For those of you who are married (or planning your wedding) what was your budget/final costs for everything: clothes, reception, food, photographer, etc.?
How much did your wedding cost?
- Thread starter claudette2
- Start date
My breakdown:
Clothes - wedding dress $175 (used off Ebay); bridesmaids dresses $125 (bought all 5 from Ann Taylor Loft on sale for $25); tux rental $100
Reception/food - we had a yacht that provided food and wine/beer for $150/pp
Photographer - $2700 included all day wedding w/2 photographers and all negatives on CD, engagement session and negatives, three professional photo albums
Videographer - $1600 included all day wedding w/2 videographers, a photo slideshow played at the reception, 5 copies of DVDs, and a pre-wedding video
Centerpieces: $25 per table - used battery operated water fountains that had tealight candles and placed flowers on top (bought from Overstock)
Favors: $.75 each - chocolate dipped fortune cookies with sprinkles, wrapped with a favor tag - all done from a vendor on Ebay
We had 200 guests at our wedding, so total costs were $30k. (This was in Southern California, in Newport Beach, so overall costs will be higher than other states.) And that's with cheaping a lot of things (like the dresses) and DIYing invitations, centerpieces, etc! Luckily most of our guests gave us cash so we were able to pay off most of our costs, so we really just had to pay out of pocket for our honeymoon.
Pictures of my stuff can be seen here (just scroll down for the pics): http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=sailornep5
Clothes - wedding dress $175 (used off Ebay); bridesmaids dresses $125 (bought all 5 from Ann Taylor Loft on sale for $25); tux rental $100
Reception/food - we had a yacht that provided food and wine/beer for $150/pp
Photographer - $2700 included all day wedding w/2 photographers and all negatives on CD, engagement session and negatives, three professional photo albums
Videographer - $1600 included all day wedding w/2 videographers, a photo slideshow played at the reception, 5 copies of DVDs, and a pre-wedding video
Centerpieces: $25 per table - used battery operated water fountains that had tealight candles and placed flowers on top (bought from Overstock)
Favors: $.75 each - chocolate dipped fortune cookies with sprinkles, wrapped with a favor tag - all done from a vendor on Ebay
We had 200 guests at our wedding, so total costs were $30k. (This was in Southern California, in Newport Beach, so overall costs will be higher than other states.) And that's with cheaping a lot of things (like the dresses) and DIYing invitations, centerpieces, etc! Luckily most of our guests gave us cash so we were able to pay off most of our costs, so we really just had to pay out of pocket for our honeymoon.
Pictures of my stuff can be seen here (just scroll down for the pics): http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=sailornep5
not married but just read this blurb that the avrage wedding now costs $27K , which honestly sounds like alot of money to me. i don't know how i would find that $$ if it were me???
you can see the whole article on wedding planners here http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/weddingplanner_1.html
1. "Something old, something new and everything over the top." Weddings sure aren't what they used to be. A sharp jump in what couples are willing to spend has boosted the wedding biz to a $120 billion industry, according to David Wood, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants. Today's nuptials, costing $27,000 on average, tend to be "much grander," Wood says. And the grander the affair, the more a couple needs help putting it together. Enter the wedding planner, a profession that emerged in the 1950s. Once catering to the wealthy elite, wedding planners have gone mainstream in recent decades, doubling their numbers over the past three years, to 20,000. Some 270,000 couples hired planners in 2006, up from 200,000 in 2003.
you can see the whole article on wedding planners here http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/weddingplanner_1.html
1. "Something old, something new and everything over the top." Weddings sure aren't what they used to be. A sharp jump in what couples are willing to spend has boosted the wedding biz to a $120 billion industry, according to David Wood, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants. Today's nuptials, costing $27,000 on average, tend to be "much grander," Wood says. And the grander the affair, the more a couple needs help putting it together. Enter the wedding planner, a profession that emerged in the 1950s. Once catering to the wealthy elite, wedding planners have gone mainstream in recent decades, doubling their numbers over the past three years, to 20,000. Some 270,000 couples hired planners in 2006, up from 200,000 in 2003.
Your wedding pics were REALLY GREAT!! they all captured the moments and weren't stiff looking like i see alot
everyone looks happy and beautiful =) Looks like an awesome wedding!
everyone looks happy and beautiful =) Looks like an awesome wedding!
