Wedding Cost

how much does a wedding planner generally cost? I didnt want to have one because of the exta expense but now that Im getting into the planning of my wedding a little more its stressful!

It’s typically a percentage of your wedding budget. Call around and ask for quotes, they’ll be more than happy to tell you their fees. I thought that I wanted one too when I got into planning my wedding, but now I can tell you I’m so happy I did it myself. My husband (then fiance) did so much of the footwork too. It definitely can be done by two people, never mind family and friends who are willing to help. We got a few wedding planning books and the internet was our best resource. I’m not saying a wedding planner is a cop out, just saying that the journey can be really fun. Congratulations!

Wow! You don’t realize how much a wedding costs until you begin to plan. I’ve been surfing the internet for the past couple of days and have found some cute and creative ways to save money but I’d like to hear some of your favorites (i.e. using local flowers, making unique and inexpensive invitations or favors, etc).

Sit down with your fiance and make 3 lists: 1st is your must haves, 2nd is things that are nice to have but you can live without if you have to, and 3rd is things that are not important to you that you don’t want to include.

Avoid anything marketed as ‘wedding’ if you can since it will be 10x more expensive and lesser quality than the same items in the other depts of the store that are not labelled ‘wedding’.

Hold the reception at a non-meal time so that you don’t have to serve a full meal and serve desserts instead. But if you must have a full meal, have your favorite local restaurant do the catering since they will be much cheaper than a regular wedding caterer and you will already know what the quality of food is like.

Skip the champagne toast since so much of it goes to waste. Most people take a single sip out of obligation and leave the rest which is a waste of money on your part. Allow them to toast with what they are already drinking.

Rent what you can from your florist (candle holders, etc) or baker (cake stand, etc) so that you don’t have to find a home for them later. If you must purchase these things and other crafty items, buy them from a local brick and mortar store rather than online since glass items are expensive to ship since they are heavy and fragile. Walmart has a huge craft section, and they and Joann’s are much cheaper and have the same items that Michael’s does.

Enlist list help from family and your attendants but keep in mind that they should not work on the wedding day since they won’t be able to enjoy themselves otherwise.

Skip the favors since they are not necessary. But if you must have them, stick with edibles.

Have the ceremony and reception at the same venue.

Put a cap on your guest list since that is where your main expenses will come from. Invite only those you are closest to, not your parents’ coworkers’ neighbors.

Keep in mind that sheet cakes in addition to a fake cake will not save you any money, despite what some people will tell you. While some bakers may not charge very much for that, they are being deceptive since there is much more labor involved in having the extra sheet cakes and in any other industry, you would be charged extra for extra work. The same is true of cupcakes. They are much more labor intensive for the baker than a regular wedding cake even though there are bakers who don’t charge what they are worth. Either serve your actual cake to your guests (grocery store wedding cakes are really quite tasty and inexpensive compared to a specialty bakery) or else go with a different dessert.

Shop around to get the best deals.

Just wanted to know how much does it cost to rent a tuxedo, paino player, expo center for reception and dances, flowers, invitations, and more. Does anyone know what the pastor says to all weddings like what to repeat to the pastor? Is everyone nervous on their wedding day? There is a beautiful woman that I have been taking out for awhile and we are talking about getting married hopefully real soon and still madly in love! Just getting ideas on what the average wedding costs.
How much does the marriage license cost and where can we get one?

The average wedding in a metropolitan area costs close to 30,000 dollars but weddings can be done for much much less expensive than that, though you’d be hard pressed to have it all for under 10,000.

I think everyone is nervous on the wedding day.

Among the big expenses is the reception. How many people, open bar versus cash bar. Buffet’s can start at 28/a head, sit down’s can go up to 135/a head. Mine was 42/head 5 hr reception, open bar, with hot hors devours, we had close to 150 people, with the 18 percent gratuity it was 6000 dollars

A tux shouldn’t be much more than 100 dollars

Flowers, depends what you want, we spent 30 dollars the day of the wedding at a flower shop, made four bouquets and tied some ribbon around them. Some people spend 3000 dollars on flowers if you are decorating the church etc.

