Archive for July, 2010

I’m getting engaged soon and I’m already planning the wedding!! LOL How much was spent on your wedding? I don’t want anything over the top but I know some people go wild with their wedding budget and I just wanted to know what others have spent. I’m keeping my dress simple, spending more on flowers and the reception. I also really want to have live music at the wedding and not a recording….Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated too! Thanks

I am getting married on April 17th, 2009, so we don’t know 100% yet how much our wedding will cost. So far, we are expecting to spend about $27,000 on a wedding for 80 people in the NYC metro area, including $7,000 on air+hotel for a 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii and Mexico (we are not factoring in what we expect to spend while we’re actually there into the wedding budget). Like boom said, the cost of your wedding will vary greatly depending on the geographical area you are from. In and around NYC, $100 per person catering hall is a bargain (although that includes open bar), whereas somewhere closer to the middle of the country you can find a hall that’s just as nice for $40pp. We decided on a smaller, intimate wedding, in order to be able to afford a better quality wedding. The best way to save on your wedding is to cut the guest list, because that way you can still afford to have the wedding of your dreams with the same budget you would have spread out on a larger quantity of guests.
We are very fortunate to have my parents paying for the majority of the wedding, I think we are only spending about $10,000 ourselves. Just to give you an idea, our photographer is costing $2,500, DJ: $1,200, flowers: $1,300, and my dress + veil + shoes is about $1,200. All in all though, the best advice I can give you is that a smaller guest list will result in fewer overall expenses and a better quality wedding. You will save not only on food and per person prices at the catering hall you choose, but on flowers, favors, invitations, etc, as well. Also, if you are on a budget, try to keep your bridal party small: between the bridal party gifts and paying for their bouquets and boutonnieres, those costs add up as well.

Good luck and congratulations on getting engaged soon! =)

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My husband and I are getting married April 23, 2011 in the most beautiful location of San Diego, CA. But to save money and to cut costs (since we live in Southern California) we opted to save $10,000 (literally) by having a 3 1/2 wedding/reception in the morning/afternoon. Our wedding will take place at 9:30am, then lunch will be served shortly there after until 1.

We’re saving so much because 1) it’s not a 6 hr event 2) there isn’t an open bar 3) no dj and most of all taxes, service charges, and we’re able to keep our wedding small at 50 people instead of having the minimum of 100 people at $130/per (before taxes) This way we’re paying $103/person with taxes.

Anyways! The few friends that I’m inviting are already complaining! "Why isn’t there any music and a dance floor?" "Why don’t you have an open bar?" "Oh you’re just wasting your money." "It’s tacky to make your own centerpieces" (which by the way are gorgeous!– White Orchids submerged in 16" in. vases with black pebbles at the bottom) and so much more trash that I’m just tired of listening to it!

What do I say to them? My fiance and I are on a budget. Our ENTIRE wedding with the reception, venue, dress, cake, photographer, etc.. is about $7500… and honestly, that’s all we can afford. Let’s face it, weddings are more about a show for the family and friends, than the bride and groom. The bride and groom just want pictures.

I want to avoid the added stress of trying to please everyone. Any suggestions? Thank you.
To MessyKatt- Most of my friends are "well off" and have parents who are willing to chip in.. so they expect more out of everyone else as well. I understand what you’re saying… there are 3 people in my life who are causing this stress. & everyone is right, time to cut it out of my life. Thank you to everyone!

You know what? CONGRATS!!! It sounds like it is going to be gorgeous!!!

I am also having a crafty, lower cost wedding (although yours sounds elegant with Orchids and mine is sort of crazy). Here is what you should say:

"Future Husband and I are being financially responsible so we can accomplish our goals in our marriage."

Here is what I say when explaining my $6000 budget: "I don’t want to deplete our savings or go into debt for one day when money saved could go into our future family. We are planning on starting a family after we are married and I can go without some flowers on my wedding if it means our baby will be better provided for." (baby isn’t planned for some years, but people don’t know that.)

And to anyone giving you hassle that isn’t married yet:
"Oh, you’ll understand when you start planning your own wedding." (It is a little catty, but I think well deserved in this case.

AND REMEMBER: it is YOU and YOUR HUSBAND’S DAY! It is what makes you two happy. I have been to weddings where I thought it was God awful boring, but it made the married couple happy so I didn’t regret being there one bit.

Also, making your own centerpieces aren’t tacky at all. Perhaps you need to stop sharing details with these friends that are stressing you out. Your supportive friends should be the ones you are turning to.

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Hi, I’m getting married in April and I need to know what my wedding budget should be based off of how much I make. Together my fiance and I make a little under 60 grand a year. What would be an appropriate budget number for a wedding based off of that?

honey this isnt about how much you make, this is about how much you can afford.

ok, you make $60k a year. but how much of that is already going towards bills and things? subtract that from your yearly total. do you have any kind of safety net in place if something unexpected happens that you need to pay for? if not, start saving, and subtract whatever you save from your yearly total. have any major purchases on the horizon? house? apartment with slightly higher rent? subtract from your total.

im not trying to be rude or anything, it just scares the bejesus out of me when couples start planning weddings without figuring what they can TRULY afford.

if your willing to wait a bit longer, you could probably spend more because you have more time to save. but if you try to make up a budget based just on how much you make in a year without taking into consideration every other bill you have, your going to be in trouble. dont forget, when you get married, his bills become your bills and your bills become his bills too

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I would plan a few weddings free of charge to start with, and then build up a reputation and experience to charge. What do you think? The economy is making it hard to get into this field with an already established company.

Work with someone that u know who is getting married, u can also tag along with wedding photographer to get an idea of the wedding culture… I’m a wedding photographer that works with a company, and we had a girl dut a deal with us and we let her tag along until she got a taste of the whole wedding environment, it is different… But it worked out for her…

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How stressful was/is it for you & your fiance? Was/is your fiance making things seems impossible because of money being limited? Please let me know if any of you are experiencing this. Cause I am! I’m so stressed and frustrated! I only have 2 more months and we’ve been planning since the beginning of the year but the budget is killing me softly. AHhhhh!!

It does make me angry that the wedding industry has become such a money making business that everyone has their hands in the bride’s pockets. And so many of the details are completely unnecessary, but people make brides think they are essential.

My best suggestion involves having someone who has some spare time and is dependable to do some legwork for the bride. This person can look at venues, florists, photographers, etc and get lots of time consuming running around taken care of. Then make a list and let the bride look at the 3-5 best choices and make a decision after speaking to the vendors she’s interested in.

It’s hard to not get so excited that you’ll order things that aren’t necessary, waste time on projects that won’t make a difference. I spoke to a young bride today who decided "to heck" with the fancy invitations. She and her fiance make beautiful invitations themselves. They are charming, show the personality of the couple and are true keepsakes. And they cost less than $1 each, plus postage.

By the time many brides get into the planning, they realize the money is running low because of things people talked them into early on. And that is what is so aggravating for people who’ve "been there, done that."

But please try to relax and enjoy the time until the wedding. Ask yourself "is this necessary" next time someone wants your money. You have to look out for you own budget. Vendors won’t help you. They’re looking out for themselves, at your expense.

I wish you the very best!!!

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