I agree. We decided to help our cost by cutting down on the number of people attending (no college buddies we haven't seen for 5+ years, thanks) instead of taking shortcuts on other things. We are having a great church ceremony for 50 guests, a catered reception, etc. for a little over 4,000. Plus, his mom was a big help on my ring because she gave us a really nice ring, and we just had the diamonds reset. There are lots of tips online to minimize cost and have things be beautiful. Check your local library for books too.
TRACISYN 1/6/08 12:33 P
I did an outdoor wedding for 200 people for under 10,000 and I went all out. I have also planned some gorgeous weddings for 6,000 or so. It can definitely be done! :)
LIDOCHKA 1/5/08 3:55 A
One of my closest friends is planning a wedding for July, and her budget is the same at two years at our university. She told me about a month ago that they have already gone over budget.
That really scares me, because I don't have that kind of money saved up, and even if I did, we would both prefer to spend that on a down payment for a house instead of one day.
Please, somebody tell me that a nice wedding can be had for less than my college tuition!
DGAIL53 12/20/07 5:15 P
I was married 28 years--we had a small wedding at my parents home--I had just a short street length dress.
my husband was killed 5.5 years ago
However God has blessed me with a wonderful new man in my life. Original wedding date set for Dec 6 (I have to wait until I am 55 because of pension I receive from PO on my late husband.
My children all grown seem ok with everything--but don't want to be in the wedding or help me plan--which has hurt my feelings a lot.
I am thinking we are going to have to change date to sometime in 09--but Jan and Feb are out as they interfere with activities my daughter and her family are involved in. I don't want March--just because so that leaves April.
I have priced places and have a few choices reasonable. My dress is not costing me anything other than a little fabric (I was blessed from Freecycle to receive about 50 dresses--some to be used in a quilt project for breast cancer--the rest I will sell--somehow.
I will make any food---and maybe even my cake---I will do all the flowers etc---I am also a consultant for Home Interior and Gifts (that helped a lot when I did my daughters wedding---I even made the bridesmaids dresses back then--they paid for the fabric) but all in all I think we spent close to $5,000 and didn't charge anything it might have been less)
I can't afford that much even now--but I do want a church wedding as did not have one the first time and I want a nice reception and dancing (which my fiance is not sure about the dancing.
Some days I think just going to HI and getting married on the beach would be easier---but I would have none of my family---daughter suggested we get married in Vegas--but still not many family or friends would be there.
am I crazy with a second marriage to want it all?
KIMBERLYSERPAS 12/20/07 3:58 P
I am a wedding coordinator and plan destination weddings in the Bahamas. I was also married in the Bahamas due to the costs and hassles of a "traditional" wedding. I am not sure about others, but my weddings start at around $2000. My website is being worked on right now, but you can visit it or send me sparkmail if you have any questions that I can help you with. www.islandcruiseweddings.com
JCOOLCASH11 12/4/07 6:13 P
I have considered Vegas only because of the cost... wedding prices are sky rocketing!
KARENA99 12/4/07 5:56 P
KATIEAX,
Friends of ours were married in Vegas last year. It was a blast...not cheesy at all. They were married at Caesar's in the garden by the pool...and it was gorgeous. Think of it as a destination wedding! There is so much for all of your guests to do. The bride also told me that the details were handled very well by the wedding coordinator at the hotel...they're pros!
Have a great time in Vegas!
K
KATIEAX 12/4/07 8:05 A
I'm with you on weddings costing too much! I'm really not a fan of weddings - it seems like the original meaning has gone away. After being in 6 of the 8 weddings that we went to in 2007, we decided that we wanted to do something different. We are going to get married in Vegas. It isn't as cheesy as it may sound - the Paris hotel has a great little chapel. We are inviting all that want to come to Vegas. When we return, we'll have a little celebration with appetizers & drinks. The theme is low budget, low stress & fun!
WATERCOLOR 12/2/07 11:31 P
Just remember, you don't have to feed everybody. Have a beautiful cake and that's it. If you time the wedding right, that's all you have to do. Pick a pretty spot, and you don't have to do decorations either - no ribbons or flowers. Just a few in key places. It doesn't have to look like a florist threw up on your location. etc. Tasteful and modern.
CHUNKYDELUXE 11/29/07 3:53 A
I am not offended in the least. A wedding is whatever you want it to be, and honey, if you have the money, spend it!!! I mean what some people think are must haves *linen napkins,silver candlesticks, signature cocktail* are pure luxury to others. Different strokes for different folks.
CHERYLHURT 11/28/07 8:47 P
My parents offered us the wedding or the money. We took the money and put it into stocks. That investment set us for the rest of our lives, so far!
GEOGIRL 11/28/07 11:10 A
Its not a question of justifying what you will spend on your wedding! If its what you want and you have the means to pay for it then all the power to you. My sister and I are both getting married next year, myself in July and her in September, there will be about a $30,000 price difference in our weddings... but both will be perfect and exactly what we and our finaces want.
I was willing to elope but my fiance and his family wanted a big wedding, either way we will be married and thats what matters to me.
MISSG818 11/28/07 11:04 A
Tinker348
If you were referring to me, I am okay spending almost $20K. When we went into this we said we would spend most of the money on OUR honeymoon and rings. The difference is spent on the wedding (for everyone else). Thus far, we did just as we said. We purchased the engagement ring; we intend to purchase the wedding bands at the end of 2008; and our honeymoon will be spent in an all inclusive honeymoon suite overlooking the St. Thomas mountains. The wedding is $2200, no reception, an economical wedding dress/tux and the air fare we will play by ear. We plan to wait another year before purchasing another house, but we said we would do it for us and we DID...
TINKER348 11/28/07 10:45 A
Are you really okay with spending that much? I mean, how do you justify it? We aren't taking out a loan or using credit for our wedding either- but the thought of 5k makes me want to say forget it. I'd pass out if I hit that high
MISSG818 11/28/07 7:24 A
I did not know a destination wedding would be this expense until we added up all the expenses. With the wedding ceremony, hotel accommodations for the honeymoon, dress/tux, rings ($$$), and air fare, we are at (almost) $20K. I booked my wedding in 2009 to give us an opportunity to pay for it. We did not want to use our credit, nor did we want to finance it. We took an all inclusive honeymoon so we do not have to spend any money while we are honeymooning.
