Wedding Freebies & Free Samples in the UK

Wedding samples on a table

You can order free samples to help with the planning of almost every part of your wedding, including invitations, cake, beauty products and ring sizers - not to mention free digital planning tools, budget trackers and events like wedding fairs that can help you create your perfect wedding day.

Whether you’re getting hitched on a shoestring budget or just a savvy soon-to-be-wed, read on for our full run-down of wedding freebies you can enjoy in the run-up to your special day.

Free samples for weddings

When it comes to free wedding stuff, a ring sizer is a great place to start. A ring sizer allows you to confidently pop the question without being worried the big moment will be overshadowed by a ring that’s the wrong size.

Ring sizers

You have some options here - our top-rated places to order a physical free ring sizer are Orla James, Wedding Rings Direct and Brilliant Earth. There’s even an app for it so you can do it digitally and instantly.

Orla James: They’ll send you a plastic ring sizer completely free of charge - it’s a loop-style sizer that’s suitable for men and women
Wedding Rings Direct: They aim to get you your free wedding ring sizer in just 2-3 days, so this is a great option if you’re short of time
Brilliant Earth: Their free ring sizer is designed to replicate the fit of a real ring for more confidence in ordering the correct, most comfortable size.
Ring Sizer by Jason Withers: An app that turns your phone or tablet into an interactive measuring scale (but you’ll need a ring belonging to your intended recipient to hand to use this option)

On to our favourite part of planning a wedding - sampling the cake!

Cake tastings

The good news is that, however you plan your wedding, there is almost definitely some free wedding cake in your future.

That’s because most wedding packages come with a tasting session. Or, if you book with an independent bakery, you’ll usually find the free samples are part of the deal, with many offering complimentary taster boxes or in-person tastings if they are local to you.

If you aren’t quite at the booking stage yet, but you want to get ahead on choosing your perfect wedding cake, check out the fabulous ‘postage only’ sample boxes by Nude Cakes.

You can order up to 5 free samples, including classic wedding cake flavours like vanilla, lemon, chocolate or fruit cake, or go for something a little different with chocolate orange, raspberry and white chocolate or red velvet. There are even vegan and gluten-free options available.

All you’ll pay for is postage, which costs £6.95 and includes next-day delivery when you order by 1 pm Monday to Friday.

Once you’ve secured your venue or caterer and paid your deposit, menu tasting is usually the next major perk you can look forward to.

Often, you’ll get to create a shortlist from the menu options and then enjoy a complimentary menu tasting for two (with wine pairings if you’re really lucky). While not technically free as you’ve paid a deposit, it still feels like a nice touch.

Next on the wedding freebie menu is stationery…

Stationery & Invitations

Depending on your preference, there are different ways to approach this.

You could go the minimalist and eco-friendly route and send digital e-vites or share a wedding website. To invite your friends and family this way, we recommend Bridebook, With Joy and Canva.

Bridebook: Create a free, personalised wedding website that you can share with your guests so that all of the information, RSVPs and schedules are in one place
With Joy: Use smart guest management tools to send messages and track RSVPs and design your own unique wedding website
Canva: Offers 100s of free customisable templates and it’s easy to share your finished designs with your guests

If you’re after a physical sample for your wedding invitations, check out Papier, Strawberry Sorbet and Weddings by Lumi.

Papier: Use code FIRSTLOVE at checkout to receive your first personalised individual sample for free
Strawberry Sorbet: Request a sample or two of your favourite designs so you can see them and feel the paper
Weddings by Lumi: The first sample is free so you can feel the quality for yourself

Talking of physical samples, why not look at fabric samples next.

Fabric samples

Fabric samples are so useful. Firstly, of course, they are going to help you choose the perfect wedding dress and bridesmaids’ dresses, but they are also handy for your wedding decor, adding a matching splash of colour. Why not keep them to wrap around your bouquet or incorporate them into your centrepieces in a creative way? Whatever you plan to do with them, you have many options for where to order them. Here are a few of our favourites:

Azazie UK: Get 10 free swatches of bridesmaids’ dress fabric
Dessy UK: Enjoy 3 fabric swatches and just pay for shipping
AW London: They’ll send you 5 swatches of your choice
King & Allen: If you’re looking for fabric samples for the groom or groomsmen, look no further — order 5 free suit fabric swatches

Once you have the outfits sorted, why not take a look at our guide to getting free samples in the UK - there are lots of freebies out there that’d be useful on your wedding day, such as travel-sized toiletries and make-up - perfect for a small clutch bag on the big day.