My breakdown:
Clothes - wedding dress $175 (used off Ebay); bridesmaids dresses $125 (bought all 5 from Ann Taylor Loft on sale for $25); tux rental $100
Reception/food - we had a yacht that provided food and wine/beer for $150/pp
Photographer - $2700 included all day wedding w/2 photographers and all negatives on CD, engagement session and negatives, three professional photo albums
Videographer - $1600 included all day wedding w/2 videographers, a photo slideshow played at the reception, 5 copies of DVDs, and a pre-wedding video
Centerpieces: $25 per table - used battery operated water fountains that had tealight candles and placed flowers on top (bought from Overstock)
Favors: $.75 each - chocolate dipped fortune cookies with sprinkles, wrapped with a favor tag - all done from a vendor on Ebay
We had 200 guests at our wedding, so total costs were $30k. (This was in Southern California, in Newport Beach, so overall costs will be higher than other states.) And that's with cheaping a lot of things (like the dresses) and DIYing invitations, centerpieces, etc! Luckily most of our guests gave us cash so we were able to pay off most of our costs, so we really just had to pay out of pocket for our honeymoon.
Pictures of my stuff can be seen here (just scroll down for the pics): http://www.theknot.com/co_profileview.htm?profilename=sailornep5
Too much
We had our wedding in NYC, but had family and friends invited over from Norway, Scotland, Ireland, England, Australia, etc. We didn't think anyone would make the trip so we planned a fairly fancy reception since we thought the numbers would be on the lower side. Well everyone invited came to the wedding ( all but 2, i think!) So our numbers skyrocketed
ush:
Looking back though, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Such a diverse international crowd of all our family and friends and it was the greatest night. I have a hangover just thinking about it
We had our wedding in NYC, but had family and friends invited over from Norway, Scotland, Ireland, England, Australia, etc. We didn't think anyone would make the trip so we planned a fairly fancy reception since we thought the numbers would be on the lower side. Well everyone invited came to the wedding ( all but 2, i think!) So our numbers skyrocketed
ush:Looking back though, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Such a diverse international crowd of all our family and friends and it was the greatest night. I have a hangover just thinking about it
We were married in 1999. I spent the most money on the things that were most important to me: the food and the pictures. We had ~100 people, the caterer was about $5,000, and they provided the bar service as well (we supplied the alcohol). The photographer and the pictures ended up totalling about $3,000. My dress was $250 with $150 in alterations, the flowers about $300, the venue (ceremony & reception) was about $1,200. We got the bridesmaid dresses at a Lord & Taylor outlet, they were about $40 each. Other stuff for the tables and such were probably $300. We had a Disney themed wedding.
ladies, i'm curious, how did you guys finance your wedding especially those that had the big wedding that ran over $10K?
Did you guys save really hard and drink campbell soup everyday between the proposal and the wedding? or put it on the CC? or parents helped out?
IF (big IF), i ever get there, i might have to just tell the guy to put all the funds into my engagement ring and forget about the dinner and all!! LOL!!! I'd get a nice big engagement ring for $10-20K!!! HEHEHEHE EVIL!!!!
Did you guys save really hard and drink campbell soup everyday between the proposal and the wedding? or put it on the CC? or parents helped out?
IF (big IF), i ever get there, i might have to just tell the guy to put all the funds into my engagement ring and forget about the dinner and all!! LOL!!! I'd get a nice big engagement ring for $10-20K!!! HEHEHEHE EVIL!!!!
my wedding party cost £20,000 back in 2003 and we had 150guests...just family&relatives though and it was a sit down dinner. we had our wedding party in jakarta, indonesia.
my husband's parents paid for the wedding party as it's our custom (we're chinese). my parents and dh's parents are very traditional in this area...it's all about pride, i guess. i'm not being ungreatful, but personally i actually just wanted a small wedding.
i bought a dress myself for £175 at debenhams and took it to jakarta (indonesia), but i didn't end up wearing it as they said my dress wasn't nice enough
, so i ended up renting one.
anyway, all went well at the end and everyone was happy!
my husband's parents paid for the wedding party as it's our custom (we're chinese). my parents and dh's parents are very traditional in this area...it's all about pride, i guess. i'm not being ungreatful, but personally i actually just wanted a small wedding.
i bought a dress myself for £175 at debenhams and took it to jakarta (indonesia), but i didn't end up wearing it as they said my dress wasn't nice enough
, so i ended up renting one.anyway, all went well at the end and everyone was happy!