ROSALIE68 11/27/07 9:55 P
ok so i guess we thought we could get out of paying aton of money by having a cruise ship wedding. no reception no guest list no food dj none of that. oh was i wrong. well i guess i could of been right but its the wrong season to go on a cruise. the only time i had daycare for my kids was during spring break b/c my sister is in college and can come here for a week. any other time of the year would have been so much cheaper. so u know how it goes, during the busy season they jack the prices up. our cruise was near 3000 the wedding (20 min) is 1000 my sisters plane tickets 600 my plane tickets 1300 rings 3000 dress 1000 hair 100 makeup 100 marriage license 200 hotel 250 gas money for cruise(wtf?!!) 70 im serious fuel for the cruise its a new thing they started 50 store my truck at the airport and who knows what else. mg i think im just tying to block it all out. its getting close to scramble time. only 3 month left. march is almost here and where is all the money i need?? then this lady at my job says she is going on a 7day cruise is january and her whole trip with plane ticket is only 600. i was so mad. this is the only opportunity we have in 2008 to ge married and we have been engaged for so long that i was just beyond ready to get it done. so that is my money story. i will feel alot better when its all paid for and i dont have to stress anymore. rosalie
TINKER348 11/26/07 11:32 A
I hear you on that. Any way to make a buck. I just want to have fun- who cares about the rest?
DUBLINROSE 11/26/07 5:28 A
Its just crazy what venues charge these days. My sister in law got married 5 years ago and held her reception in a castle and paid for the food and the room etc. Her sister got married there this summer and had to pay a grand just to make the booking! Thats on top of everything else. Its like they hear wedding party and go ching ching
SPIRITEDRINOA 11/25/07 12:05 A
Yes, weddings are so expensive :(
My fiance and I had initially set our costs at about $10,000 - that seems reasonable for an offsite wedding in New England during autumn peak (hotel and such rates are higher that time of year there).
However, we found a place that we both love. The problem is that the room we're getting is a $3,000 room rental. My dress and all the accessories cost me $800 (my mother and his mother each paid for one of the accessories, so it was about $800 out of my own pocket). Fortunately, Mom and the future MiL have offered to help. My mom is taking the cost of the cake and the photographer, and part of the reception. His parents said they'd host the rehearsal dinner or a brunch the next morning (we're going with the brunch, neither of us see much point in a rehearsal dinner, really. We'll just rehearse whatever might need to get rehearsed - we don't need to practise eating). His mom also offered to help with the reception. They were both with me when I looked at the site, and they both fell in love with it too, so they wanted it there, and they wanted to help as much as possible if that was what we wanted! :)
Right now, we're looking at probably around $15K for the entire cost of the wedding/reception. And actually, we'll technically be married before the ceremony there. Because of the difficulties of getting licensed and everything out of state, we're probably going to do the legalities here in CA, and then have a service there that would be more like a vow renewal.
Fortunately, my cousins MiL is a Justice of the Peace, and I'll be meeting her when I'm back there for the holidays. My mom says usually she doesn't look for payment, but appreciates gift baskets.
I still have to deal with centerpieces and the little gifts for the guests. Eek!
BUTTERFLIDRMZ 11/23/07 6:37 P
Good Luck BRIDGETT28
BRIDGETT28 11/21/07 11:04 A
I am in the process of planning a wedding with 250-300 guests on a $5,000 budget -- that doesn't include dresses for me and bridesmaids and flower girl, tuxes for the groom and groomsmen and ring bearer, and the rings for both myself and my groom. I think that is plenty of money to plan a wonderful wedding.
If things that are going on right now go alright, I will get to have my big wedding, otherwise it will be a small one with only immediate family invited and a maid of honor and best man --- no bridesmaids, groomsmen, flowergirl, or ring bear.
Hopefully things will go alright and i won't have to sacrific my dream of a large wedding for lawyer bills. Oh well i guess we will see what happens
BUTTERFLIDRMZ 11/20/07 6:48 P
I know what you mean. I stopped planning mine because of how much its going to cost. I am seriously just thinking about going to the court house and get married and get together with my friends and family here in town and thats that. I cant handle this crazy prices!
TINKER348 11/20/07 3:42 P
I am planning our wedding with a budget of $5000 for 250 guests. Everyone told me I couldn't do it- but sure enough I did. The only thing we have left to do is figure out what the guys are going to wear (which I informed the fiance is not my job to do). We still have a few hundred dollars left too. I am proud of myself. Still spending that much money makes me want to say forget it!
WENDY_BOB 11/18/07 5:14 A
I think that, to a certain extent, you can make a wedding as expensive or cheap as you want it to be. Our budget is in the region of £5k ($10k?) which is spot on for us. We'll have had two years to save and are going halves with my parents. We could easily have been a lot more budget about it, but we want a really nice day but without the £20k budget. A colleague of mine whose daughter is getting married around the same time has spent 3 times our entire budget on the venue alone, which goes to show how ridiculous things can get, but then if you have the money, why not?? My mother has been a god send with the organising. She has called in favours from all sorts of people and we have haggled, researched and enlisted a lot of friends and family to help out. My top tips are: 1. Ask as many people as possible what they did when they got married (we ended up finding THE most beautiful venue for a cost of only £500 for the entire day!) 2. Call in favours - if you know someone artistic ask them to help with the invites/table plan, if you know a good cook ask if they would make the cake. Also, photographers are SO expensive and although we are forking out for one, there may be plenty of budding ametures out there amongst your friends who you can ask to all help out. 3. know what you want. you wont get a beautiful big white wedding out of £2k so be realistic. a friend of mine got married a couple of years ago and they forked out big for the ceremony and dress (cos they wanted the nice pictures) and had nothing more than a DIY buffet and some drinks back at their house afterwards. 4. Don't spend loads of money on the stuff people forget. Noone will care what the invite looked like when they think back to the day. No-one will remember the favours or the finishing touches that seemed so important at the time. The main thing they will remember is whether or not they enjoyed it. Good luck to you all. We're still 9 months away, but time is flying by now!
XRHEAX 11/16/07 5:38 A
i bought a dress from eBay, new, for £41 (abot $80) i didn't like it so i cut bits up and attached other bits on and now i love it, and i made it myself, so it is completely unique.
i took a load of netting off my dress and i am using that to make favours. i bought my daughters dress from eBay for £15 ($30) and i love that too. we are making the bridemaid dress out of a pair of curtains and a sheet.
as for the decorations, i have bought a load of dries rosebuds and rose petals and we are putting them on the tables with candles (again, all bought from eBay) the candle holders i decorated myself to save money. i am also going to give some of the candles away as presents when we have finished with them, or i will sell them on again.
we are making the cake ourselves. i am doing the fruit cake (in Britain it is traditonal to have fruitcake at a wedding) and i am icing them. the groom is making a chocolate and a sponge cake, so we are really excited about this.
i am making the ring cushions myself, and the invitations, buying as much from one place to get reductions and save on postage.
we are hiring to grooms kilt (we live in scotland) and our two boys kilts as well.
we did have a photgrapher lined up but her has let us down, and the prices are RIDICULOUS. it looks like i am going to have to get a couple of people to take some nice photos and just hope for the best.
we are getting married late in the day so i dont have to give anyone their dinner. we have choosen a church that is ugly but the people in it are really nice (and it is £30 ($60), so for photos afterwards we are goingto the local park and the kids can feed the ducks, which is free.
