than I thought I should on the favors, chocolate covered apples, but we received so many compliments and they looked beautiful on the tables.  I will say that more were left behind than I expected which leads me to say this was a wasteful expense (although we ate them after our honeymoon!).

  Some of the paper products were unnecessary but they were such a small expense that I enjoyed seeing them but know my guests barely noticed. 

  I also went with some board favorite vendors, in hindsight several of those were not the best decision for us.  My hair for example was totally wrong (not even close to my trial) which makes me regret not just using my normal hair stylist.  I looked beautiful but to this day it annoys me that the unique style we had come up with at my trial was totally forgotten.  I just cannot stress enough to go with your gut and really look into all your vendors and not to get caught up in 'board' favorite vendors.  Don't get me wrong, recommendations are wonderful but I got caught up in the knot and wish I had worked with different vendors for certain things.

  Ultimately the day will be amazing and is about so much more than the silly paper products and the wrong hair style, just enjoy every minute!

   

   

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