I think we had one of the cheapest weddings ever, and I am proud of it....lol...things were alot 'leaner' then and we were saving for a house. We had help from friends and family, but made it clear we wanted very low key...still nice, but didn't want anyone to spend too much. What really helped was we had at at DH's parents country club, super gorgeous, but rented to members for $50. We had about 150 people. We had it in early november, so it was a fall theme.
We had the ceremony outside in this beautiful garden, then of course the reception in the club.
Venue: 50
rented archway for ceremony: 75
My dress: 100, sample sale
DH tux: I think he got it free, some package/ promotion, groom free with 5 rentals from wedding party thing.
Flowers: 100, bought wholesale and I made the boquets and boutonnieres
Centerpieces: Gift, my mom made them...Gold candles and fall flowers, and the most gorgeous swirling ribbon. She is so creative!
Favors: Gift, again my mom made them. Cute mini baskets with potpourri, tied with fall ribbon and mini fall flowers
.
Food/bar: Gift from DH's parents, my brother's wife owns a catering company, so she did it at cost. The food was excellent, we did a thanksgivingish menu, and it was only about 1500! The bar, in laws bought all the stuff and hired a bartender.
Cake: Gift from the SIL caterer, she didn't make it, but had one of her vendors do it and paid for it as our wedding gift, it was so amazing! 3 tiers, applespice cake with apple filling and buttercream frosting, with tons of marzipan fruit and gold leaf draped all over it.
Photographer: Gift from a friend who is a photographer
DJ: 450, our biggest expense out of our pocket.
Beautiful wedding, with no debt: Priceless
I think that's it, about 800! Even with everything others paid for us I think it was only about 2500, def. under 3000, but if you were not part of the immediate family, you would never know
We had the ceremony outside in this beautiful garden, then of course the reception in the club.
Venue: 50
rented archway for ceremony: 75
My dress: 100, sample sale
DH tux: I think he got it free, some package/ promotion, groom free with 5 rentals from wedding party thing.
Flowers: 100, bought wholesale and I made the boquets and boutonnieres
Centerpieces: Gift, my mom made them...Gold candles and fall flowers, and the most gorgeous swirling ribbon. She is so creative!
Favors: Gift, again my mom made them. Cute mini baskets with potpourri, tied with fall ribbon and mini fall flowers
.
Food/bar: Gift from DH's parents, my brother's wife owns a catering company, so she did it at cost. The food was excellent, we did a thanksgivingish menu, and it was only about 1500! The bar, in laws bought all the stuff and hired a bartender.
Cake: Gift from the SIL caterer, she didn't make it, but had one of her vendors do it and paid for it as our wedding gift, it was so amazing! 3 tiers, applespice cake with apple filling and buttercream frosting, with tons of marzipan fruit and gold leaf draped all over it.
Photographer: Gift from a friend who is a photographer
DJ: 450, our biggest expense out of our pocket.
Beautiful wedding, with no debt: Priceless
I think that's it, about 800! Even with everything others paid for us I think it was only about 2500, def. under 3000, but if you were not part of the immediate family, you would never know
we were married at the JOP and had a celebration party a week later I'd say it all cost about only 500 bucks 
I've never been into the whole big crazy wedding thing, and I just think they are too expensive. I don't like 100 of my family members to pay $20-30 a plate for them, hell there aren't even 20 of them that I like that much
I've never been into the whole big crazy wedding thing, and I just think they are too expensive. I don't like 100 of my family members to pay $20-30 a plate for them, hell there aren't even 20 of them that I like that much
Well, this includes EVERYTHING. The dress ($700 pre-loved Vera Wang on eBay), veil ($30 pre-loved on eBay from the same seller), shoes, flowers ($1500), my rings and hubby's band, honeymoon ($5K for Tahiti), food, videographer ($2.5K), photographer and our subsequent album ($8K), bridesmaids' favors, and ALL the other incidentals that I added up (makeup, hair, mani/pedi). It came to about $50K when all was said and done. But, like sailornep5, my wedding was in a more expensive area (San Francisco). I am very fortunate in that my family paid for the event. Hubby and I paid for some things myself -- rings, miscellanous things, etc.