we are having a party at night time using our local hall and a DJ that we got at half price. the biggest problem was the catering, so after thinking about it most of the women i know (my friends and sisters and so on) are cooking a few plates of food each on the morning, and then we are taking them to the hall before we get dressed.
my bridemaids daughters are hairdressers, my sister lent me her tiara, a neighbour gave me a veil, my mum gave me a necklace. i bought flat shoes on eBay for £5 ($10) and i have tried my hardest to cut corners.
we are paying for the wedding ourselves, although my mum gave me £100 ($200) and we have a budget of £1000 ($2000) we have three children and are not prepared to leave ourselves completely fanancially ruined for the sake of one day when we have three people that depend on us.
the average wedding in Britain according to recent results in bridal magazines is £20.000 ($40,000) which is ridiculous. i am not willing to pay that much - so i am not.
i think it depends on your personal tastes. i don't need everything new - it most is has been previously been used for a few hours.
a friend of mine is getting married two weeks after me and her budget is huge. as i pointed out to her though, she has worked really hard to save that money and they don't have any children yet. also, i have loads of time to sit at home and do loads of creative stuff and she doesn't (she also does not have the patience lol) so she has bought a lot of services that i can do myself
the only thing that annoys me is when places put their porices up when they know it is a wdding. i know that weddings make up a large portion of their income but some of the prices over here are bordering on unbelieveable!
susan
PUFFPUFF1997 11/8/07 7:47 P
Well I guess I caught a break by my family not wanting to come to our wedding (my family is huge!). It cut our guest list from 150+ to about 30. Our wedding cost went from $45,000 to about $7,000 (not including the rings)but we were able to get an amazing party going for the 30 coming.
MISSG818 11/8/07 2:45 P
We planned our wedding in 2009, so we would spend NOT CREDIT. Our St. Thomas wedding is somewhat affordable, but the engagement ring and wedding bands broke the bank...
MISSG818 11/8/07 2:41 P
We planned our wedding in 2009, so we would spend NOT CREDIT. Our St. Thomas wedding is somewhat affordable, but the engagement ring and wedding bands broke the bank...
PAINTED.BLUE 8/3/07 7:57 P
Weddings are DEFINTELY crazy expensive! Mine will be May 17 and we're on a low budget, so I hear you! It's funny how anything that says "wedding" tacked onto it marks the price wayyyy up!
We're having our reception at the church's parish hall, and it's actually pretty nice. I like the fact that we're not locked into a caterer there like so many places. My mom is going to make some of the food. Check the dollar store for decorations and stuff.
I went to Dollar Tree the other day and they had tons of different glassware that you can use in centerpieces, as well as wine glasses and stuff. I think you really have to be creative to spend money, don't just go with whatever people are advertising!
SUZMOR 8/3/07 9:20 A
Krysti, your bridesmaid sound like one of mine. When we were in her wedding, we ended up buying 2, count them, 2 dresses. And then she told us her hair stylist was coming up to VT form Boston to do her hair and ours,making us think she was covering it for us. Then I got a bill for $90 for my updo! Fortunately, she's not complaining about spending money. I was apologizing to my bridesmaids about how much their dresses cost--197 after tax--but she said I don't care how much, I know how much you had to spend on my wedding. finally, she's not so spoiled!
DUBLINROSE 8/3/07 4:51 A
weddings do cost far too much money. I've been to a few weddings this year and the amount of money that's been spent on them is obsene. Its fine if you have the money to spend but the couples involved usually have ended up paying for it on their credit cards and who wants to start married life in debt.
KRYSTI21 8/2/07 11:45 P
Ya weddings do cost a lot of money but what makes things worse is when you have a bridesmaid complaining about all the money that she had to spend this year on her own wedding, her honeymoon, other weddings she has to attend, and then being in mine...well for one, she DIDN'T pay for a cent in her wedding or her honeymoon, and the other weddings she has to go to are in her city so there aren't many expenses! The only expenses she has is buying the dress for my wedding and travelling to come to my wedding....grrrrrr! So frustrated with her!
BOGGIN828 8/2/07 4:34 P
I think that my biggest budget problem is that I'm getting married in Seattle. Seattle parks are even a lot of money! Oh well. I finally decided that in 10 years from now I'll reminisce about what a gorgeous wedding I had, not how much money I spent on it!
SUZMOR 8/2/07 3:59 P
You gals are awesome with all your budgeting and whatnot! My plan was 10K, that I would pay for, but between my family and his family, it got a little out of control. I wanted a small simple wedding like what some of you are describing, a la the movie In Her Shoes--they got married at a restaurant that they loved or first date or something. Instead we are getting married at FH cousin's place, which is a restaurant/banquet hall in a victorian era mansion. And yes, we are spending about half as much on venue because it is in WV instead of Baltimore or DC where we live, but my budget is arleady around 16k. fortunately, my parents have paid for more than I bargained for and his parents are picking up the bar tab.
STARSOUL 8/2/07 2:37 P
I think that most brides-to-be stress a lot over the wedding budget. My fiance and I are trying to pay for as much as possible ourselves. I've started tutoring online to help make extra money, and he's doing landscaping for out landlord. We're also putting as much "extra" money as we can toward the wedding, but it's hard being on a strict budget when we'd have so much more money available if we weren't saving for our wedding! We're trying to stick to about $5000 for our wedding, but since it's a year away, I have no idea how close we'll get to that. My mom is buying my dress (about $450), I bought my veil on ebay ($30 and it's gorgeous), we're paying $730 for our reception site, and we might have our ceremony there, too. We get the site (a very pretty country windmill museum) and the hall (which is huge) from Thursday through Sunday for our Saturday wedding. But if we want to have the ceremony there we have to rent out own chairs since theirs aren't allowed to go outside. And chair rentals are ridiculous! It's 2.75/chair for the nice white chairs or .85 for the crappy samsonite chairs, but you get what you pay for. We're doing the food ourselves, as my mom and sister work in a restaurant. My pastor is charing $300 when the average here is about $50. It's frustrating! We're also doing most of the flowers ourselves, which will save a lot of money. I'm also using ebay a lot. I wanted to do the cake ourselves, but that's a lot of work, and my sister knows someone who makes amazing cakes and hopefully won't be too expensive. I figure if it comes down to it I'll take out more student loans next year to cover my rent and expenses I normally pay myself, and use the money I'm not spending on those things toward the wedding, and then I can pay back the extra debt when I'm making more money. Bridal Bargains and How to Have an Elegant wedding for $5000 (or less) are two books I can't live without right now. Good luck to everyone!
