Wedding Cost

25 Responses

1. SmartyPants

   2010 Mar 02 1

   On a budget, we paid about $7K. It was nice but I had to sacrifice a lot. That was 3 years ago. It’s hard to find GOOD catering for less than $40 bucks per person. Do the math.
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2. Mel

   2010 Mar 02 2

   It does matter where you live and how many guests you will be having…….here in Los Angeles a "great" wedding with approx 200 people would start at $30k. However, in other states/cities, its much lower than that.
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3. lick my kitty

   2010 Mar 02 3

   depends how much and what you get for your wedding. my sister wasted over 8 thousand dollars and that was back in 1991 so imagin now oh did i mention it was a small wedding
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   experience

4. josie

   2010 Mar 02 4

   It depends on what kind of wedding you want. You can do it for $5,000.00 or you can do it for millions. I have found that the two most expensive things are the photographer and the food. You can get good deals on a dress and other items.
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5. Peachy Keen, Jelly Bean

   2010 Mar 02 5

   A normal wedding nowdays usually costs around $25,000. However, if you know where to go to buy certain things, it doesn’t have to cost that much at all! Also, knowing people helps too.
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6. FredHH

   2010 Mar 02 6

   $50 to $50,000… or more

   You can do it for the cost of the licence and a small boquet of floweres (flowers optional…)

   Or you can spend enough to leave yourself in debt for the next 40 years.

   Or you can be reasonable… and have a decent wedding at low cost.

   Its not supposed to be a contest of who can spend the most.
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7. hazeltine4

   2010 Mar 02 7

   Dress — $1200 to $1500
   Photographer — $1000
   Flowers — $700 – $1500
   Reception — $5000 to $20000
   Rehearsal Dinner — $750 – $1000
   Church, pastor, singer — $500
   plus tuxedo, bridesmaids dresses, bridesmaid & groomsmen gifts, hotel, honeymoon, etc.
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8. daillest

   2010 Mar 02 8

   When all is said and done, ours cost a total of about $20,000.00. This was WITH cutting corners. You could easily spend more. We got a cheap, local (but very good) photographer, and a reasonable venue with good food, which kept the price low. We had about 170 guests.

   You have to also factor in gowns/tux, videographer, limo’s (if needed-we did), stationary/postage costs, fee for the church, marriage license etc.
   Again, after all of these things it ran us about 20K.
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9. Wine Is Fine 1717

   2010 Mar 02 9

   Really depends on where you live and what type of venue you are using.

   In my area, it’s very common to use a fully-caterered banquet/reception hall. I’ve looked at prices of some mid-range banquet halls. It’s about $80/$85 a person.

   That includes open bar, hor’ d’oeurves, salad course, entree and cake. Plus the use of the table and chairs, linens, etc.

   If you have 130 people, at $85 a head. It’s about 15K with tax and tip.

   Once you add everything else up-DJ, Photos, Favors, Attire……I would say you could get a decent mid-sized wedding for about 20K-25K.

   That’s normal or average around here.

   But, I’m from the northeast.

   I’ve been to 5 weddings recently…..they all follow the same menu pattern and such as above.
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10. Newlywed

    2010 Mar 02 10

    27,00 an average cost..but you could do so much less!
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11. jan.marie

    2010 Mar 02 11

    It depends on your budget. There are some good wedding budget guides online.

    I have one for you:
    http://weddings.about.com/library/blbudgetworksheet.htm
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12. AM

    2010 Mar 02 12

    Im aiming for 10,000, realistically know it might not happen but I am capping it at 15,000. Found a site for my wedding reception of 100 guest for about 6000 including food and ceremony fees. Then add about 1000 for a wedding DJ, about 1000 for flowers, 2-3 for photographer, transportation, wedding attire, it all adds up .

    YOu have lots of time since you have about a 2year engagement. Start saving now.
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13. NewlyWed31

    2010 Mar 02 13

    Good luck, we just got married June 23. We paid for everything ourselves and I was very careful. Our wedding including everything form my dress, hair, makeup, food,music and everything was about $15,000. It really depends on what is important to you. We spent a lot of money on pictures and on the reception, because that is what we felt was important.
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14. Lydia

    2010 Mar 02 14

    It totally depends upon what you and your bf have in savings, how much you can save over the next year – and how much the two of you want to spend on your wedding. Determine the number of guests and style of wedding based on what the two of you can afford. Good luck planning!
    Two years is too long. Don’t plan anything til a year before, or move that date closer!
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15. Mona K

    2010 Mar 02 15

    Average wedding bill for the big day is $27,852………which is the same cost of a VW Beetle convertible.

    Starting cost of an average woman’s dress $1,505
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16. Becky T

    2010 Mar 02 16

    it all depends on you and your hubby want we did ours for 2500.00 it was small the church and dinner was immediate family only and cocktails later inn the evening with close Friends and extending family
    it was a beautiful wedding and lots of fun
    good luck
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17. barthebear

    2010 Mar 02 17

    Ok then right off, you have said you dont have a lot of money. So keep it small and intimate. Invite only best friends . You could have an elegant luncheon after an 11 am ceremony and that would be less expensive than dinner. Have a minimum of bridal party as that gets expensive since they want manicures, hair done etc. Make it about your marriage, not the wedding event; which means you should speak only with your fiance in planning. Otherwise your aunt or mom or his grandmother will want you to do stuff they want and it turns into a circus. Keep it private. Small is beautiful . So many have a hundred people and arent able to speak with them, get so tired of all the protocol they end up in tears. Make yours personalized the way just you two want it and you will always remember how perfect it was. Your good friends wont care if you have a 5 course meal, but they will remember if you are happy that day
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18. gileswench

    2010 Mar 02 18

    Weddings cost precisely as much as you’re willing to spend on them. Since you’ve got two years, figure out a savings plan for the first year. Ask your guy to do the same. Figure out what you can put aside each month, add up the figures and start off with the assumption that that’s your wedding budget. If your parents or his offer financial asisstance, that’s great, but don’t budget for it until it’s offered.

