How much are you spending on your wedding?

I am just curious? Another research thing. What is the one thing you are spending it on? I know someone who spent less than $500- dress, flowers, reception (her family helped make the goodies), entertainment (co-worker was a dj) photographer (another family friend)

How much are you spending on your wedding?
Dress: $139.00 (yes, one hundred thirty-nine- custom tailored eBay)


Photos: 200


Food: 300


Flowers:75


Shoes:30


Favors: 90


Video: $0


DJ: $0


My ring: 70 (white gold)


His ring: 100 (titanium)


Engagement ring: $142.00 (alexandrite, not a diamond)


Invitations: $14.00 (printed by me)


cake: $100- friend who makes cakes is doing


JP: $100


etc etc.


Yes, we are doing this for $1,600, but looks like it will push $2,000.





It's a real wedding, there will be no short-cut looking items, or events... .we are getting married next to my future MIL's lake, in her garden and everything is coming together nicely. It can be done, if you know how to do and want to do it cheap.





We have 130 people invited, 1/2 have RSVPed.


Let's just say- our honeymoon is costing the same as our wedding if not more.
Reply:I have a friend that did hers in $400.... so, it can be done cheaply!
Reply:I spent about $14,500 total. The reception and ceremony were held at the same venue which came to about $10,000. The rest was spent on a pretty inexpensive DJ and an expensive photographer. The dress was about $500. People spend much more but it turned out to be a beautiful event and a wonderful experience.
Reply:25K - traditional church ceremony, dinner and reception for about 200 guests - and nothing fancy-dancy! Everything paid by us. (no honeymoon, but that's ok. Hosting a good time for our guests was much more important to us!)
Reply:I am really trying to keep it within $10,000 for 150 guests in the Kenosha, Wisconsin area. The most important things to us are the food and the photography...because it's important that the guests are well-fed, and that we have really good quality photos to document our day.
Reply:3k on dress


7k on reception hall


16k on my engagement ring


1k on his wedding band


5k on honeymoon


1k rehearsal dinner


900 on invitations


about 3-5k on the other little things..





OMG.. I never figured that up before.. about 39k
Reply:I am spending about $5,000. It is a small wedding in a little white church. I honestly can not see sepending anymore then that. I am also making a lot of things that I could have bought to save money, but I think the things that I make are cuter and it makes it special to us.
Reply:We aren't in a race to see how cheaply we can get married...I always personally thought I'd have a very small thing, but my fiance wants something much more costly. In the end, I know I will enjoy what we've planned, so I'm happy about it, but it seems we'll spend about $25,000 by the time its all said and done, give or take a few thousand...





we're having a destination wedding in St Thomas--we're paying for 12 people air and hotel 4 nights, and about 30 total will attend followed later by a clambake reception in our hometown for about 200-225....dj, cake, etc...the "worst" part about it is I am marrying a photographer, and for our St Thomas wedding, we have to HIRE a photographer!!!! That just seems wrong, but obviously hubby can't take the pix, as he's to be in all of them! One of his photographers will shoot the reception, though....
Reply:Way more than I had thought I would. We are having around 130 people.





Dress $1000


Church $100


Reception (including alcohol and dinner) $9000


Wedding Rings $1700


DJ $1500


Photographer $ 3000


Cake $300 (supermarket but they do a good job)


Flowers $400


Invitations $300


Favours $450 (We are doing chocolate boxes-$150 and a donation to cancer society- $300)


Honeymoon suite $350


Decorations $0 as Mother bought or made them


Honeymoon $4800


Misc (programs, gifts etc) $1500





So all together we are spending almost $24,000


However my parents chipped in almost a third and his parents are paying for the rehearsal dinner. We made a lot of things ourselves but also had a few splurges. Did not stay on budget but no debt either. I think you can spend as little or as much as you want on a wedding. No matter what one spends it is the marriage that is important.
Reply:we spent about 32K (including honeymoon). our reception hall was the biggest expense but it was 180 people. We also had a 9 piece band (my husband is a musician and did not want a DJ).
Reply:Well, our budget started out at $5k, but I think it has gone up since then. By my estimations, we'll probably end up spending more like $8-10k.


Church - $200


Reception hall - $1000


DJ - $650


Catering - $2000 (just an estimate, we haven't figured out the final cost per head yet.)





Those are all the definite costs we have so far. My parents are chipping in the $5k, but my fiance and I are paying for specific things like rings and tuxes, and I put up half of the reception deposit. His family hasn't decided about what if any they are contributing yet. He recently had a death in the family, so we didn't think it was the time to bring it up. I've been paying for little things on my own as we go along. For instance, I found groomsman gifts already for a really good price on sale, so I went ahead and bought them for my fiance. Our wedding is still a year away, so we've still got time to figure out the budget thing if his parents decide they can't chip in.
Reply:Im getting married in September. our budget is around $10,000. the average cost for a wedding is like 19,000 thats what it said in a book I read. but I dont think so, you can have a really nice wedding for about 5,000.
Reply:Way too much. I am estimating $22K without wedding bands or honeymoon or picking up some family member's hotel bills. Our biggest expense is the reception dinner and drinks at $10K.
Reply:I'm spending just under $5000. It's a destination wedding so this includes airfare, resort, limos, etc.
Reply:umm...wow...I just added it up....and it is twice as much as I make in a year...Thank GOD he has a good job!!
Reply:we spent roughly $15,000. And that was a VERY basic wedding (cash bar, dicounted dress, mom made the cake, etc)





Wedding's aren't cheap
Reply:about 5k for 150 people at a location with catered dinner. Most of our money is going towards photography which for me includes making the place look decent so the pics are good.
Reply:I'm around $26-28k right now.... Ugh! The country club took up the bulk of my cost.
Reply:I'm spending $7500 for 100 people.





Breakdown of major expenses:





Ceremony/Reception Site: 850


Photographer: 1475


Caterer: 1100


Dress: 700


Linens: 450


Floral: 500





Our honeymoon is 2000, but we have a registry so a lot of it is being paid for from contributions from friends and family.





If you plan on something simple and have friends and family that can take pictures, cook, dj you really can save money. Your biggest expenses will probably be those I listed above. Just shop around and see what you can find.
Reply:including everything about $27,000... but i involved myself in everything saving myself a ton of money!!!
Reply:I spent about 12,000 which included both of our rings, my gown plus all the extras. The most expensive part was the food.
Reply:I am spending it on new carpet for the reception hall. Kind of as donation to the reception center, afterall who ever thinks of them when it comes to the wedding day. I am big into charities and I think this will get me into heaven faster.