BOGGIN828 7/17/07 4:03 P
Thanks Tsike, Those chair covers are pretty average from what I've found, a little lower, but not any less than the chairs I'm renting... thanks for letting me know though. I'll keep an eye out for more :)
TSIKES7 7/17/07 3:57 P
Try checking rental sites over the net. I work for a hotel and am often ordering chair covers, linens, tableware, ect.... I have found that it can be cheaper @ times to order and have shipped than to order from a local event company. A great place to look at for chair covers with sashes or chairs is http://www.cheapchaircovers.com You can also save a bit by setting up yourself.
BOGGIN828 7/17/07 3:05 P
Actually, even with the high cost of rentals, the venue we chose is still the least expensive. I will cross my fingers though that some family has the kind of sound equipment we can use and possibly other items.
FRANKLIM 7/17/07 2:54 P
It probably doesn't help now, but we based our venue decision on what was included. We are doing the ceremony/reception at a restaurant, so the only thing we need to rent are chairs for the outdoor ceremony. My suggestion is to check with friends/neighbors - for things like arbor's, sound equipment (my brother is a dj in Vegas and has friends in portland that he is going to borrow sound equipment from - those are the best kind of favors they involve the family and save money!) Another thought is to check freecycle or craigslist if you have access in your area... good luck!
BOGGIN828 7/17/07 2:48 P
Has anyone had any luck in the rental area? How did you limit what was needed for rental items? Our list is so long and totals $1195 so far, I cannot seem to figure how to cut anything out! On the list we have china, flatware, a bar, dance floor, sound system (we're using our ipod for music), chairs (their chairs are hideous and covers are more expensive to rent than chairs are!), and linens. Any suggestions?
TSIKES7 7/17/07 2:34 P
I saved a lot on our Honeymoon. We purchased a 6 day, 5 night all inclusive trip to the Moon Palace in Cancun (including air fare) for $2,500. I also saved on flowers. I went with a Market Day Special and they are including all center pieces, a spray for the fireplace, and all the flowers for the wedding party for $500. The catch is they use the flowers that are at the Market the day before my event adhearing only to my color choices.
Good luck with cutting costs. Weddings are expensive.
CARLAROSE1 7/16/07 8:06 P
Our budget is $10,000.00 from rings to honeymoon. So far we are under budget, but in the end I'm sure we'll be right on target. We are getting married with a simple ceremony in the small town where we live. We are providing the food, and the church auxillary ladies are preparing it for us. There will be a lot of people there, as my family is large, but our goal is to have fun, not be fancy. The reception is at the local bar, and the hotel is across the street! I refuse to go broke over one day... it's the rest of our lives that count!
FRANKLIM 7/12/07 1:35 P
Yes - they don't call it the wedding industry for nothing! There are a whole series of books out there written for the 'discerning bride on a budget' but they offer suggestions of selecting non-peak season, or holding the wedding on a week night to cut costs. MY downfall is listening to all of the salespeople tell me how much 'I deserve' to have this perfect day. Who are we kidding? I get to marry my best friend, our families are coming from accross the US to celebrate with us - THAT is what will matter - but i still wanted a dress (that I plan to wear for only 6-8 hours?!?! Why do I think that getting it for $425 was a DEAL?! Because the 'industry' tells us we should expect to spend 1-10K on a dress - for the fairy tale wedding. If I were more of an activist, I would have refused, but part of me bought in - so no, you aren't crazy, it's a racket (and with it being a one-or-two time through industry - wedding vendors don't have to focus on customer service!) but enough - breathe deep, focus on what is important to you, and a wedding reception in a park will be lovely (and smart!) I wish you the best of luck!
CHEWIEKIKI 7/9/07 4:26 P
We got married at our friend's restaurant, then left a few days later for CR. When we got back, we hosted our "wedding celebration" at our condo.
The first hour was sangria by the pool (we bought matching plastic cups, straws and a big tub to make it in), and then the rest was upstairs in our condo overlooking the city. We just renovated it with a focus on entertaining, so we were able to fit 40 people comfortably in our 1300 square feet. One helper was in the kitchen refreshing food, and the other was on the balcony (30x8') pouring drinks.
One thing I've always thought might be worth considering is seeing if you can rent a party room in an upscale apartment complex or condo community/building. Sometimes they are fabulous, and it's just a deposit or fee of a couple hundred bucks.
And rather than catering, we did a Tampa/Tapas themed cocktail party with food from about 5 of our favorite restaurants (paella, deviled crabs, empanadas, patatas bravas). We had our helpers pick up the prepaid trays on their way to our place. Then, we got some beautiful veggie and cheese trays from Fresh Market (upscale grocery), and we made just a few select dishes ourselves like fresh ceviche and mango salsa. No outrageous catering fees, we never told anyone it was wedding-related, and it was personal - all our favorites. But SO stress free.
We even had cuban sandwiches cut into bitesized pieces and stuck with toothpicks that had real seashells on them. Super cheap, good bulky food to soak up the booze, and looked pretty swank!
Like I said, we barely made a dent in the food. We even took it all to an "after party" at our friend's house the next day. And we left it there!! Haha!
BOGGIN828 7/9/07 4:17 P
CHEWIEKIKI,
Where did you hold your reception/wedding? It sounds like you found a great way to save some money. I just wish I knew someone with a beautiful house, or even a farm, ha ha!
CHEWIEKIKI 7/9/07 4:15 P
Let's see...
My dress was less than $200. $70 alterations. His shirt was $100. My heels were maybe $50.
Booze was $400. Food was about $400, and we barely made a dent in it. Photographer was $150.
We bought forks, appetizer plates and wine goblets, which we're keeping because we love to entertain.
We rented champagne flutes, martini glasses, chafing dishes and dessert plates - $100?
We hired two helpers, $300 and security for two hours, $40.
So, $1800, not counting the stuff we're going to keep and use again. We spend about $5000 on our honeymoon.
I'm sure there's stuff I'm forgetting, but bottom line is we spent two weeks in Costa Rica for the same amount that some people use as a room deposit for a reception. And we avoided a LOT of wedding markups.
Oh yeah, we paid $11.95 for an amazing tropical flower arrangement at Wild Oats that had all the flowers we'd seen in Costa Rica. My MOH/BF thought it had to cost over $100, easily. It even had two itty, bitty REAL pineapples in it.
SHANLUBEY 7/9/07 1:24 P
Believe me, I have had my own financial hardships. As I said in my original post, this is the first time my parents give me a thing. I've had a cent from them since I turned 18. And before that, I've had a job since 14.5 years old. I've had it hard on my own, cause I am a shop/charge aholic. I find it AMAZING that many of you will not charge a cent for your weddings. That takes amazing restraint.
I would've been bankrupt, or in Vegas. One of the two - if I didn't have my parents.
Sorry for sounding insensitive. :( My dad came up from living with a different aunt and uncle every month to who he is today. We know struggles.