You’ll find our curated daily list of the very best freebies and competitions on our homepage, too.

Couple looking at invitation samples

Wedding Fairs

One of the most exciting parts of the early planning process is attending wedding fairs at beautiful locations and, of course, snapping up the goodie bags!

The National Wedding Show

The best-known wedding event around is The National Wedding Show, which runs twice a year in spring and autumn.

Look out for competitions to win free tickets to the National Wedding Show. Check bridal magazines and exhibitors’ social media in the run-up to a show, and you might be lucky.

The VIP tickets come with a luxury goodie bag filled with full- and travel-sized beauty products, wedding magazines, discount vouchers, mini spirits or prosecco, snacks and more.

Local wedding shows

Local wedding shows are almost always free to attend - but make sure you pre-register if there’s an option to, as it often comes with an additional perk or two.

Shows are often held at popular wedding venues, meaning you can kill two birds with one stone and tour some gorgeous wedding venues while meeting local vendors and often collecting freebies and sampling cake made by local suppliers.

It’s not unusual to enjoy complimentary drinks and canapés, as venues want to showcase their hosting capabilities, too.

Find out what’s on near you with this handy tool from UKBride. Just enter your county, and they’ll do the rest.

You can also take a look at the free events section of the Magic Freebies website.

Free Wedding Planning Tools

A free wedding planning checklist is going to be your best friend during the planning process, and there are some fantastic options to choose from.

If you want an all-in-one organisational solution, consider Hitched, where you can customise your checklist, plan your budget, create your seating chart and manage your guest list.

There’s an app too, so you’ll always have your wedding plan to hand.

Also popular is Wedding Planner, which provides free, intuitive, and simple wedding-planning tools, plus Wedding Planner Pay, the only UK payment system that lets you spread the cost of your wedding into monthly payments.

If you need a physical piece of paper to feel like you’re really planning a wedding, there are free printable wedding checklists available, like these great ones from Here Comes The Guide, Wedinspire and First Look Weddings.

Competitions

You’ve already met the love of your life, but if you think your luck could stretch just a little bit further, now’s the time to enter some bridal competitions.

From winning your entire wedding day to shopping sprees, stationery, photography, honeymoons, and the dress - there’s no limit to what you could win.

Don’t forget to take a look at our free competitions page where we list all the best UK competitions.

Bridal magazines + club freebies

You can often snap up free bridal magazines at wedding fairs and bridal shops (for example, there are 40,000 copies of Confetti distributed at the National Wedding Show), but you can also download issues for free with offers like this one from County Weddings, where you can read regional magazines which list local events, venues and vendor adverts as well as the usual outfit inspo, beauty news and real-life wedding stories.

Or, join UKbride for free for access to their Inspirations Magazine and entry into a competition to win your dream wedding.

And, if after all these freebies you’re still looking for more, why not send some extra invites to some brands that you like - sometimes the PR teams will respond with freebies like brand merch, gift cards or wedding gifts for the happy couple.

FAQ

Can you get free stuff for your wedding?

Absolutely, yes, you can order free ring sizers, fabric swatches, stationery samples and wedding cake slices. Not to mention, use a whole host of free planning tools for tasks like budgeting, seating plans and guest list management.

Most venues, caterers and wedding cake suppliers offer free tasting sessions once you have paid your deposit.

Where can I find free wedding invitations and stationery samples?

Almost all suppliers of wedding stationery and invites offer a sample service, but we particularly like Papier, Strawberry Sorbet and Weddings by Lumi for their completely free offers that let you hold the paper stock in your hand and choose the perfect invites for your wedding.

Are wedding fairs free to attend?

Usually local events are free, but we recommend pre-booking to secure perks like complimentary drinks and goodie bags. Bigger shows like the National Wedding Show require a paid ticket.