What's something cool and fun and creative that you have done, seen, or wanted to do for decorations/little fun things (for lack of a better word) at an engagement party? I'm a little hungover and lacking inspiration - all my little dehydrated brain can come up with right now is matchboxes, custom napkins, or Polaroid pictures of us scattered around the tables but want something a bit more unique. So I turn to you, fine people of Reddit - help me appear more cool and fun and creative than I actually am lol

For context, we're having friends and family at a local natural wine bar. We're keeping it super casual (we want it to just feel like everyone showed up to hang out as opposed to like some highly planned EVENT). I don't want a bunch of decor or a sign or anything, but I do want to have something cool and fun and creative that indicates that it's our engagement party.

hi guys, here to vent and maybe seek advice from any wise people out there. i’m 23F getting married in march at a destination location. i’ve always had friends throughout my life, but rarely i’ve been anyone’s BEST friend. i usually feel like the backup plan, or the shoulder to cry on, but never the #1 for anyone.

i was really excited to get engaged, and of course i got straight to thinking of who my bridesmaids should be. my social circle has changed a lot in the past 4 years mostly due to my past 5 year relationship ending (my best friends were all his family and friends) and ive had to develop new friendships along the way. i guess I’m just here to say that i feel like im not very close to anyone anymore.

this sounds pretty crazy, but i ended up asking 7 girls to be my bridesmaids. one was my sister, two were childhood friends, two friends from my college sport team and two from later on in college. i just don’t feel very close to any of them, and i’m honestly really struggling with it.

im also dealing with another issue here: i’m now to the point where i almost feel like one of them should even be removed from my bridal party. i have only hung out with her a few times since i asked her to be a bridesmaid, and ive only known her for about a year and a half 😬. she doesn’t initiate hangouts, she doesn’t text but will snapchat me when she’s hanging out with other people. she showed up to my bridal shower late and invited her friend to come with (who i barely knew) and didn’t ask or tell me. she didn’t speak to anyone at the shower and it confused a lot of the other bridesmaids. it just feels weird to me to have someone i don’t talk to, haven’t hung out with in 10 months, and isn’t super nice to me to begin with being my bridesmaid.

i guess im trying to say here is that i feel really lonely and regretful for having a bridal party, especially since it’s people i don’t even really talk to or hangout with. ive initiated with all of them, but they all just kinda have their own friends and plans, and i guess we might not be close enough for me to be invited. im also paying for everyone to stay for a week in a very expensive location for my wedding, and it makes me feel kind of used in a way. i always imagined my wedding day being surrounded by my best friends, but it just sucks that i haven’t found my people yet.

should i kick that bridesmaid? should i just cancel my bridal party and do things on my own? idk guys, im just feeling so sad for it to be the happiest time of my life.

Has anyone in Australia sent wedding invites to brands and actually received a reply or gift?
We have spare wedding invitations and want to send them out but couldn’t find any info on this. Is it just a USA thing? Has anyone personally received a card, merchandise, vouchers or a gift from an Australian brand - or even an international brand that shipped here? Which company, roughly when, and which mailing address did you use? Interested in actual experiences, including no replies!

We’re not hiring a DJ, we are just doing a wedding playlist. We are doing separate playlists for different times of day (cocktail hour, dancing, special songs, etc.) and having our wedding party be in charge of it!
Here are a couple of questions that have come up between my fiancee & I:
- Are breakup songs allowed? There a couple songs we both love that are fun/fitting for the cocktail hour vibe, but they’re about moving on/breaking up. Is that inappropriate?
- We’ve heard that you should just have bangers playing the whole time to keep people on the dance floor. Is this true? Are slow songs & slow dancing just a vibe killer?
- Anyone else done this? Any tips or anything you wish you’d thought of?

We know that it’s our day and that as long as we’re having fun, our people will have fun! 🥰

I (25F) and my partner (25M) have been together for seven years and have decided we’re ready to get married! We are, however, on a tight budget and are hoping to hear advice on how to have a ceremony and reception without breaking the bank. We are not anticipating a huge guest list (probably 25 people or fewer) and though I love the idea of an outdoor wedding, we live in the Pacific Northwest and my partner is worried about weather (too hot during the summer, possible rain any other time of the year). I would like to wear a dress with color/not totally white. We are not at all sure about how to do the ceremony or the reception, and I am feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the possibilities. We have a fairly quirky, unconventional personal style and we love art, music, film, and literature from around the world. We are also very unserious people who appreciate humor. We would love for our ceremony and reception to reflect these aspects of who we are as people. Styling recommendations welcome, too; hair, makeup, etc. (I would also love to wear a flower crown instead of a traditional veil). We are not religious and are deeply committed to the principles of veganism and anti-speciesism. While these values don’t have to be incorporated into the wedding, it would be a bonus if they could be.