BOGGIN828 7/9/07 1:19 P
Hey Shan-
If you like, you could send some of that money in this direction, I'm a great charity case! (just kidding)
BOGGIN828 7/9/07 1:16 P
I understand Shan- you did not intend it how it sounded that's all. I think that's great that you are donating to charity. It just sounded like bragging. I did not realize that you were explaining your situation as a frustration. I'm sure you are a very sweet girl and only meant well. It was just shocking to read that after reading through everyone's hardships. I was homeless as a child and am a little overly sensitive when it comes to financial hardships because of my history. I apologize if I overreacted.
SHANLUBEY 7/9/07 1:13 P
I was explaining how everyone's situation is different. I much rather would have a small, simple wedding with just my family - but it's not happening. I am actually having trouble finding things to spend the money on. We're donating to charity as a favor cause I am losing options here.
Whether a big wedding, or a small one; whether a tiny budget or a large one - we're all stressing. it isn't easy on this end either. I have too many people to please, too many things to think of. I am wearing a $600 dress. I could've worn Vera Wang, but St. Jude's deserves my money far more than any vendor.
As insensitive as it may seem, it was pure honesty. I've had a hard time with friends who find my wedding budget ridiculous, and I thought this was a sounding board to voice our wedding budget concerns.
However, if in any way I offended anyone, I sincerely apologize. I was looking for some people with open minds to AGREE that it can't be easy on this end either.
BOGGIN828 7/9/07 1:01 P
Ummm.... not to be rude Shan, but are you just bragging? It doesn't seem very nice to post this kind of information in a place where everyone is talking about their frustrations with having very little money. If I posted something that said "I have trouble paying the bills, my five infants, and all the medical bills for my husband who is dying of cancer" would your response be "I don't even work and I'm a millionaire"? Maybe you didn't mean it that way, but ouch. I am very happy for you that you are so fortunate, and you probably deserve it. But, that was a pretty insensitive post.
SHANLUBEY 7/9/07 12:56 P
Our parents are paying for our wedding with 250 guests. That's split between my parts and DF's. The catering is at a quaint castle nearby our hometown, for about 75pp. Open bar included, flowers, cake is free (included), we're not spending a cent, other than each other's gift and our attendants gifts.
My mother and father threw my brothers entire wedding last year for 450 people and it was spectacular. But it was all of the little things that counted, the special moments rather. My father owns a construction company, and they have never given us a cent. We've paid our own bills that we have made. However, Mom and Dad want us to have what they didn't get on our wedding day. (Here's my edit - My parents grew up far less fortunate in Azores, Portugal. No running water, no heat, no electricity. They try to live vicariously through us. Mom wore black shoes at her wedding cause she couldn't afford white ones. Her dress was borrowed. I am wearing black shoes in honor of her!)
Some things seem frivolous, like the photography, but it'll be worth it I guess. We bought a house ourselves, and will close on it July 27th. We're (so far) completely under (mom's) budget and all I have left is hair, makeup and his suit!
ASPARKS1 7/8/07 11:58 P
When we got married, we found lots of ways to cut costs and only paid in cash. Our caterer was a former co-worker of mine who does catering on the side (she did a really nice buffet dinner for 6.00 pp and had about a dozen choices on the table); a friend did our flowers (she does a lot of interior decorating for extra money on the side of her daycare); we did our own invitations, programs and centerpieces, hobby lobby is the best!); my dh uncle is a pastor, so we didn't pay for the church (neither of us were members of his church, but he got permission to perform as long as we went to the church twice before we got married) or the officiating; friends and family set up and tore down the reception hall; his great aunt made our cake, she used to make them for a living and made ours as a gift to us. However, we had around 200 people and if I could do it over again, I would have only invited immediate family and had something more intimate. We had two junior bridesmaids, one maid of honor, four bridesmaids and a flower girl as well as corresponding groomsmen, etc. We spent the biggest part of our budget on photographs, but they look amazing and I don't regret that. The total cost of everything (including rehearsal dinner) was around $9500-$10000. I know it sounds like a lot, but we had a lot of guests, also. We also paid for half the tuxedos for the men and half the dresses for the girls since we chose some rather expensive gowns. If we hadn't done that, we would have spent nearly $1500 less. Good luck to all!
PIZZAFACE 6/26/07 2:14 P
I am getting married on a friday night. For 125 people with a sitdown dinner (3 entree choices), open bar, centerpieces, and cake for 79.00pp
Its still really expensive, but it was the best deal I could find in CT.
SOPHIEGRACE 6/25/07 1:58 P
We are getting married- in a ceremony that we are excited about- in 61 days and have a $6000 budget for a guest list of 80 people. Here is how we cut costs:
1. Getting married on a Sunday afternoon (less for the venue (a castle), less alcohol, etc.). Besides the food, the venue was the most expensive item ($1500), but it is a castle with a garden & we don't need any decorations.
2. An English High Tea menu (ceremony is at 1:00, so this is like an afternoon snack of mini quishes, spanakopita, cheese, fruit, tea sandwiches, scones, lemon tarts, & wedding cake)
3. Only soda, water, wine, and mimosas for drinks (again, it is Sunday afternoon... does anyone REALLY NEED a gin and tonic?!)
4. Our rehearsal meal is lunch (this is mainly because you cannot have a rehearsal in our venue in the evening because of the event schedule, so it worked out well!)
5. Our photographer is building his portfolio, so he is only charging $700 for EVERYTHING! To be sure, we have seen some of his work and liked it and he did engagement photos of us for free to give us some assurance.
6. Small wedding party- MOH, Best Man, and a smattering of others involved.
7. My brother became 'ordained' online and is marrying us (I already checked... it is legal!).
8. I knew a Sunday afternoon isn't a busy time for a DJ and I used that to negotiate dj services.
9. I used the bottom portion of my mom's wedding dress and had a new top made that better suited me and my style. The cost of the new top: $35 in materials and I plan on giving the friend that made it $150 as a thank you (even though she routinely declines any money for making it).
10. Only flowers for people, not for decorations. There will be no floral swags anywhere!
Congrats to all planning a wedding! =)
MDBLILY 6/24/07 3:17 P
We are getting married in a national park which was onlt $100 for the permit, and then we have a friend who is a pastor so that will save lots
AECHICK022002 6/24/07 7:49 A
I'm going to las vegas for my wedding! My dad is being awesome and paying for the wedding ceremony which is about $900.00 and our air fare out there. The only thing we have to pay for is our hotel room and my wedding dress, i'm super excited!
MARVINA1216 6/23/07 9:59 P
We're having a small destination wedding with only about 50 people, and we're still going to end up paying around $10,000. I'm going out of my mind trying to figure out how to cut costs. It's nuts!
HANNAHBOB 6/23/07 11:38 A
We are having 250 guests and trying to keep it as inexpensive as possible. Our date isn't until October 10, 2009, so I've had lots of time to search for deals. All the stuff we've bought so far has been from ebay. I've also been taking notes when friends/family get married so I can learn about the best deals for catering, invitations, and cake. I think we should be able to keep everything under $5,000.