    About a year out from the big day, that’s when you book your wedding and reception site(s) and start paying for things. In the meantime, really consider what is and isn’t important to you about your wedding. Comparison shop. Figure out what you can make yourself or do without.

    For instance, it’s fairly easy to make a simple bouquet or boutinierre, and that can save you money on a florist.

    Favors are nice, but not required and often left behind by guests who have no clue what to do with them after the party. You can save a few dollars by simply not giving them out.

    The word is that the ‘average’ wedding in the United States costs nearly thirty thousand dollars to put on. But keep in mind that that statistic comes from people who responded to a questionnaire in a bridal magazine, and the women who a) bought the magazine and b) answered the poll are statistically more likely to have that sort of money than the women who didn’t buy the magazine or didn’t fill out the form. Also, location will have a major effect on your budget needs. It’s a lot cheaper to throw a wedding in rural Indiana than it is in New York City, for instance.

    In short, don’t worry about anyone’s budget but the one you have available. Don’t worry about what people tell you you ‘need’ for the day to be perfect. Legally, all you need is two consenting adults, a licensed officiant, a license and anywhere from one to three witnesses, depending on where you live. Everything else is either tradition, religion, or fashion…and two of those are entirely negotiable, while the third is a matter of personal conscience and priorities.

    The best weddings aren’t about how much money was spent on them, but the love everyone sees between the bride and groom. I’ve seen it at weddings held in large churches and fancy hotels, and I’ve seen it at simple celebrations in parks or someone’s backyard. No matter how elaborate or how simple, the thing that makes them great is the love and happiness of the bridal couple.

    Concentrate on letting your personalities and your love shine on your wedding day, and I guarantee it will be unforgettable whether you spend $100 or $100,000 on it.

    Best of luck and all joy to you and your intended. I hope you have a long and happy marriage.
    References :
    Three times a bridesmaid, once a bride, attending weddings over forty years, and a total sucker for romance

19. alavishaffaire

    2010 Mar 02 19

    Before I can calculate an average I would need to know where you are, what ime of year you are planning on havng the wedding and how many guests approximately
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20. Matt's Mommy

    2010 Mar 02 20

    The average wedding costs about $25,000 in NJ but can EASILY get up to about $50K
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21. Peace

    2010 Mar 02 21

    It really depends on where you are. Our original budget was $8,000, but since everything is so expensive in LA, we’re looking at a wedding that’s going to cost us $14,000, and we’ve cut a lot of corners, doing a lot of stuff ourselves and narrowed our guest list to 90 people. I’m sure in a smaller town you can have a nice wedding for $8,000.

    So I say start out an average figure, then start pricing out your wedding and see if you can keep within that figure. It might go up, or even down, but at least you have a range you can work with.
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22. Pumpkin

    2010 Mar 02 22

    We planned on $20,000 but it was more like $25,000 all said and done. It all depends though. My sister’s was $7,000 and it was beautiful. The main difference between ours was she had hers at a local VFW hall (which was beautiful) and mine was at a country club. Hers did not have a wait staff so they hired teenaged girls. We also had to set up and clean up ourselves. Worked out fine and everyone was more than willing to help. It saved her a ton of money though.

    You need to decide which things are important to you and what things you could do without. We both cut some corners. Neither one of us had flowers for centerpieces which saved alot of money. (I had martini glasses with glass marbles, battery lights inside on a mirror with candles. She had fish bowls in sand with shells. We both had tons of compliments) We did our own wedding programs and things like that. I used silk flowers for the bouquets and saved $1000 PLUS I will have them forever not just one day.

    Do your research on different services and products. See if you can get things used at a wedding before. the message boards on theknot.com are helpful. All the girls have tons of ideas about saving money. Some are looking to get rid of stuff from their wedding.

    Congrats and good luck!
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23. myavatar

    2010 Mar 02 23

    It depends on where you are and how many people you’re inviting. The average wedding nowadays costs about $25,000. If you consider the bell curve on that one though, those $1 million weddings probably raise it quite a bit. We’re aiming to have ours between $12k and $15k, but we’re in the midwest, so that will be really nice. The only reason we’re spending that much even is that both of us are coming into it owning our own houses. We’re already established.

    What’s most important, is don’t spend more than you can afford, and don’t put yourself in debt. You want your wedding to be nice, but remember it is just one day. Establishing your life together is whats important.
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24. plegaljess

    2010 Mar 02 24

    15,000 without the honeymoon
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25. tiffany

    2010 Mar 02 25

    Get your funds together quick! The sooner the better.You have 2 yrs. Thats along ways away. The good thing is that if you book now you can normally pay todays prices for that year. Lv. deposits.
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    Me. Floral/ Wedding Designer.