Invitations-not a major expense, you can print them yourself with card stock for under 1/each. For 100 people you will only need 50 invites. Invitations can go up to 3 even 4 dollars each. We spent 88 dollars, yep 88cents each

A piano player I have no idea, my sister had violin players for her wedding ceremony, it was 350 for two of them for 45 minutes

A photographer costs 1500-4000 dollars

Cake 350 and up, sometimes its included with the reception

The church cost us 1000 dollars. 300 for the church, 275 for the organist, 250 to the deacon, 150 to the pastor

The wedding dress cost 1000 dollars for us. My dress was 399, alterations 60 (no hemming, I am 5’10"), shoes 25 (bargain), slip 100, bustier 60, veil 125, tiara 50, purse 40, jewelery 150, guest book 25, unity candle and pillars 45, cake topper 75, ring bearer pillow 15, flower girl basket 12.

wedding rings, we got plain gold bands 60 each

DJ we had a DJ it was a friend for 250, going rate is 600-900 dollars

a marriage license costs 30 dollars at the courthouse

we spent 400 on wedding favors each were about 3.35

honeymoon we spent 2000

my sister did the centerpieces for 500

The whole shabang was 13,000 including the honeymoon and we cut alot of corners with the DJ, flowers, invites, and wedding bands, our photographer, cake, wedding dress and accessories, and reception were an average amount, we had alot of people, had an expensive church, expensive cake topper

My sister’s wedding hasn’t happened yet, its 82 dollars/a head, 100 guests so 8200 for the reception

Her wedding band is 2700 dollar platinum and diamond ring, his ring 350

Her cake comes with the reception site

The DJ is 800

The photographer is 1500

The dress is 700+ accessories 1500

Invites are 3/ea so 150

the violinists 350

church 500 (including gift to pastor)

tux 100
marriage license 30

flowers 450
favors rock candy swizzle sticks 42cents each two per person 84 dollars
total: 16,714.00
no honeymoon

i`m talking the cheaper sort of wedding on a budget.
any idea?
thanx.

As a wedding pro. (25 yrs), for 100 guests, I’ve done some "budget" weddings that have varied from:

4,000.00 (Outdoors, park w/pavilion w/silk flowers for the entire bridal party and throughout, catered buffet, including alcohol for guests). Here’s some sample photos of a wedding within this budget:

http://outdoorweddingnov08.shutterfly.com

10,000.00 (Tropical wedding, outdoors with a beach area, hor doeurves; buffet, tiki bar [what a hit that was!] & fresh flowers throughout and bridal party)..including a boat ride for guests to/from the wedding site to the hotel. Here are a few sample photos of this wedding within this budget:

http://outdoortropicalweddingmarch08.shutterfly.com

25,000.00 (Indoors, ceremony was outside in a lovely garden w/pond; indoors w/fresh flowers throughout and bridal party; 36" pillar vases w/2 doz. orchids as centerpieces; hor doeurves; a full bar; food was served to guests while at their seats [prime rib; Chilean sea bass, chicken or vegetarian])

……and up to 75,000.00 (due to no. of guests)!

Each of the ones described above included the costs of rental tables/chairs and linens.

So it varies and all workable within your budget! Best wishes on your special day and choices!

Ironically, my husband and I eloped (1,500.00) Included our announcements that we created and sent out, Fresh floral bouquet & boutonniere (that I made), dinner, our mini cake,my silk outfit, and it also including 3 days in Santa Barbara….no stress. It was lovely!

were both from Ireland and are planning on getting married on holiday at christmas
It’s just myself and my partner, were not having any guests, it’s just for the ceremony

You probably are asking about the wedding party, not the registration of the marriage certificate.

The cost of the wedding party depends on how many guests you will have and its location. 100 guests at a nice mid-range hotel in Bangkok would be around 100,000 baht. You can go much higher, of course, by booking it at a 5-star hotel and having many more guests. You can also go cheaper with fewer guests and catered at someone’s home.

On second thought, maybe you are asking about a western style wedding, meaning at a church with a priest and all that. Not sure about costs but there are a number of Catholic churches in Bangkok. The wedding party, i.e. reception, would be the same as I mentioned above.

How much does a wedding photographer cost?

Most times "you get what you pay for" With wedding photography, just like anything else.