JESLYN2001 6/23/07 5:50 A
I wanted to just get married at the court house since my mother lost her job as did his father. But his family refused so they took over paying for the wedding. To pay for it, they're having to take out a huge loan. I think it's stupid, but it's what they wanted to do.
DOWNTOWN-JULIE 6/20/07 11:56 A
I think when everything is said and done, we'll end up at about $8 or 9k - and that's all for a "destination wedding." We lucked out on the reception site (we get it from 8 AM Saturday to 7 AM Sunday, including chairs and tables and use of the kitchen, and we don't have an attached catering/bar contract. All for just $350 - no joke!), and the beach permit for the actual ceremony is only $150.
We splurged a bit more on our photographer and cake, but we knew that the photos would be really important, and we REALLY liked the cake. Our caterer was a great deal (full dinner - steak and salmon, salads, shrimp cocktails, etc.), and their food is excellent. I ordered ceremony flowers from a local florist, but will be getting reception flowers at Costco. We're also going to buy our alcohol at Costco, which will save a lot off a caterer/reception site-sponsored bar.
I'm making the centerpieces (bought hurricane lamps at Michaels, shells from Oriental Trading, candles from Votivo/Nola outlet), the party favors, both the save-the-dates and wedding invitations, and my veil.
All in all, I think that's the key: if you're comfortable doing some stuff yourself, by all means do it! For the rest, just shop around and take advantage of whatever help or assistance others offer. :-)
Congrats, guys!
BOGGIN828 6/19/07 5:38 P
Aha, that makes sense Rabbit. We don't have $8500 left, that is our total budget for the event. We actually have some great connections and I feel like I've done pretty well. We are only spending about $1/favor, but when you get 80 to 100 of those, the invites, the programs, etc, then even home-made things cost a bundle. I bought hydrangeas and planted them at my mom's and will take those for my bouquets (homemade), but the cost of the ribbon and other extras to even make them adds up. We get a free cake (my sister's a culinary chef) and free beverages (my dad is a beer and wine importer).
I truly feel like I've been as creative as I can be. There are some things I refuse to skimp on, but even those aren't horribly expensive. I insist on getting my hair done professionally (but what is that $100-$200?). I'm purchasing gifts for my wedding party, but only spending $10 each. My rehearsal dinner will cost me around $400. Unfortunately, we have no help from his parents. My parents will pitch in about $6000 or $7000, but we plan to use that for the honeymoon.
Then there's the wedding rings, the officiant fee, the hotel for the wedding night (we are having a 'destination wedding'). I have widdled down all the costs to the lowest possible amount that can still purchase anything and this was as low as I could get my budget. I guess some people just luck out!
RABBITOLM 6/19/07 4:59 P
My mother paid for my dress, I'm making the jewellery, there's no centrepieces (cocktail wedding, not a sit-down). Flowers will be fall, in-season, and since our colours are red and champagne, should be pretty easy. Our photographer is a friend who's giving us a great deal, and having seen him in action at another friend's wedding, we're excited to have him.
Rehearsal dinner will be a BBQ at my parents' place, and our favours will be very inexpensive (a candy buffet and decorated mini mason jars).
Picking and choosing the details can definitely make or break a budget. With $8500 left in your budget, you should have no problem coming in with dollars to spare. Take advantage of connections - know someone who works in a shop, is friends with a photog, is crafty or can sew? Ask for their help! If a bride really *MUST* give crystal wine glasses as her favours, that's her perogative, but you have to pick the things that will be most meaningful and memorable to you, and the rest can be creatively budget-friendly. :)
ALEXANDERDIVA 6/19/07 2:39 P
Ask, Ask, Ask around. We had a lady who baked not only our wedding cake, but one for our engagement party, and one for our wedding anniversary. The cost was much cheaper and the taste was superb. We had individuals who donated most of our wedding decorations (flowers for the gazebo), the candlelbras, tables, liquor, and we found a new photographers to do our wedding photos (cheap). The photograher was new needed business so in exchange for him passing out his cards we got great pic's cheap. Passing out his business cards didn't bother our guest either. www.craigslist.com has great options and almost everything you are looking for. Really it depends on your taste as to how much your wedding will cost. Because nice and simple is always inexpensive. When you look back on the photos, it's your dress you notice, your flowers, your cake and your MAN. The food is never even mention. Although we did have great food, dance and drinks we kept our cost low. Again, ask, ask, ask.....you have not cause you ask not.
NICKSBRIDE2BE 6/19/07 2:02 P
Well I am doing my wedding for 120 guests for $3500. You just have to think outside the box. Not everything needs to be bought.. you can make things. (favors and attendants gifts) Also remember the favors dont have to be expensive, because they might not get used, or taken home... you would hate to have 100 extra picture frames or something...
BOGGIN828 6/19/07 1:51 P
Hi Rabbit,
So, the venue, food and cash bar are $6000, right? Our food, venue, and bar are only $1700- we get the cake free- and we still have a budget of $8500. What am I missing? Flowers aren't cheap, and a photographer is less cheap. Now, how about getting your hair done, your dress, the rehearsal dinner, wedding favors, wedding party gifts, centerpieces, the list goes on. I'm not trying to stress anyone out, I am just trying to understand. People keep talking about these weddings under $5000... are they not including the details? Is that not a major part of the budget?
RABBITOLM 6/19/07 1:12 P
I refuse to spend crazy amounts of money on a single-day event. We're making it easy on ourselves: 60 people at the ceremony/reception, both held at a gorgeous bed and breakfast. The home is stunning and needs next to no decoration, they have their own linens/plates, and the owner is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef. Score! The venue, food included and cash bar, is only about $6000. All we need to bring is a cake, flowers, officiant, and photographer. And ourselves, of course!
NICKSBRIDE2BE 6/19/07 1:05 P
Well my FH and I watched some of those "platinum weddings" and i think some people go WAY OUT OF THE WAY... i mean come on having flowers flown in from Australia or something is just rediculous.. they are just going to die..
So i am making everything for my wedding. I found a smokin deal on a gorgeous dress (about $300 for a brand new dress on the market) and as far as everything else I am a like suzy homemaker! I am even making the dinner!!!!!!!!
CEM183 6/19/07 10:56 A
One way my FI and I are saving money by having our wedding at a hotel. The packages are suprisingly reasonable, when you conside it covers the linens, the silverware, the china, and even a wedding cake from a list of local bakers, we choose who does the final product! At first, I thought it would be impossible to pull of a 'fancy' hotel wedding on my budget, but the hotel package included so many things, it made it really an affordable option. They are even throwing in a champagne toast, and 1 hour open bar. The meal will include hot and cold passed appetizers, salad and soup, and a choice of three meals... I don't know if because I am in a college town, with all of the hotels here for our Big Ten Football weekends, maybe the competetion has driven down proces... but I would reccommend everyone atleast get a few prices from some places in your areas!
