Okay, I’m going to be honest… I’m no researcher. However, I did put out a poll on social media with topics I was genuinely curious about - from your guests’ perspectives.
Many brides spend lots of time (& money) on details that cater to their guests and aren’t even really sure the juice is worth the squeeze; both in effort and finances. Wedding planning is stressful enough - keep these things in mind when allocating resources.
GIFT REGISTRY
Put everything on your gift registry that you may need (find out why here), but anticipate actually receiving items on the list that are between $30-100 (according to 81% of respondents). Most of the total respondents (51%) anticipate spending $50-100 on your registry.
DESSERTS
Only 10% of guests are committed to eating only your groom’s cake and only 35% will eat both the bride & groom’s cake if given the option. That means that 55% of your guests want a damn good bride’s cake. Instead of a dedicated groom’s cake, it might be a good idea to simply incorporate the groom into the bride’s cake (errr, a couple’s cake) and use your groom’s cake budget elsewhere.
Some fun ideas may be a custom cake topper that features the groom’s hobby, a “peek-a-boo” fondant sculpture peeking out from a cake layer, or simple just decor on the cake table!
FAVORS
When asked about the best wedding favors they’ve ever received from a wedding, only THREE of 52 viewers had something notable to describe - two of the three were photographers (who probably have been to hundreds of weddings & both recommended an edible item to go, like pepper jelly or cookies) and the third was a bride looking for ideas…
That should tell you what you need to know - keep the koozie, spend more on the $300 comforter you’re dying to receive from your registry (but probably won't).
