Ours came in at under $5000, everything included. It would have cost closer to $20k had we hired everything out. We both have incredibly talented people in our families, and particularly my wife's family worked on the event for months in advance. The decorations were amazing, all the food was home cooked and some of the best I've ever had. Over 200 in attendance. Her mom made the dress, and she looked amazing. My mom and dad paid for our honeymoon. I personally would have a seriously hard time dropping $20k or more on a wedding. Why? Well, I don't make that much. If you made 6+ figures, then $20k would be easily affordable to you. I think you need to spend enough to make it memorable... but don't go into debt for the next 10 years to make it happen. Financial issues can be the death of a marriage if not properly dealt with. Spend whatever you and your future wife agree is acceptable... what anyone else thinks really doesn't matter beyond that.
Originally posted by: rivan
Originally posted by: eakers
What was your wedding like?
About how much did you spend on your wedding?
Were you happy with it?
Do you wish you had spent more or less?
Spending $10,000 seems like its way too much to me and apparently, most weddings cost a lot more than that. Why spend 10k on a mediocore wedding when I could have an amazing vacation or a small car with the same amount of money?!
We spent $4200. We got married ,with two friends attending, on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. Then we had a reception a month or so later with ~70 guests, gourmet meals, a small but killer cake, and a premium, open bar. The two biggest costs: the open bar and airfare/hotel. We've got some heavy drinker friends and relatives, and we had a week in a *great* all-inclusive hotel.
Neither of us wanted a big show of a wedding, so it was perfect to us. The reception was more of a dinner party, just bigger, at our favorite restaurant (which happened to be on a Rachel Ray show a couple months back).
I really like the idea of just having a dinner party-esque reception. I want an inexpensive wedding. I don't really enjoy being the center of attention, and I feel like I'd be very uncomfortable putting on a big show.
I want to have a courthouse or JP wedding, with just close family in attendance and have a nice small reception afterwards. I'd rather spend money on a nice honeymoon and more importantly, on a down payment for a house.
Well, since my wedding is set for next May, we had a budget of 10k for everything.
The fiance and my future mother-in-law went over the numbers this weekend and we are 700 dollars over budget. I'm gonna have to get a breakdown of everything, but I think that's pretty good for a wedding for around 120 people.
The fiance and my future mother-in-law went over the numbers this weekend and we are 700 dollars over budget. I'm gonna have to get a breakdown of everything, but I think that's pretty good for a wedding for around 120 people.
My wedding breakdown-
Breakfast at IHOP $20
Wedding Bands B1G1 $75
Courthouse Ceremony $75
Married 8.5 years happily
(We keep saying we will have a renewal of vows, and an ACTUAL honeymoon, but it will probably be around 15 year anniv. before we can afford that)
Breakfast at IHOP $20
Wedding Bands B1G1 $75
Courthouse Ceremony $75
Married 8.5 years happily
(We keep saying we will have a renewal of vows, and an ACTUAL honeymoon, but it will probably be around 15 year anniv. before we can afford that)
PricklyPete
Lifer
- Sep 17, 2002
- 14,714
- 164
- 106
Originally posted by: eakers
What was your wedding like?
About how much did you spend on your wedding?
Were you happy with it?
Do you wish you had spent more or less?
Spending $10,000 seems like its way too much to me and apparently, most weddings cost a lot more than that
I wish more women think like you. Actually, a lot of them do...but their parents don't. Weddings have become a reason for parents to throw a big party and have all their friends over to "celebrate the marriage".
I wish my fiance's parents would just give us the money they are spending on the wedding and would let us go take a rediculously awesome honeymoon after visting the courtroom.
our wedding cost around 4k total. we had a destination wedding in maine, right on the beach, close to brunswick. we had an all in one lady perform the ceremony, bring the cake, champagne, and take some pictures. we stayed at b&b's and took all 17 people that came out to a dinner the night before and lunch at a higher end lobster place the day of the wedding. it was exactly what we wanted and we compromised with the family by having a reception the next weekend that the parents undertook and paid for. we paid them back from whatever we got from the reception. all said, we did it cheaply and did it in a manner that we wanted things to happen.
Unfortunately, my wedding is likely to be expensive. My girlfriend is Indian, and we plan on getting married within a year or two. It's a given that we have to be married in India and America, so there are essentially two weddings.
1) Wedding in India will likely be something close to $25k. Tickets for family, all the festivities, etc. I still don't know everything that's involved, but I do know it's going to cost more than I'd like.
2) Wedding in America will likely be casual and on a beach somewhere (destination unknown at this point), but that will still run ~$10k for tickets, etc.
So, looks like I'll probably be somewhere ~$30-$50k. Personally, I think a small ceremony with family would be perfect. I don't care how much money someone makes; I don't see any point in spending so much for a wedding.
Ahh well...
1) Wedding in India will likely be something close to $25k. Tickets for family, all the festivities, etc. I still don't know everything that's involved, but I do know it's going to cost more than I'd like.
2) Wedding in America will likely be casual and on a beach somewhere (destination unknown at this point), but that will still run ~$10k for tickets, etc.
So, looks like I'll probably be somewhere ~$30-$50k. Personally, I think a small ceremony with family would be perfect. I don't care how much money someone makes; I don't see any point in spending so much for a wedding.
Ahh well...