BOGGIN828 6/19/07 9:54 A
Thank you for the advice Akhila. I'm not sure that I agree about the china. Although it is a park, the reception area is very nice. It is not just a gazebo in the park where we will be barbequing. I think that to bring plastic in would cheapen the look. The space is very romantic with wisteria growing all over the building and draping through open beams on the patio. On top of that, I don't know how much plastic would save, considering they don't offer it at rental places and it is not very environmentally friendly.
I will not be using a catering company because the costs are ridiculous over here.
Nice ideas, thanks for the thought. I have gone through every possible option and am pretty set in what I've decided on, just venting that although I seem to be doing 'everything right', money saver wise, it still costs soooo much!
AKHILA1 6/19/07 9:20 A
Hi Rachel
If you are going to do your reception without a caterer there is allot to consider. Caterers will set up, strike your event, serve beverages etc. Sometimes it is best just to hire a professional for that but if you really think you are saving money here are some ideas. #1 Don't use china. China at a park even if it is in a reception hall might be a little too much. WIth rental china, require that the china be rinsed and reboxed after an event. That is allot of work for someone. Hard plastic plates (clear) and hard plastic clear utensils will serve you just as well, even for an entree buffet. If you are going to do an appetizer buffet make sure you get a 7.5 inch plate otherwise you will run out of food.
If you are going to serve hot food, do you have the appropriate serve ware to keep ithot/or cold for that matter?
If you are serving alcohol, make sure your bartender checks for ID's. Even a private affair if it's held in a public place is subject to beverage laws. Check with your local ABC.
If you need help in determing how much food you will need for your guests, let me know and I will give you the figures.
Best of luck!
BOGGIN828 6/19/07 9:02 A
You know what's amazing to me? We're having our ceremony in a park, the ceremony site fee is $450. We're having the reception in the visitor center at the park, that is costing us $1200 (just the site, nothing else). We are saving money on food and will be only spending about $800. My dress was only $250. Somehow our wedding budget is still at about $8500. I don't know how you all manage to save so much money. Do the parks in other places really charge that much less (obviously ours don't- this was a good deal!) What about all the rentals? We need to rent china, an outdoor dance floor, linens, a sound system, a bar, and 2 galvanized tubs for beer and wine. The rentals alone are costing about $1000.00. Then, what about music. Two musicians are $175 an hour, so even one hour adds up. We are using our iPods hooked up to a sound system for the reception to save money, but geesh, even that ended up costing us with renting the sound system! Now, of course you need someone to serve all these drinks right? Who pours it all, one of the guests? Tacky- so in comes the bartender. Who cleans everything up (the chairs you have set up in the park, and the mess of the aftermath), the bridesmaids? I'm thinking about my younger sister's friends, but haven't even started to think about how much we could pay them for it!
Seriously, I sometimes think hiring a planner would have cost less.
AKHILA1 6/16/07 1:59 P
Hi Brides to Be! I am a chef and own catering business in Kentucky. Budget weddings are a must around here so I have lots of experience helping brides choose less costly menu items, sharing experiences with less expensive decorations etc. If any of you have questions in regards to catering I would be happy to help you with information either with saving money or getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to high end weddings. PS Most caterers are honest and but they will steer you to their most expensive items, afterall, this is their job. On the same hand, they want your return business.
EVELYNF 6/15/07 12:50 P
we're getting married next month and kept it small as well - no way we were going into debt over a party, we don't own a home so it's killing me spending this cash that could have gone to a downpayment.
BPEET28 6/11/07 3:49 P
It's nice to know my fiance and I aren't the only ones dealing with this! We're getting married in May 2008 and footing most of the bill ourselves. I managed to get the $600 beaded satin wedding gown I love for only $48 - at that price I bought two in two different sizes in case this diet goes the wrong way and I need a larger size! The only saving grace is that his parents are members of the local country club and have offered to help us with that by using their connections to get us a break on costs. I'm probably going to make my own favors and print my own invitations using a software program. Those of you looking for some help easing the costs should check out annsbridalbargains.com. She has some nice things that won't break the bank! We're trying to keep it under $8,000 - hopefully we can accomplish that!
LITTLEMIDG 6/11/07 2:29 P
I don't know how we will do it. We are fitting 100% of the bill....i was lucky got my dress brand new for less than $20 at Macy's memorial day after prom sale....but the rest hope not to spend more than $3,000 to $4,000
REANA_MAMA 6/11/07 10:15 A
I also agree! They are too expensive it just doesn't make any sense! The main reason (I think) is because vendors tend to double or even triple their prices when you mention the word "wedding"!
My mother has given us a budget of $10,000 and we will be picking up the rest. I am going to try to keep it as close to $10,000 as possible as I don't want to have to spend too much money out of our pockets (we just got a new home). I really don't even know how, but I will surely try!
JESS_ELAINE8 6/9/07 4:46 P
EXACTLY! I'm getting married next Feb and my fiance and i are covering almost everything! Fortunantly his step-father is a jewler so we dont have to worry about rings but everything else is on us and its amazing how much it has added up already!! Good luck to you!!
SCBRAY 6/9/07 3:56 A
I want a really small, inexpensive wedding. I'd be happy with a brunch even. No alcohol, low pressure, low cost. Then the in-laws put their two cents in. Fortunately, having a destination wedding forces down the guest list and the catering bill. I've got a budget of 6k, but to be honest, if my family weren't in the wedding industry, we'd never be able to cover it with that sum.
COCOD69 6/8/07 12:49 A
I've been planning my wedding for a year now and it is not until next year. I have everything from the place to my gown. It's a good thing that my dad is paying for the place but even with the place my wedding is still less than 10,000.
FHOTMAMA2384 6/7/07 11:14 P
I know what you are going through. My fiance and I are getting married next June and we are footing the bill for every single thing. Our guest list has reached over 200, when we were aiming for 150. I know everything will work out, I HOPE. Good luck to all of you who are trying to plan that perfect wedding on a budget. Much Love
ME-OW15 6/7/07 3:27 P
LIS8893, I hear ya! I'm so excited to get married, but am tired of doing all the work and watching the money just fly by. Unlike you though, it seems that those who want this big wedding (fiancee's mom) are making no effort to help pay for it. It's frustrating!! She made a vague offer to pay for liqour, but I'm holding her to it!
-chris
LIS8893 6/7/07 10:08 A
Me-OW - I am with you, I wanted to do a small destination wedding on a beach or something, maybe invite a handful of people, but my fiance wanted the huge party, family, friends...I really can't wait for it to be over! I'm excited to be getting married, but want my life back to normal :) Maybe I am cheap, but I can think of a lot better uses of all this money. Luckily, his parents are helping a great deal.
