This question came into our Ask Emmaline inbox last week about wedding cocktail napkins from bride-to-be, Melissa. Do I need wedding napkins? How many cocktail napkins do I need? Perhaps you’re wondering the same thing! She writes,

“Hi Emmaline, my question is how many cocktail napkins do I need (and do I really even need them at all?) How much is do they cost? I didn’t really budget for them and now I’m worried they’ll be too pricey. Thanks!”

Ah, yes, wedding cocktail napkins: another to-do on your long list of wedding things! You do need them, but good news: your venue may already provide them as part of your cost (so double-check before you buy).

If not, there’s more good news: you may not need as many as you think and pricing is really dependent on how detailed or, on the other hand, how basic, you’d like your napkins to be.

As a rule of thumb, you should have 3-4 wedding cocktail napkins per guest, plus one more per person if you’re using cocktail napkins for the dessert table or cake.

As you’re adding those numbers up in your head, you may be thinking, wow, that’s a lot of napkins. But there are two ways you can go about this: option one, personalized cocktail napkins; option two, cheaper cocktail napkins. Let’s explore.

Personalized Cocktail Napkins

Option one, you can buy personalized cocktail napkins with your favorite phrase, your names, the wedding date, your colors, etc. on them.

-The PROS — They look awesome, tie into your decor, they’re Insta-snapping ready, and they look good in photos. They’re also high quality and made in your choice of style.

-The CONS — They can be expensive, and if cocktail napkins aren’t big on your priority list, you may not want to worry about personalized ones.

We did some comparisons for you to find a decent price, and these are under $150 for 300 of them, just as an example (and currently on sale). By ForYourParty. Like It, Buy It

These “fun fact” napkins are really cool conversation starters; the price is awesome, too, coming in under $100 for 300 napkins (also on sale). By ForYourParty. Like It, Buy It

The price of your cocktail napkins will come down to the ply of the napkin, the color, whether you use gold foil, etc. When in doubt, play around with the designs at FYP here to get an idea of pricing instantly.

For another option, these personalized cocktail napkins come in under $30 for 100 and they’re customized! The reviews on these are great; they look really beautiful. Many colors are available. By Canopy Street. Like It, Buy It

Cheap Wedding Cocktail Napkins in Bulk

Option two, decide that you don’t want to spend as much on your napkins and skip the personalization. If it’s not a must-have to you, there’s no reason why you can’t skip the frills of a custom napkin.

We did some digging and you’ll love what we found!

This pack of 50 “Cheers” cocktail napkins runs you UNDER $10 with free shipping. If you don’t mind your names NOT on them, then I say this is one helluva steal. By Simple Glee. Like It, Buy It

Same deal on these, 50-count wedding cocktail napkins under $10 and free shipping. Score! By Hortense B. Hewitt. Like It, Buy It

Here are fun cocktail napkins that tie in Mr & Mrs with a pretty accent of black and gold. By Hortense Hewitt. On sale right now, it’s only about $15 for 50 of them with free shipping on some quantities. Like It, Buy It

INEXPENSIVE OPTION

If you want to go even cheaper, opt for all-white or a solid color; you can find a great selection here or at your local party supply shop.

As a word of advice, check out the quality before you buy and aim for a 2 or 3-ply for best absorption.

And, of course, this is just napkins we’re talking about here so don’t go stressing over it. Besides, napkins are one of those things that, if left over, are still plenty functional at home. I remember using a large stack of napkins after our wedding. :)

Happy Planning!

xo
Emma