Originally posted by: djheater
My wedding breakdown-
Breakfast at IHOP $20
Wedding Bands B1G1 $75
Courthouse Ceremony $75
Married 8.5 years happily
(We keep saying we will have a renewal of vows, and an ACTUAL honeymoon, but it will probably be around 15 year anniv. before we can afford that)
Not too different from mine. Courthouse ceremony, dinner at an Italian restaurant afterwards, inexpensive bands. The wedding (with clothes out of our closet, a cake made by a coworker for a wedding gift, a few flowers brought along by a relative, and a few photos by relatives with cameras), dinner afterward, honeymoon in Victoria BC for a couple days cost us a few hundred bucks (including staying in the honeymoon suite at the Empress). Reception later, I think the next month, in our hometown with all of our family and friends, was thrown in a church reception hall (that's where pretty much everything is done in our small town) and I would be surprised if more than a couple hundred bucks was spent, mostly on food and the $50 fee for the space.
We're approaching our 13th anniversary now and reflecting back, I wouldn't have changed anything. I think that spending large amounts of money on a wedding is a complete waste and nothing more than a public display of shallow, greedy, ugly commercialism and an inflated sense of self-importance. Women are encouraged to become the stereotypical 'bridezilla' by the whole industry that's sprung up around this circus and by their friends and relatives who have bought into the same insanity.
Weddings that I've attended that cost a couple thousand dollars or less to pull off were NOT materially different than ones that cost 10k+. They were just as memorable, just as beautiful, and just as joyous.
Jeff7
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2001
- 41,599
- 19
- 81
Alright, I just got some numbers from my mom about what her wedding cost:
Use of building (for a hiking club) : no charge
20 people, mostly relatives with a few friends
Justice of the Peace: $7
Wedding dress, which she made herself: $15
Everyone was asked to bring a food item, just as is traditional for other family events such as reunions, and my grandmother brought a bouquet of flowers.
She says that she prefers that sort of thing. "No stress. Very simple."
And yes, my parents are still married. I don't know how long it's been. I'm 24, and it's been longer than that.
Weddings need not be insanely expensive things done up Hollywood style.
Use of building (for a hiking club) : no charge
20 people, mostly relatives with a few friends
Justice of the Peace: $7
Wedding dress, which she made herself: $15
Everyone was asked to bring a food item, just as is traditional for other family events such as reunions, and my grandmother brought a bouquet of flowers.
She says that she prefers that sort of thing. "No stress. Very simple."
And yes, my parents are still married. I don't know how long it's been. I'm 24, and it's been longer than that.
Weddings need not be insanely expensive things done up Hollywood style.
notposting
Diamond Member
- Jul 22, 2005
- 3,485
- 28
- 91
under 3K
1500 for american legion (I think) hall, plus dinner and open bar (!!!)
99 dress at davids bridal $99 sale
<300 for church and organist
random crap--license decorations etc
had a friend come down with computer for music, another friend finagled some PA equipment
rings were under 200
bought patterns and fabric for bridesmaid dresses, made em sew their own
no photographer, had random people take pics, bro in law videotaped (getting some better pics wouldve been nice...but we have enough)
bachelor party the night before consisted of bar, bumper cars, and gamecube/n64 on the brand new wedding gift, a floor model tv from best buy
sneaking out the next morning to smuggle soon-to-be-wife out of hotel and have breakfast together: priceless
1500 for american legion (I think) hall, plus dinner and open bar (!!!)
99 dress at davids bridal $99 sale
<300 for church and organist
random crap--license decorations etc
had a friend come down with computer for music, another friend finagled some PA equipment
rings were under 200
bought patterns and fabric for bridesmaid dresses, made em sew their own
no photographer, had random people take pics, bro in law videotaped (getting some better pics wouldve been nice...but we have enough)
bachelor party the night before consisted of bar, bumper cars
, and gamecube/n64 on the brand new wedding gift, a floor model tv from best buysneaking out the next morning to smuggle soon-to-be-wife out of hotel and have breakfast together: priceless
We spent BIG money about 5 months ago (so far, more than all the amounts listed in this thread). We went all out to do it right, married at the St Regis resort in Dana Point, CA, open bar (343 shots of vodka were poured, just vokda at 12.50 a shot), the list goes on and on, but I don't regret it. We payed for most everything on ourselves (my parents wanted to pay for my dress and the flowers) and the only thing I would have changed is how much the groom drank
It depends on what your tastes are and where you are in life. For us, our wedding wasn't just about us, it was for the guests and most importantly our family. If they had their say they probably would not have had us spend so much, but we could and we wanted to. Its not all about vanity, although I will say some is involved. Those extra tens of thousands don't necessarily need to be spent, it mostly added the glamour to the event. Which isn't for everyone, but it was for us, and it was a lot of fun.
It depends on what your tastes are and where you are in life. For us, our wedding wasn't just about us, it was for the guests and most importantly our family. If they had their say they probably would not have had us spend so much, but we could and we wanted to. Its not all about vanity, although I will say some is involved. Those extra tens of thousands don't necessarily need to be spent, it mostly added the glamour to the event. Which isn't for everyone, but it was for us, and it was a lot of fun.
wedding was simple. we got married at the church. had a luncheon right after. dinner dance was later in the evening. it was less than $5,000. i was happy, i just wanted to get married. my mom wanted to go all out with it. since my parents paid, i can't complain!
Thanks for all the responses everyone!!!
I am just weary on spending 10k for a medicore wedding when I could just have a crazy-awesome vacation for the same amount of money instead.
we are just talking/starting to save up for it right now. I decided to go back to school AGAIN so we probabley won't get engaged until I am closer to graduation but I want to have a short engagement so we are going to start saving now.
ahhhh you guys sure have seen me do a lot of growing up on this board eh?
I am just weary on spending 10k for a medicore wedding when I could just have a crazy-awesome vacation for the same amount of money instead.
Originally posted by: sash1
is eakers getting married?
we are just talking/starting to save up for it right now. I decided to go back to school AGAIN so we probabley won't get engaged until I am closer to graduation but I want to have a short engagement so we are going to start saving now.
ahhhh you guys sure have seen me do a lot of growing up on this board eh?
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