NANCYKHERRERA 6/6/07 11:59 A
I found a place, if any one is going to Vegas, that has an exceptional deal. A Hollywood wedding Chapel in Las Vegas is where we are getting married. Here is what we are getting for $225.00:Use of our chapel, music, deluxe rose bouquet, boutonniere, video, 24 color photos(we keep the negatives), candlelight, ministers fee, limo service, all taxes and gratuities.
Weddings are crazy expensive! We set a budget and we are paying for it ourselves. We will not go into debt for the wedding because it is not worth it. The reception is the most expensive part for us and it kills me to spend that much on a party! Our guest list is crazy, 450 people I only know 150 of them. We have been dating for over 7 years so I think that I have had time to meet the important people lol. I wanted a wedding on a beach with just close family but a wedding at his church is very important to him (read very important to his mother) so I agreed to do it because his mother is the sweetest lady. I think this wedding is going to be a lesson in communication and compromise!
LOLA926 6/1/07 7:53 P
I agree! That is why I am saving like CRAZY so that we can pay cash! Also we are thinking of having a smaller ceremony...we can always have a BIG one for our 10yr when maybe we can afford it!
GREYFUZZY 6/1/07 7:21 P
Ugh, I know what you mean. My fiance and I are still pretty early in the planning (over a year away), but sometimes looking at our budget almost makes me nauseous. Both of our parents are contributing and we're chipping in some as well, so we're looking at $15-16K budget for everything, with about 80-100 guests. Absolutely NO credit card usage on our part, though - there is no point going into debt over a one day event, especially when we'll both be debt free on the wedding day otherwise!
We're doing quite well so far - I think it's a matter of picking and choosing what is most important to you, and spending the majority of your money on those things. That being said, I can seriously see how some people spend so much money. We could definitely spend more if we had it, but you've gotta draw a line somewhere. It's gonna be a great day regardless!
GINGER01604 5/30/07 10:34 A
My FI and I are getting married in less than 8 weeks. We set a budget of 6,000. That includes cash and credit cards. We are paying for it ourselves. We are networking like crazy. We make sure that we are getting what we want and then the other stuff is great if we have the money.
It is very hard for us right now, but I know that we are going to have it all paid off in less than 6 months.
My FI and I have thought long and hard about getting married and what would be in our best interest and the lack of money was not a good enough reason for us to wait.
If I could go back I would change my wants for my wedding, to what they are now and saved myself a lot of stress.
JOHNTRAE 5/29/07 7:56 P
We're getting married next June and we have alot done so far but still have so much to do. My fiance and I are paying for the whole thing - but will not go into debt for it. We're having a long engagement so we can save for that and a house. The wedding is exactly where we wanted it and what we wanted. We're having around 160 people. I can't wait! It will all turn out ok... No need to sweat the small things!
ME-OW15 5/29/07 7:13 P
They are SOOO costly! I'm trying to get the most for our money by shopping at liquidation and dollar stores... so far so good, we've got a lot done and we haven't even spent $1,000.
I just wanted to take an Alaskan cruise and get married on a glacier.. but my Fiancee's family wouldn't have that at all. So now we are looking at this big wedding.... 200+ invited. So that's why our expenses will be so freaking much.
-chris
JMPRATT77 5/29/07 3:34 P
wow, I'm getting married in September of this year so I can identify with the stress, I also think weddings are way too expensive, but I can't say too much because my parents are paying for everything. They gave me a budget and my mother and I have planned everything out so far, we are going with a smaller wedding (85 people) and the food is probably the most costly. in the end my parents gave us $15,000 for the wedding his parents gave us $10,000 for the honeymoon, which we are not spending so we are using towards our new house that we are building. However I just went to a friend's wedding this weekend and her family spent well ino $30,000 and I think that I could of done a lot more for that same amoutn of money but wouldn't want to spend that much on a wedding.
WHIRLWIND2 5/29/07 1:50 P
This is the second wedding for both of us so we do not feel the need to go all out with a 10,000 wedding. In fact we are having a lot of fun with it. I want to be married in June which just happens to be when the local renaissance fair is in town. I go every year and lov it! So we decided to have our wedding there. It is origional, fun, and very inexpensive. It will be a day to remember (and not because we will still be paying for it a year later). This is a huge day, but remember to have fun!
KELLY_S 5/24/07 5:47 P
We're keeping our wedding SMALL and local. No destination weddings for us! (Of course, it helps that we LIVE in a popular destination-wedding state!).
In any case - only immediate family has been invited. We're looking at about a total of maybe 8 guests. Our ceremony's going to be at a local beach and then our "reception" is going to be dinner at one of the upscale restaurants at the resort that adjoins the beach we're getting married at.
Probably the most expensive thing in this whole wedding will be the dinner - but even at that, everyone's "going dutch" for dinner.
We're fortunate to have a family that understands and feels the way we feel about spending massive quantities of money for a single-day event.
YES - this is one of the most special days of my life to-date, but I don't need to throw my fiance and I into thousands of dollars of debt to make it special. We're simple people and it's the simple inexpensive pleasures that make things memorable for us.
I always remember... money does NOT equal happiness.
EEYORE29 5/24/07 11:51 A
We just got married last weekend. And the only debt we have left is the meal which was only like 600.00 we have left on that. We should have that paid off by next month. We picked up things here and there and we did alot of it ourselves. Every pay day we paid the bills we needed to first then we put money to the side so it would not be a hard hit. We also never spent over $2500. It was just as beautiful as if we would have spent $25000.00!! So it can be less expencive you just have to do bargin shopping and ask yourself is it really worth haveing to pay it on it for a long time!!
HUSKY422 5/24/07 12:17 A
Weddings can be pretty ridiculous. We vowed to only pay cash, no credit card debt. If we can't afford to have a chocolate fountain, oh well.
MARIE110 5/23/07 7:01 A
A close friend of mine commented the other day on how much she and her fiance are in debt so far for their upcoming wedding. They're maxxed out on two credit cards and he started working a second job to help offset the debt (so they hardly get time to spend together anymore). It's one thing to be able to afford a big wedding, but I think it's ridiculous for a couple to go into serious debt for one day of celebration. Their big day may be fancy-smancy, but it can't be good to start a formal life together will the stress of paying bills.
You're doing the right thing to cut down on expenses. You'll still have a 'perfect' wedding day without all the hoopla. My dh and I spent under a $1,000 for our wedding day (lol, his suit was the most costly) and it was absolutely wonderful. The decorations, the dress, all these 'little things' will not mean a thing when you are up there saying your vows to your new husband.
SARA1021 5/22/07 3:04 P
i hear ya!
CATYDIDD 5/22/07 1:07 P
Is anyone else seriously depressed by how much a darned party, church ceremony and a dress can cost? WTF!!!!!
I give up. I'm having my reception in the parish center and that's that. Or at the town park (you can rent it for the day). The important thing is the Mass and having family there!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Too much wedding madness. I think I'm the anti-bridezilla.
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of the Lord be praised."
