7 Savvy Ways to Spend Leftover Wedding Budget

So you’ve been planning the big day for months now - choosing your theme, figuring out costs, and planning your dream wedding. You’ve put money aside for it, but somewhere you’ve managed to save more than you expected - brilliant! But how do you spend this extra cash? It can be a bit overwhelming to think of useful ways to spend and make it count, especially as you’ve planned most of the day now and you’re not sure where your leftover budget should go. Don’t worry though - we’ve come up with a few ideas to get you thinking about ways to spend that spare budget that will really count…

Splash Out on Fun Food

If you’ve been meticulously planning for a while, you’ll have your wedding lunch already organized; the menu is sorted, your food decisions made, and you’ve given the caterers the numbers. But how about the evening reception meal? It’s normally an afterthought, and more than likely you’ve gone for a light buffet featuring cocktail sausages and mini pizzas to sustain those guests dancing the night away. But why not spend a little bit more and jazz up your evening catering? If you’ve got a lot of leftover budget just waiting to be spent, have a look at hiring a food truck for the evening, or putting on a hog roast or an Argentinian-themed asado barbecue. It’ll go down a treat with your guests, it’ll definitely stand out as a unique and exciting evening meal.

Buy Practical Extras for Your Guests

One savvy but sweet way of spending that extra bit of money is on useful little extras for your guests. Spend on something practical that they’ll be able to use and can also take home as a keepsake if they’d like. Perhaps you’re having your big day somewhere warm and sunny - why not bulk-buy a load of sunglasses? Then if your guests are wandering in and out, or you’re having an outdoor reception, they won’t have to keep squinting in the sun!

Another great practical way of spending spare wedding budget is on flip-flops for your evening reception: - a welcome relief for all those ladies who have suffered the whole day long wearing mega-heels, but still want to dance the night away! There are tons available online so get flip-flop hunting. Put a little hamper with a cute chalkboard sign on the side of the dance-floor so that your guests can help themselves later on in the evening - it’s a nice little touch to show your guests that you care.

Elaborate on Your Decor

You’ve probably already got your theme perfected and your venue and table decorations sorted. But if you’ve reigned in the decorations because of your budget, maybe now you’ve got some leftover cash it’s time to see what else you could do; you don’t have to restrict yourself to centerpieces and a few flowers in the church. Add more decorations to the dance floor or entrance halls - attention to detail like this will be noticed by your guests. Or if you’ve got an outdoor space or gardens, put up lanterns and trellises to make these areas romantic and inviting. Your decorations are a great way of infusing your personality into the venue and showing your guests how unique your wedding day is.

Impress Your Guests with Quirky Wedding Favors

Wedding favors are a traditional way of saying thank you to your guests for being there to support you and your partner, but in a country where the average wedding costs $35,000, people are starting to sacrifice things like weddings favors altogether. We think wedding favors are a lovely way of showing your appreciation to your friends and family, and they don’t necessarily have to cost that much. Use your leftover wedding budget to show your wedding guests how much you care with quirky, personal gifts that they can keep as a reminder of your special day. These days it’s so cheap and easy to pick and personalize your wedding favors - you can buy wedding favors online here. There are tons of websites out there where you can design and organize fun wedding favors; check out this website too for the ultimate selection.

Up Your Entertainment

If you’ve been planning on a budget, your evening reception entertainment is more than likely your Uncle Derek playing Ed Sheeran over and over, mixed in with some cheesy 80s pop. We get it - wedding entertainment can be super-expensive. But if you’ve got leftover wedding budget, you can put the money towards hiring that band you’ve always wanted, or flame throwers or a magic act! Go wild (for a reasonable price) - make it a night to remember for both yourselves and your guests.

Treat Yourselves - Pimp That Honeymoon!

If you think you’ve already got everything you want sorted for the big day, why not treat yourself afterwards? No doubt you’re jetting off somewhere sunny and gorgeous for your honeymoon - why not use that extra money and book some extra activities at your honeymoon destination. Pamper yourselves with a couple of spa day, splash out on a helicopter or hot air balloon ride - book those scuba-diving lessons you’ve always wanted or just treat yourselves to a delicious meal in an exciting restaurant. There are plenty of ideas out there to get you thinking about how to spend that leftover budget… The choice is yours, and after all of the hard work you’ve put into organizing the wedding, you deserve it!

Feeling Fortunate? Donate to Charity

Last but definitely not least - if you’re feeling pretty self-indulgent after all of your wedding spending over the last few months, perhaps you could donate your leftover budget to a charity of your choice. It’ll feel great donating your spare cash to help those less fortunate than you, and you can look back at your wedding day knowing that you didn’t just treat yourselves and your friends, but that you also genuinely made a difference to someone else’s life too. What better way for you and your partner to start your new lives together.

What do you think about our savvy ways of spending your leftover budget? Is there anything obvious that you think we’ve missed out? Let us know in the comments below...

By Hollie Jones

Hollie is a freelance writer and co-writer for the Hollie and the Ivy blog. She is passionate about upcycling, interior design, crafts and  LOVES all things wedding. Hollie enjoys writing about these topics and sharing her knowledge and experience with others.

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