Hobby Lobby is just a fun store. It holds a ton of treasure–more than just simple hobby supplies. They sell everything you need to make a cute scrapbook, or to decorate a tee-shirt, or to prepare for a picnic. But they also sell a ton of wedding supplies.
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| Here’s how our wedding programs looked. They also had our names and dates at the bottom, but I edited them out to protect our privacy. The photo doesn’t do it justice, it looks much nicer in person. |
Sometimes you need to look at something beyond it’s originally intended purpose. For example, a piece of scrapbook paper can be more than just the canvas for stickers and photographs. It can be folded, printed upon, and much more! For my wedding, I made my own invitations and wedding programs using mainly scrapbooking materials. I used texturized cardstock for the base of the invitations and programs. Then I used paper, a butterfly punch, and ribbon for the decorations. They took a little more work, but they were completely different from any other wedding invitations or programs and cost much less.
Hobby Lobby Secrets
I have a serious advantage over Hobby Lobby deals. I used to work as a department manager for Hobby Lobby (I headed up the “cards and party” and “candles and scenteds” departments). So I have an insider’s look.
The sales at Hobby Lobby run from Monday through Saturday. For the store I worked at, we would hang up the new signs and get the new flyers ready every Saturday after we closed at 8 pm.
Regular frames (as opposed to open frames without glass) are almost constantly 50% off. And just about everything else (cake decorating, party, and candy making supplies excluded) goes on sale to at least 30 to 50% off on a regular basis. In fact, at the time that I am writing this post (May 10, 2011), all wedding items are on sale at 50% off.
Here’s an interesting tidbit concerning seasonal items. Hobby Lobby’s goal is to sell out of all of its seasonal inventory before the holiday arrives. For this reason, you’ll see Christmas trees pop up in stores in July and by the time December rolls around they’ll typically be on sale for 80 or 90% off. So the closer to the holiday you can wait to get something, the less expensive it will be. Just before Christmas (but also afterwards since not everything usually meets the goal of being sold before the holiday) is the best time to get ribbon; and just around Valentine’s Day is the best time to get heart-shaped items.
The clearance section is also a great place to get items. Around the beginning of the year, new items for the year arrive. Most of the seasonal items dawn a sticker that will say something like “Spring Splash 2011.” These help the employees sort through what items belong to a particular collection (such as Spring Splash) and to determine which are leftovers from last year and which are this year’s. Anyway, around the beginning of the year, last year’s items go on clearance. They may start at 30 or 50% off, but if you wait they’ll drop even lower (do grab what you want if you’re willing to pay for it, though, because these items go fast). If I remember correctly, 90% is the deepest discount they give.
What about items like cake decorating or candy making supplies? These very rarely go on sale. But, have no fear, because coupons come into play! There will be coupons for like 30% off all Wilton cake decorating supplies. But even better, just about every other week, Hobby Lobby puts out their 40% off coupons. These are perfect for purchasing items that don’t typically go on sale (some exclusions apply) or for buying items not on sale at the moment. You can, however, only use one coupon per person per day, so make sure you use it on the most expensive non-sale item. It also helps to bring other people with you. Depending on the cashier, you can use one coupon per person in the same transaction (whenever I cashiered I allowed this because it follows the wording “one coupon per customer per day” on the coupon verbatim; however there are those cashiers who aren’t as kind or whose managers don’t allow this). My Hobby Lobby also accepted competitor’s coupons from Michael’s or JoAnne’s (if we carried the same items), but be sure to check with your local Hobby Lobby’s manager to see if they do too.
So there you have it! Hobby Lobby is a great resource for great deals (often even cheaper than anything you can find at Walmart). You just have to play the sales and use the coupons. If you possibly can, do wait for the deeper or deepest discounts!
Here’s a list of some items that can be purchased at Hobby Lobby (almost all go on sale or can be purchased with coupon) and used for your wedding:
- all kinds of wedding stuff (start with the obvious; you can get unity candles and holders, guest books, favors, veils, decorations, etc.)
- rental items (you can rent things like candleabras and arches from the floral section)
- candles and holders (in the candle department and by the wedding section)
- silk flowers
- silk garland
- ribbon (by the sewing department, wedding section, and seasonal section)
- glasses and decorations from the housewares department
- baskets
- picture frames
- custom framing
- matt board to frame (get a hole cut for your picture) for people to sign
- scrapbook paper
- stickers
- embellishments
- jewelry
- charms
- flip flops
- tee-shirts (for the bride and groom for rehearsal)
- iron-on decals
- paintable wooden and ceramic items (be creative!)
- dishes
- party supplies (plates, plastic silverware, crepe paper, favors, candy, etc.)
- napkin and plate holders
- invitations
- Cricut (to make your own stickers or other items)
- cake decorating and candy making supplies
- fabric
- tulle
- candy
- lights
- Sharpie markers
What are some you can think of?
Thanks for the very useful information! I was going to make a special trip to HL today because there’s a frame I need and I know the 50% off sale ends tomorrow. But now that I know frames are almost always 50% off I think I’ll wait. 🙂
Thanks for the great info! I was just about to purchase a large quantity of their floral stems for my wedding on 8/23, since they were 50% off. I see they are no longer 50% off and I am a little nervous now…how often do these go on sale? Thanks so much for your knowledge!
Hi, Sheena! Very often. Probably within the month at least. If you call your local store on a Saturday, they should have the signs and flyers in for the following week (because they’re put up/out and ready to go Saturday evening after close). They can look on the flyer for you and let you know if they’ll be on sale the upcoming week.
Do candles ever go on sale? If so, how often?
Yes they do! They go on sale to 50% about once per month.
Hi! I was interested in renting an arch from them. Nothing fancy or anything. Just a standard white arch. Do you know about what the price is?
Hi, Bri! I have no idea, it’s been 5 years since we rented our arch and I’m sure the price has changed since then. 🙂
My daughter is getting married in November. When is the best sales for wedding and reception items?
I’ve been watching for scrapbook paper to go on sale for about 2 months, but nothing! The 40% off coupon won’t help if I’m buying pages individually. The scrapbook “supplies” almost always seem like they’re on sale though.
Any insight on the individual pages? I need specific colors for my wedding. Thanks!
Nope. Might be their policies have changed. 🙁
Scrapbook paper by HL’s brand The Paper Studio goes on sale for 50% off about every third week or so. They usually run a sale for 50% off all paper (individual and paper packs and pads) that includes The Paper Studio and other brands and then a week or so later they run a “Paper crafting and Stamping Blowout Sale” that’s 50% off all The Paper Studio items as well as 50% off their stamping line called Stampabilities. I see this all the time at all of our local HL stores, so I’m not sure why you haven’t seen it. I know it isn’t just my general area as I recently moved cross-country and see the same sale cycles.
Just a follow up. In my area, this week, Hobby Lobby is having the “Blowout Sale” I referred to above. If you’re still looking for paper, now is the time to get it.
How often do wedding invitations go on sale?
Usually whenever wedding stuff does. They’re also often placed on deep clearance, especially towards the end of the year.
Do silk flowers ever go on sale? If so do you know typically when?
Yes, they go on sale every 2 weeks. 🙂
How often do wedding stuff go on sale around this time of year?