While we're all trying to be a bit more mindful about our purchases these days, Black Friday sales provide a handy opportunity to get discounts on essential wedding-related purchases, from bridal shoes to bridesmaids dresses, and from getting-ready robes to gifts for your wedding party! Shopping for your wedding in the Black Friday sales requires a little patience and quite a bit of research, but the savings can make it worth your while, if you go about it in the right way. That's why, here we share our top 14 Black Friday sales tips for shopping for your wedding!
Black Friday Sales Tips
1. Be Prepared
Lots of online stores will be offering additional promo codes and early previews ahead of the Black Friday rush. If you have your eye on certain sites, sign up for their newsletter and keep your eyes peeled to their social media to have the best chance at scoring any early access or added discounts. It's worth signing up to big sites like Amazon, Etsy, ASOS, Net-a-Porter or Not On The High Street, where you might be able to find lots of items for your wedding in one go. If you'll be snapping up clothes or accessories for your partner or your bridal party, have their sizes ready to go, so there's less back and forth once you find a bargain.
2. Have a Shopping List (And Be Specific!)
So you need shoes, a flower girl dress, bridesmaid gifts, a cake topper, decorative lanterns and wedding stationery? Great. Now be more specific. Have you got your eye on a certain pair of designer heels that are currently out of your budget (but won't be when they're half price!)? Are you looking for simple wedding invitations with a calligraphy-style font? Do you want lanterns that are chrome, antique, or are you after something more specialised? Knowing exactly what you're looking for will stop you from getting side-tracked, or buying random items you'll end up returning later. It's also savvy to have an idea what these things cost generally, so you can be sure you're actually making a saving by shopping in the sale.
3. Take Your Time
Black Friday sales last for more than just one day. Originally, Black Friday was in an in-store sale, and Cyber Monday was for online purchases, but now that the phenomenon has reached this side of the Atlantic, it's more of a week-long event. You don't need to go online at midnight on Thursday to score a bargain, set aside a few hours over the weekend and shop at your leisure. Don't rush any purchases, if you're not sure, take a break and think about it - there's no point in rushing into a big wedding purchase for the sake of a discount.
4. Look to the Big Ticket Items First
While Black Friday is a great opportunity to bag discounts on finishing touches for your wedding, start with the bigger, more expensive purchases first. Bridesmaid dresses, suits, stationery, or honeymoon accommodation are the areas where you can save big. Saving 20% on a €15 set of festoon lights is great, but saving 20% on a €500 trio of bridesmaid dresses is even better! Prioritise things that are likely to sell out too, designer shoes or handbags, or bridesmaid dresses in popular sizes tend to get snapped up quickly.
5. Think Ahead
So you might be at the point in your wedding planning where you're looking at suits and bridesmaid dresses, but not quite sussing out the smaller details like getting-ready robes, bridesmaid gifts, or cake toppers. Without rushing into random purchases, think of the things you're planning to buy anyway, and if you happen to come across them, you can take advantage of the savings.
6. It's Not Just Style
Online shopping for your wedding tends to be restricted to shoes, accessories, gifts, and to a lesser extent, bridesmaid dresses, suits or children's wear - but you can pick up so much more for your wedding besides clothes and accessories. Look to Black Friday sales for candles, DIY supplies, lights, stationery, photo printing, lawn games, linens, favours, photo booth accessories, decorative finishing touches, maybe even wine!
7. Check out Independent Stores
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are often linked to big outlet stores and huge sites like Amazon, but there are plenty of local makers and independent boutiques offering savings, too. Sites like Etsy and Not on the High Street sell pieces by small businesses and individual sellers, many of which will be offering discounts. Following your favourite independent shops and brands on Instagram is a great way to get discount codes for their online stores, or to see what they're offering in-store.
8. Search for Discount Codes Before You Hit the "Pay" Button
Some online stores will be offering specific product discounts, many will have a blanket percentage off everything, and others will be dishing out the discount codes. Whatever site you're shopping on, do a quick search online before you hit pay, and check if there any additional discount codes to be found. Twitter is often the best place to find them.
9. Check the Returns Policy (And Make Sure You Do the Returns!)
It's important to check the returns policy whenever you make an online purchase. It's also worth checking how much it would cost to ship the return, in the event that you don't want to keep the item. Take extra care when making orders on anything personalised or custom made, as the sale of bespoke items is usually final, (unless it's faulty or damaged). Oh, and if something arrives and you're not happy with it, do make sure you return it in good time - don't just leaving sitting in a bag somewhere in your house!
10. Remember to Factor in Shipping Costs, Tax and Customs Duties
It's important to factor in the cost of shipping your order to make sure you really are making a saving. If you're in an EU country and shopping online from outside the EU, or the other way around, it's important to factor in any VAT and duties associated with your purchases. Some online stores will calculate this for you, but, in many cases, you'll have to do it yourself. If you're based in Ireland, you'll find all the essential information on it here, if you're in the UK, here's where you'll find everything you need to know.
11. Research the Price History
To figure out whether you're getting an actual bargain, it's a good idea to check all the prices of what you have you're eye on in advance. Many products in Black Friday 'sales' have already been available for the same price or less in the six months previous. Some useful web tools you can use to check how much a product was being sold for previously are CamelCamelCamel for Amazon and PriceRunner for other outlets. This way you can work out whether the sale price is actually a bargain.
12. Don't Forget the Wedding Suppliers
While Black Friday is more associated with making online purchases, you may find some wedding suppliers offering discounts too for the weekend that's in it, so why not take advantage? While you probably shouldn't book a photographer, stationery or florist simply because they're offering a deal, if there's someone you've had your eye on (or thought you couldn't afford!) pounce while they've lowered their prices!
13. Set up Online Accounts in Advance
As you know, just because something has been added to your online basket, it doesn't mean that it's being held for you. And as sites can often crash or slow due to Black Friday traffic, you want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Set up online accounts with the stores you are eyeing up and even add your pament details to your account for a faster check out if you are comfortable to do so and the site is trustworthy.
14. Needs vs Wants
When it comes to buying for your wedding, it’s easy to get carried away and justify spending more than you should, nevermind if something is on sale. The wedding budget can sometimes feel like Monopoly money. A great way to tackle this, so you don't blow the budget, is to divide your shopping list into needs and wants. Have enough in your budget for the essentials, and know how much you want to spend on them. Then treat yourself to a few items from your want list if you have anything leftover.
Looking for inspiration for the big day? You'll find bridesmaids dress ideas here and decor inspo here and be sure to follow us on Instagram!
