Whichever way you look at it, whether you spend £500, £5,000 or £50,000, your budget is very often restricted to what you can afford and therefore whatever you're spending is likely to be a lot of money to you. Now, I'm not in the business of suggesting you scramble lots of freebies on your big day but there are lots of businesses and suppliers who will reward you with freebies based on certain criteria:
1. Paying early
This is the most common way to get a few added extras. I know of plenty of wedding venues that would much rather have their payment in full early. It guarantees their revenue for the day and very often results in a reward or two. The most common rewards are a free session of fireworks, an upgraded evening buffet or drinks package. This isn't about haggling, this is about asking your venue what they may be able to offer if you settle early. So go ahead, ask and you may be very pleasantly surprised.
2. Choosing a wedding venue that provides accommodation
This is a no brainer but one to be reminded of nonetheless. A venue that hosts your wedding and provides accommodation is very likely to provide the honeymoon suite as a complimentary thank you, for booking their wedding venue. There may be a caveat that your guests will also need to fill a certain number of rooms but more often than not, your guests will be coming from far and wide and will be prepared to stay at the venue you've chosen. The great thing is, you'll have the best room in the house and even better, it's usually thrown in!
3. Cake knife and stand:
It may not seem like much but when you have to fork out £40-£50 to hire one, this is an added extra that may be very welcome to the savvy bride. Choosing a venue that gives a little extra in your package is definitely worth considering. Other common freebies include table linen, glasses, chair covers and table centrepieces so don't forget to ask these questions when booking your wedding venue.
4. Buttonholes
Lots of florists have fantastic deals for their clients and if the order is big enough and lucrative enough, asking to include the groom and best mans buttonhole in the price is most likely not going to offend. Very often, this is something that some florists will offer as a thank you for using their services so when calling your florists, don't be afraid to ask if they include anything in the price on a certain order value. After all, if you don't ask, you don't get.
5. Suit hire
Get the groomsmen to hire their suits at the same place and there's a chance the groom goes free! That's right, there are wedding hire outlets that will throw in the grooms attire if you place a large enough order. So, if the men in the party are all dressing up, remember to call around and ask whether the groom goes free.
These are just a few examples of where you can grab a few freebies, other examples include free champagne in the limo, an upgraded photo album for choosing a comprehensive photography package (Contact me for details), free canapés ... The list goes on. Usually this is associated with a minimum order, a time frame to pay, a certain number of guests or sometimes, just as a thank you.
Be sure to do your research, shop around and bag yourself a great deal.