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The Holiday's are here, which means the Black Friday Wedding deals are about to flood the internet! Let's talk about strategies to make the most of the sale season, and make sure to grab the downloadable list below!
This is NOT a sponsored or affiliated post, but rather a list of categories or items that I think have the best potential for savings!
The first key strategy to keep in mind, especially if you’re on a tight budget, is to find deals on what you need, not by justifying buying something you don’t need just because it’s on sale. Let’s face it, that’s what all these sales and deals are trying to to get us to do, right?
Every year I get my $10 off a purchase of $49 from DSW for my birthday, and every year I spend way more than that $49 on shoes that I didn’t really need. But how can you let that $10 go to waste, right?!? It’s free money, you can just throw it away?!?! #GirlMath But the reality is that that $10’s off just cost me $90, assuming that I didn’t really need that $100 pair of shoes anyway.
The same marketing tactic is being used with all these black Friday deals. They rope you in with the discounts and sales, hoping to get you to purchase something that you wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the sale. Now, let’s say that I really needed a new pair of black flats for wedding days right when that DSW Birthday card showed up. Well, now I have great opportunity to save that $10 on a pair of shoes I really did need to purchase anyway, and that’s a win win for both DSW and me.
When going into creating your Black Friday lists, you’re going to want to think about what it is that you NEED to purchase for the wedding anyway, and see if you can snag some deals on those items while they are on sale. Here are some of the categories I recommend you look into with this strategy in mind:
Let’s start with gifts:
Black Friday is a great opportunity to buy some of the gifts that you might want to give your parents and wedding party. Common items for gifts could be:
Jewelry to wear on the wedding day
Robes or shirts for getting ready
Fun, unique socks
Custom flasks
Custom bags for them to use on the wedding day
Cups/mugs with their names
You can also snag some pre-wedding beauty supplies the you’ve maybe been looking for a reason to splurge on. Just make sure to try them out first well in advance of the wedding day! These might include:
Face or eye masks for the morning
Teeth whitening products
Serums or creams for skin care
Self tanner
Hair treatments or appliances
A special wedding day perfume
Day of hair and makeup supplies, if you’re not hiring a professional to do this for you
If you’re thinking of doing hotel welcome bags, you can grab supplies for that, including the bags or boxes themselves, tissue paper or filler, and the snacks, candy, or hangover kit items you’ve been thinking of adding in.
Moving on to the items to use for the ceremony/reception, Black Friday could be a perfect opportunity to pick up things like:
Wedding invitations or save the dates
Detail photo props - nice ring box, perfume bottles, jewelry box, and dress hangars
Ceremony arch or pew/aisle decor
Card box
Guest book
Neon signs
Table numbers
Favors, or favor packaging - but make sure to listen to episode 59 on wedding favors first!
Candles - flameless or real (don’t forget the batteries!)
Foam glow sticks/sparklers
Poloroid cameras and film
Photo Booth props
Paper for stationery items
Dishware (if needed) - you can find real or disposable on Amazon. Don’t forget the dishes for appetizers and dessert!
Napkins - for cocktail hour or the bar
Bathroom basket supplies
Flip flops and a basket for dancing feet
And if you’ve been looking for some DIY projects, I’ve heard that the Cricut brand products will be on sale, so make sure to check that out!
When it comes to Black Friday Wedding Deals, it’s also the perfect time to keep an eye out for the various outfits you’ll need to shop for. This can include:
Your own wedding day jewelry and shoes
Outfits for your other events like your shower, rehearsal dinner, and honeymoon
Wedding party dresses and suits or tuxes
You may even find some local wedding gown shops clearing out their inventory before the new year with sales, so make sure to look into that if you still need a dress.
The second strategy to keep in mind while look for deals, especially if your wedding is maybe a bit further away, is using a cash-back site like Rakuten, and/or purchasing gift cards that will give you additional gift cards or credits with the purchase. For example, in the past, Honeyfund has offerer a $10 Amazon Gift Card for every $50 you purchase. You could choose from any of their hundreds of gift card options, and even knock some Christmas shopping off your list in the meantime. This strategy can work well if there are companies that you know you’re going to work with, or products that you know you’re going to purchase, but you’re not ready to pull the trigger or submit the order yet.
The third strategy is to take advantage of wedding decor items that are commonly sold for holidays that will be on massive sale soon. This may or may not be a direct Black Friday sale, but definitely something to be on the lookout for. Even if you’re not having a holiday themed wedding, you’ll likely be able to find deals on things like strand lights, candles and candle holders, chargers, table clothes and other linens. So take a look at your decor list, and see if you can get creative with some of this post holiday deals, which we know will really start popping up in mid-December.
And before I wrap things up, a few more tips to share with you:
Check the pre-sale pricing. Unfortunately, some vendors take advantage of the traffic and increase pricing before the sale, just so it appears to be marked down for the sale.
Most items are returnable, but make sure to confirm before purchasing! End of the year sales may be final purchases, so you’ll want to keep an eye out for that.
You can also use Black Friday for Bachelor/Bachelorette party items and outfits, as well as those items or outfits you may need for the honeymoon!
So, what's on your Black Friday list? Head over to the Wedding Planning Collective Facebook Group to share your finds!