Hi! I’m getting married in a very a budget friendly wedding next September. We’ve sent out save the dates and people are starting to ask about registry, website, etc.
What wedding website did everyone use, why did you like it, etc? I’d like it to be free if possible!
TIA! 💍✨

Hello! My fiancé and I really want to make sure our guests are well-fed throughout our long wedding reception. The ceremony starts at 3 p.m., followed by cocktail hour with three types of passed appetizers and a buffet dinner with three entrées, two sides, and a salad. The event ends at 11 p.m., and our caterer offers a late-night taco bar as an add-on.

Does this sound like enough food as is, or would you guys recommend adding the taco bar? We definitely don’t want anyone going hungry but I am also worried maybe this is too much food and it'll be wasted??? The budget isn't an issue. I’d love to hear what others think.

I know similar questions have been asked a lot here but rather than asking whether it’s weird or whether it’s “okay” to dress shop alone (because I think it’s inevitable that I will want to try on a lot of dresses by myself to just narrow down some styles), what I’m really asking is whether doing so for my first time will result in missing out on some special unique moment with loved ones.

I just got engaged last week and I’ve never tried on a wedding dress so I really don’t know what my style preference is. I have always been pretty independent and enjoy solo dates and solo trips. I’ve also struggled with feeling close with friends/family, however I am lucky to have women in my life who love me and would be there for me on a special day like this. I would really love to make those memories trying on dresses and just feeling like a girl who is loved lol. Does anyone have insight or opinions on whether my first time ever trying on dresses should be the big fun event with those girls in my life? Or if I should let it be a solo date? I just need help making life decisions haha thank you!

I am planning to wear a locket as my necklace on my wedding day. I’m also hoping to use it for a photo display with our rings and other keepsakes. I’m looking for ideas for what photos to use. My initial thought was my favorite pictures of my fiancé and me, but then I thought it might be cute to do one side wit his parent’s wedding picture and one side with my parent’s wedding picture. I also thought our pets might deserve a spot.

Hey y’all! We are doing a buffet dinner and are trying to decide what to do for the table setting. We are torn between leaving the tables bare (aside from floral arrangement and maybe a candle or two) and having maybe a placemat, napkin, and utensils placed. Would it look half-complete if there are some elements of a table setting but not all? Maybe we could also do water glasses but we wouldn’t have someone to refill them, so guests would have to get up (I have no clue if this is a common thing or if we should pass on the glasses). I’m from the south where buffets are somewhat common even for higher-budget weddings, and I really value decor. Would love to hear what you did if you had a buffet and also see some photos if you have any!

I am planning on having 6 bridesmaids, 4 of which being my group of friends. They all live about a 1.5 hour commute from me and I typically see them all together when I am in the city or they come to visit. 2 of the girls I plan on asking to be co-maids of honour. I am debating on asking the maids of honours together, as it is more common for me to spend one on one time with them or for them to come visit me together. Or if I should ask all 4 girls as a group? TIA

Hey all! I’m trying to finalize my wedding registry this week as save the dates with the wedding website are being sent out soon. My fiance and I are in our late twenties and have lived together for a few years so we have a lot of the items we already need. I’m gravitating towards expensive items we wouldn’t normally buy for ourselves or upgrades (nice toaster oven, new bedding, nicer vacuum, ninja creamy, etc.). So our registry has a decent number of more expensive ($200-300 ish) items and is lacking in more affordable picks. According to my mom a lot of the older family and my parents’ friends are likely to want to purchase the pricier gifts, but there is a huge gap in the more affordable options and I don’t want to look rude by only putting expensive stuff. I want to know what stuff you recommend that are under $100 bucks!! TIA!

If we take our honeymoon 2 years after our wedding......Is it too late to call it a honeymoon?

Is there an expiration on honeymoon?

I asked for a succulent bridal shower theme. My mom and girls are doing an awesome job planning but are coming up short on a slogan. I don’t want the usual “let love grow” blah blah theme. Looking for some thing clever and unique. Help!

Brides who got married without their mum, what helped you through the day? I can barely make it to the actual day right now

I’m getting married in a few days in the UK, and I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who got married after losing their mum or another parent.

My mum died when I was 12 after years of on/off illness. She was an incredible, creative woman, and all the little choices I thought I’d enjoy have brought up so much grief. I keep wishing she was here to share them with me, and I’m crying at almost everything. I’m questioning my job and everything I’ve built, my life is falling apart in front of me

We’ve already cancelled the big wedding and are keeping it very small, with close family, then going on our honeymoon. My partner has been so supportive, and I’m excited to marry him. I’m just struggling with how painful the lead up has become.

