How To Deduct Wedding Expenses From Your Taxes

Planning a wedding can be an expensive affair, so it is only natural to wonder if you can write off your wedding expenses. While weddings are generally not undertaken for business reasons, there are some ways to garner a tax deduction or two. Firstly, if your wedding venue is a historical location like a museum, garden, or state or national park, you may be able to deduct the fees as a charitable contribution. Secondly, if you are paying a ceremony fee to a church, it may be tax-deductible, especially if you are a member who donates at a certain level. Thirdly, you can donate leftover flowers, food, and decorations to charitable organizations and claim these as tax write-offs. Finally, instead of traditional wedding favours, you can opt to donate to a charity on behalf of your guests and claim this as a tax deduction. While these strategies may help offset some costs, it is important to consult with a tax professional to ensure your deductions are filed properly and to avoid any issues with the IRS or CRA.

Charitable donations

Flowers and Food:

Donate your leftover flowers and food to a homeless shelter, women's centre, or similar non-profit organisation. You can claim a deduction for the value of the donated items by obtaining a receipt from the non-profit organisation.

Wedding Attire:

Donate your wedding gown, flower girl dresses, and bridesmaid dresses to a non-profit organisation, such as Making Memories, the I Do Foundation, or Brides Against Breast Cancer. These organisations will provide you with a receipt for a tax write-off.

Wedding Venue:

If your wedding venue is a historical location, such as a museum, garden, or state or national park, you may be able to deduct the venue fee as a charitable contribution. This is allowed if the fees are for the preservation of the historical location.

Wedding Favours:

Instead of giving trinkets as wedding favours, consider making a donation to a charity on behalf of your wedding guests. This will not only help a good cause but also provide you with a tax deduction. You can even let your wedding guests suggest or vote on the charity of their choice.

Gift Registry:

Create a wedding gift registry through charitable organisations like The Good Beginning or the IDoFoundation.org. They will donate a portion of gift purchases to your chosen charity, and you can also create a charity registry where guests can donate.

Remember to keep track of your wedding write-offs with receipts and contracts so that you can claim your deductions and boost your tax refund.

Wedding venue

While there are limited ways to write off wedding expenses, it is possible to write off the wedding venue in some cases.

If your wedding venue is a charitable organisation, you may be able to write off a portion of your expenses. This includes historical locations like museums, gardens, or state or national parks, as long as the fees are for the preservation of the historical location. Many venues will indicate this when you are making booking arrangements.

If you are getting married in a church, you may be able to deduct any additional donations you make outside of the ceremony fee. The ceremony fee itself is not tax-deductible because it is paid in exchange for a service. However, any additional donations with no expectation of benefit can be deductible.

It is important to note that the only wedding expenses that can be written off are those that are turned into charitable donations. To claim a tax deduction for charitable donations, you must donate to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organisation. Additionally, you typically need to have enough tax deductions to itemise your deductions.

Flowers and food

Flowers

Floral arrangements can be a large expense at weddings. Instead of tossing or gifting flowers to guests, you may be able to take a tax deduction by donating them to a local charity, homeless shelter, or hospice. Before your wedding, contact the charity or hospital to check if they accept floral donations. You'll also need to ensure that they are a tax-exempt organisation for your donation to be tax-deductible. If you can't find a place to donate locally, check out Petals for Hope, a national charity that repurposes flowers into bedside bouquets.

Food

If you anticipate having leftovers at your reception, contact a local shelter to see if they would be interested in receiving the food. Many organisations have strict policies regarding unwrapped food, but with some pre-planning, your food doesn't have to go to waste. You'll feel good about helping your community and get a nice tax deduction.

It's important to note that you'll need to determine the percentage of food donated as you can't claim a tax break on the food enjoyed by your guests. For example, if you paid $5,000 but only donated 10% of the total food ordered, your maximum deduction would be $500.

Thanks to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, you may be able to donate the leftovers. Ask your caterer to package the leftovers, then you or a designated person can drop them off at an IRS-recognised non-profit organisation. The organisation will give you a donation letter that you can use as proof of charitable contribution.

Wedding gown

If you're looking to write off your wedding expenses, it's important to know that only certain costs can be written off through charitable donations. One way to do this is by donating your wedding gown to a charitable organisation, which will provide you with a receipt for a tax write-off.

Donating your wedding gown

Donating your wedding gown is a great way to give back and also receive a tax benefit. You can donate your dress to organisations such as Goodwill, The Salvation Army, or charities like Brides Against Breast Cancer, which accept contemporary gown styles, slips, and veils from the year 2000 onwards. Your wedding party can also donate their attire, such as dresses and suits, to these organisations for a tax write-off.

Tax write-off value

It's important to note that you cannot write off the full price of your gown. You will only be able to deduct the fair market value of the dress at the time of donation. This value is likely to be considerably less than the original price you paid for the gown.

Other ways to save on taxes

In addition to donating your wedding gown, there are other ways to save on taxes related to your wedding. If your wedding venue is a historical location, such as a museum, garden, or state or national park, the fees you pay may be tax-deductible as a donation. Similarly, if you get married in a church, any additional donations you make beyond the ceremony fee may be tax-deductible.

You can also donate leftover flowers and decorations to homeless shelters or women's centres, and any leftover food to recognised non-profit organisations. These donations can provide you with additional tax deductions.

Finally, instead of giving wedding favours to your guests, consider making a donation to a charity in their name. This not only helps a good cause but also provides you with another opportunity for a tax deduction.

Remember to keep all your receipts and contracts related to these donations so that you can claim the proper tax deductions when filing your taxes.

Wedding favours

If you're on a budget, wedding favours don't have to break the bank. Here are some ideas for inexpensive wedding favours:

• Personalised wooden pencils
• Lottery ticket holders
• Popcorn bags
• Colour-in place mats
• Mini champagne bubbles
• Wildflower seeds
• Novelty popcorn boxes
• Pin badges
• Diamond-shaped bubbles
• Fortune cookies
• Mini board games
• Charity donation cards
• Wedding sparklers
• Personalised rock candy
• Magic bean seeds
• Chocolate treats
• Drinks tokens
• Personalised love heart sweets
• Key bottle openers
• A slice of cake in a personalised bag
• Wooden place names

Frequently asked questions