I charge $1000 to $6000 . $3000 sounds like a reasonable budget for most brides and if the photographer is (a) reliable (b) someone nice who you want to spend your whole wedding day with (c) has top-of-the-line equipment (d) takes beautiful photographs (e) offers not just quantity but also quality albums and prints.

I’m a wedding photographer in Pittsburgh PA and my $3000 wedding photography package includes 6 to 8 hours of coverae by two photographers. It also includes an Engagement Session, a beautiful leather-bound album, High Resolution CD and other little "extras".

Do shop around and make sure you are selecting the best photographer. Believe it or not, what matters MOST is that the photographer be NICE. Someone you, your wedding party, your family, and guests will all get along with, even in the most stressful moments that occur during a wedding day. Before you sign an agreement make sure you meet the actual photographer who will show up on your wedding day. Beware – some studios show the most beautiful sample albums from their Master Photographer, but they send a less qualified and experienced photographer to your wedding.

Next most important is the artistic and technical quality of his her wedding photography. Are they beautiful and emotional images, or ordinary. Don’t get caught up in the "numbers game". An 8 inch album with 50 really beautiful wedding photographs is better than a 10 inch album with 100 bad ones, don’t you agree?

What does the average wedding cost? What is the average wedding size?

There is no "average" because there are a variety of factors, including the following:
~ geographic location (a New York City or another ‘big city’ wedding will be ALOT more than one in other areas)
~ meal (brunch or lunch will be less than a dinner)
~ type of food served ( a steak dinner will be more than a casual BBQ)
~ formality of event (more formal dinners will generally cost more)
~ who is making the food (caterers are more expensive than making the food yourself)
~ alcohol (no or limited is less expensive)
~ venue (different venues cost changes. Museums or historic homes will usually have a rental fee then you still have to pay for catering where as a reception-type place will usually not charge a rental fee but require you use their caterer)
~ dress (are you bargain-hunting or dropping $5k on a gown?)

I am in Central PA having a saturday wedding with 4-entree buffett and full open bar for 175 guests. I’m skrimping, clipping coupons, negotiating, and just cutting things out of the budget so we keep below $20,000 as our total budget. I’ve actually gotten down to about $18k and am hoping for more savings. Our reception venue is charging $52pp + tax & gratuity.

There are plenty of people whose family & friends just don’t add up to alot and they can invite everyone and still be under 100 people. There are just so many factors to this that there isn’t one answer.

Making wedding invitations can be dong using colored card stock, elegant vellum, stamps and satin ribbon. Create an expensive layered look for a fraction of the cost with tips and advice from a wedding consultant in this free video on planning weddings.

Expert: Wendy Dahl
Contact: dahlweddingcompany.com
Bio: Wendy Dahl is a wedding consultant and the owner of the Dahl Wedding Company, serving Southern California for more than a decade.
Filmmaker: Gina Miller-Britton

Duration : 0:6:23

Read the rest of this entry »

This Wedding’s Budget: $50,000

…ways to cut costs
Dance Floor in Middle of Backyard – $750
Sound System Rental – $750
Ipod and Music – $350 + 16 hrs. uploading

Post-Reception Survey Results:
Cost of Not hiring a professional wedding entertainment director: $50,000

Why: No order or direction so guests left, wasting food, cake and drinks, and creating terrible video and painful photos. We should have invested in entertainment, or eloped.

Average Cost of a professional entertainment specialist: $1500-$3000
And most come with a money-back guarantee.

Duration : 0:7:17

Read the rest of this entry »

I want to give her everything she wants but I’m not a millionaire. Were going to have around 150 guests and that alone seems to be $6-8,000. for food and drink. Still being realistic but not over the top, how much is a fair amount to spend on this one day party with out putting me in debt?

Consider this website to give you a general idea and estimate for cost of weddings in your area:

www.costofwedding.com

On an average, for the Bay area, consider approximately 30,000.00 35,000.00 for up to 150 guests (moderately priced budget wedding). Personally, I’d have the reception at a restaurant that can accomodate that many guests (you will avoid the extra headaches of dealing with a rental company for renting linens; silverware; tables; chairs……etc…..) dealing with caterers.

Restaurants and/or hotels (with banquet rooms) may cost a little more (example $65.00 & up per person), but they already have all of the equipment, staffing and accomodations built into their price. It’s less work for you to deal with.

Hope this helps you out.