Woman who got married shares six things she thinks are a waste of money at a wedding

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 25, 2022.

Many people dream of having a fairytale wedding and want to celebrate love extravagantly. While hosting a wedding can be fun and everything you dreamed of, wedding celebrations are also ridiculously expensive. The cost of weddings is skyrocketing and it can often set couples back financially by years. The younger generation has not had it easy after being hit by one financial crisis after another. Moreover, the pandemic swept the rug from under the people. Those getting married are finding new ways to get wed without emptying their savings and running into debt. As we reported, a couple made headlines for pulling off a $500 wedding ceremony. TikTok user @morgangcasper, who goes by Morgan on the platform, got married in 2022 and offered tips to cut down costs drastically.

Morgan pointed out that many traditions of a wedding really serve no purpose—such as having a wedding cake—that cost a ridiculous amount of money. Morgan made a two-part TikTok series where more and more people believe the costs of weddings are getting out of hand. She shared a picture of bridesmaids in matching pajamas and said there was absolutely no need for those. "Two main reasons. One, you will do nothing with these photos. Two, not everyone will feel comfortable in them and it's impossible that you find one that flatters everybody. If you're looking for a vibe, just tell everyone to wear a neutral or black pajama they already have," she wrote.

Despite the wedding cake being considered a long-standing tradition of weddings, Morgan said it was completely unnecessary. "We spent $1,800 on our cake. Nobody ate it, including ourselves. I've seen people say this in 1000s of Tiktok. They're right, don't spend money on it. Serve a late-night snack instead, that people will actually eat in the last hour when they're tired from dancing," she said. 

She also said there was no need to decorate the aisle with flowers and believed the money could be spent elsewhere. "Spend that money towards a cooler altar. I actually find that flowers down the aisle are kind of a distraction. We had them and they were totally unnecessary," she added. Morgan had extensively designed menu cards and programs at her wedding, which she believed wasn't needed and was a mismatch with the decor. She explained that she had it at her wedding because it was a personal choice. "It's pretty self-explanatory. I love stationery," she said. "So I did it and I was super excited about it. But I actually think the menus took away from our table decor, skip it or spend $15 on Etsy and get them printed at Staples."

She had also hired a full-service wedding planner but said it proved to be too expensive. "The day I started wedding planning, I hired a full-service wedding planner. That means they're there with you from day one all the way to the wedding day. Wasn't necessary for me, I'm organized. I do recommend a month of service. Full service is really expensive to me. It didn't feel worth it," she wrote. Morgan also said lounge vignettes could be done without. "Until you start wedding planning, you don't realize how expensive they are. I'd say they run a minimum of $400 to $500 per vignette and you often want two or three. They are may be used for 30 to 45 minutes."

Many thanked her for the advice, with some sharing their own experience as well. "I didn't have a wedding cake at my wedding either. Best decision ever. The guests were way too full for cake anyway," wrote one person. "I’m a wedding planner and I second all of this 😅" added another.