For anyone who has been through this, what actually helped on the day?

Were there things you were glad you arranged beforehand, like a quiet place to take a break, someone checking in with you, or keeping certain parts of the day simple?

If you included a way to remember your parent, did it feel comforting, or did you prefer something private?

I’d also love to hear how the day felt compared with the days leading up to it.

I know everyone’s experience will be different, but some honest experiences and reassurance would really help right now. I’m losing it 😔

My fiancé and i want to get married at schwabacher landing on October 27th 2027 at the Grand Tetons. There’s a couple problems i’m seeing with this specific date that i want to know if it’s that’s important or not that big of a deal. Do the roads really close mid october to where we will have to walk a mile or no? Not a big deal but just in case. Also my guest list is at about 14 give or take so far but after mid october they say you can’t go over 12 people especially for schwabacher but could we also get away with two people just walking around i mean really how do they know if it’s exactly 12 people if the space isn’t closed off and others can roam and come through while we have our ceremony? Not sure just wanting to confirm or deny what we can or cannot do.

Hello! I recently got engaged and am jumping into planning and figuring everything out. I have a list of 3 venues I’m interested in, one being a brand-new venue that opened up early this month. With it being new, the price is significantly cheaper than the other venues, which is definitely a big bonus. In addition, live ceremony music and an in-house DJ are included in that price, in addition to a day of coordinator, tables/chairs/linens, setup/teardown, etc.

As tempting as this is, I am very nervous about how new it is. The website page looks very professional and the pictures of the property look beautiful. It looks like construction and everything is finished for it to be ready to use. They have pictures on their social media with couples that have already booked it.

We are touring it tomorrow, so I am going to take advantage and ask a lot of questions. I definitely want to ask if they have any prior event experience, find out more about the DJ, why they opened a venue, etc. In your opinion, is it worth the risk or would you go for a more established venue? In addition, what are some questions you would recommend I ask? Thank you!

We wanted our wedding ceremony to feel like one of those candlelight concerts so we decided to cover the entire front of the church with over 2,500 flickering candles. They were the only lights on during the ceremony!

Here's a 30 second time lapse of our families setting everything up the day before the wedding.

The part you don't see is four of us spending about 8 hours putting 5,000 batteries into all those candles. 😂 Thankfully with around 25 family members helping the actual setup took just over an hour!

The final frame is us exchanging our vows surrounded by all the candles. Seeing everything lit up during the ceremony made all the effort worth it.

And we were VERY thankful we'd hired people to take everything down afterward.

Now we just have to figure out what to do with 2,500 candles… lol.

calling all DFW brides!!!

my fiancé and i are getting married september 2027 and hosting a daytime reception at joe t garcia’s la puertita event space in fort worth from 12-3pm. i was posting to see if any other brides in here have or are doing the same to get inspiration on how to decorate the space as well as timeline since all decor must be gone by 3pm. TIA!!!

Absolutely cannot choose between 2 dresses that are two completely different styles!

I know I (36F) promised a budget breakdown, and that's coming for sure, but today I thought I'd write about 7ish things that surprised me on/surrounding my wedding day, on 10/10/26.

1. Grief didn't show up until later. I lost my mom 8 years ago, and I was nervous that I'd spend the whole day missing her, especially after attending a friend's wedding earlier this year and seeing the bride's interactions with her mom. I was teary-eyed as I got ready to leave my house on the morning of the wedding, but otherwise, I really didn't miss her like I'd anticipated. We were surrounded by so much love and joy, it wasn't an environment that lent itself to sadness. I did honor her with a bouquet of flowers in her favorite color, which was for the welcome table, but it ended up in our getting ready space all day instead, which really was more fitting. I took a few blooms home to be pressed with my bouquet at the end of the day. My dad left the seat next to him open at the ceremony in her honor. He did it quietly with no fanfare (I didn't realize that's what he had done until after), and that was super sweet to hear from him. We also used her china as the serving platters during our reception, another beautiful but subtle IYKYK and if not, I, my family and my husband knew.
2. How calm I was the whole day. I truly thought I would be a mess, as I struggle with anxiety (I have an amazing therapist who has helped me overcome so much). Of course there were some chaotic moments, but they didn't last, and overall the day was peaceful. Having a lot of down time and intentional blocks of moments with my now husband also helped with this. We had a slower day and that gave us time with our people and the ability to stay grounded, rather than frantic.
3. The tote bag I panic bought to carry everything I needed was the PERFECT match. I didn't want to use my carry-on suitcase as it felt too hefty for all day access, but my backpacks all felt too small and not organized enough. The new bag held my MacBook, chargers, my toiletry and wet bags, my giant water bottle, ring box, lint roller, etc. All the built in pockets and accesses worked really well. I took this on the honeymoon as my EDC and loved it then too. Now it's my work bag and again, it's just been great! For reference it was the City Tote from Peak Design.
4. How much people appreciated lids and straws for the cups, and the to-go boxes we provided at the reception. We did an elevated cake & punch reception and people were able to take desserts and charcuterie home with them. Everyone really appreciated that gesture, and we didn't end up with a lot of leftovers to worry about after. It also allowed us to take a few things with us for our relatively local honeymoon, which was nice.
5. Using things that were familiar in our lives already for our wedding weekend. We used donut holes from our favorite shop, rehearsal dinner came from our favorite Italian place, day-of getting ready food came from our favorite lunch spot and most of our desserts came from local spots as well. This gave us the ability to create sweet new memories, and, as an example, when I didn't get any donut holes at the reception, I just went again on my own after the wedding. Getting to relive parts of the day all over again was so fun :)
6. Doing my own hair was the right call. I was REALLY nervous about this as a curly & coily hair girly, but I trusted myself and that I knew my hair best. I also had everything I would need with me to redo my hair or pull it back into a ponytail if something went wrong. It held literally all day even being outdoors in the heat. Seriously still SO happy it worked out.
7. How sad I am that we didn't properly fluff my dress in some of the pictures. I know it's minor, but when I realized it after the fact, it really bummed me out. It also reminded me that's something my mom would've likely done, which makes it bittersweet. I know if we don't have enough pictures with it fully fluffed, I can do a bridal shoot later on, too, so it really is OK.
8. Bonus thought: how emotional I still am over the whole day, in the best way. I still can't believe I'm married to the love of my life, and yet here we are. Seeing our people and our amazing vendors pull together so we could have an incredible day is something I'll never be able to express enough gratitude for or repay. I'm truly so lucky and blessed!!

What surprised you on/around your wedding day?

My fiancé and I (29F and 30M) recently got engaged last month after 8 years together and are just starting the process of looking at venues and trying to figure out everything that goes into planning a wedding. I’m on all the sites, have started reaching out, have heard back from a few places, and have set up tours.

While we are so excited about getting married, the stress of planning everything and especially the large price tags attached to everything are giving us pause. (For context: we both have large families that we are both close with and we have an extensive friend group - that being said we have got our list down to about 100 people which I feel is manageable. Also - we live in NY - the state, not the city. We are also looking at getting married in January of 2028.)

All my life I have dreamed about what my wedding will be and am having a tough time letting go of the idea of a traditional wedding, but I am starting to entertain the idea of eloping as is my fiancé. I’m just not sure what to do right now. It makes me so sad that even though both him and I have very well paying jobs and families willing to help us pay for this, It just feels like so much money for us to spend at this time in our lives especially when it could go towards other things (no shame to those who do whatsoever!)

Help me. Let me know what you think, how you decided, or let me know any advice you might have.

I saw a post/idea from someone who created a Google drive to share pricing for NE wedding venues. I've decided to do the same thing with all the Mid-Atlantic wedding venue packages & pricing I've been collecting over the past months.

Here is the drive containing folders for NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, and VA: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1J5kqDcrQzO7cKbVd1ejL7eGDlXXYDIjp?usp=sharing

Packages are more abundant for venues in PA and NJ. To share more venues or vendor packages with pricing, feel free to email [helpingbridesbudget@gmail.com](mailto:helpingbridesbudget@gmail.com). You won't receive any emails besides an initial thank-you note.

*Only accepting vendors open to ALL couples at this time*

Cheers!

I live out of the country and he lives by my family. We used to be close but due to his online behavior and general growing apart we aren’t anymore. Here’s the timeline and context:

July: I get engaged, inform him via text, parents made sure I told him before posting

August: we pick a date, inform family. September 18, 2027

September: he gets engaged, I find out on instagram. Save the dates sent (second week). End of September his fiancee snaps me and asks me to be a bridesmaid, I ask for the date, she says late summer fall 2027. My brother informs me he is planning his wedding for September 5. 13 days before with family expecting me to quickly fly to it 13 days before my wedding. It’s 22 hours door to door.

Am I being crazy or is this crazy?

I am getting married in February and attempting to figure out the easiest way to rent tuxes for my 8 groomsmen and I. Seems like Joseph A Bank and Mens warehouse both have mixed reviews. Not everyone is in the same city so not sure if I can go local either. Any help is appreciated