What was your wedding budget?

[anon123]

Just curious Excluding the rings and honeymoon, just the ceremony and reception. Including venue, food, music, photographer, decorations, all that jazz, just not the rings and honeymoon. Please include all costs, even if you yourself didn't pay for them (for example, your parents paid), but don't include the value of things no one actually paid for (for example, if your friend played music for free, count that as no cost). For those who are married, did you stay within your budget?

 

[LadyChe]

Weddings are expensive... I fell for all the extras so we went over budget. But I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[KEWLKAT103]

It was between 6 and 7 thousand.
I did a lot of DIY and we had around 70 guests.
As far as budget, we didn't have an exact one, but I wanted to keep things simple and keep cost minimal.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

We budgeted 5K and spent a little over. I did a lot of DIY and kept costs low. Looking back we probably could have afforded to spend another 1K on this or that. BUt everything went so smoothly I would do it all over again!

4/9/12 ETA:
1. Dress: $550 + $300 in alterations
2. Reception for 120 confirmed guests @ about 16.00 pp lunch menu = about $2500 or so--including taxes and 20% gratuity.
3. Wedding planner & team: $550
4. Flower person: $200 for her service. I spent about $100.00 on flowers.
5. Officiant-Free...it was @ my church but we gave a $90.00 donation (not required)
6. Photographer: $800
7. Decor rentals for the church (Arch, a couple columns, and benches to lean on for communion) came up to about $60.00
Total for above: right under $5000.00
These were major costs.

Our rings altogether came up to about $3600--but was paid off before the wedding.

Extras we paid for were other decorations, my sisters bridal gown, hair, nails, and other incidentals...
If you include the rings and hotel we were right under 10K. Some people do not include rings in the wedding budget, some do. We were not thinking of the cost of rings in our wedding budget.
ETA for shockolate: We got married in Tallahassee, FL. We could have spent an extra 2-3K but we were very budget-conscious and unsure. We opted to be conservative.....But hindsight is 50/50. Our engagement was about 9 months....active planning was about 6 months.

 

[CandiceC]

It was between 6 and 7 thousand.
I did a lot of DIY and we had around 70 guests.
As far as budget, we didn't have an exact one, but I wanted to keep things simple and keep cost minimal.

I could have written this myself.


About a third of the cost was photos. That was the most important part to me.

 

[anon123]

I could have written this myself.


About a third of the cost was photos. That was the most important part to me.

You guys are showing some amazing budgeting skills!

 

[Anakinsmomma]

Budget was 6k... Spent 8k. The reception and food alone was 7k

 

[anon123]

Budget was 6k... Spent 8k. The reception and food alone was 7k

Wow. So you were able to pay the officiant, photographer, any ceremony location fee or decoration, for the remaining 1k?

 

[Anakinsmomma]

Wow. So you were able to pay the officiant, photographer, any ceremony location fee or decoration, for the remaining 1k?

I just did the math and it's closer to $1500

Ceremony was at the hall, so they knocked off the ceremony fee. We didn't decorate the location per se... It was supposed to be outside on a flower garden, but it rained, so it was moved to the indoor garden.

Mom paid for the photographer and mil paid for the dj (so we kinda cheated a little )

Officiant was $400

I did my own flowers... Came out to about $350 for bouquets and centerpieces

The dress was $600 and the accessories were... About $50? Shoes were on sale for $10 each (two pair) jewelry was $15 for a necklace (I can't wear earrings), mom bought the bracelet and veil.

$200 for favors, $100 for supplies for all my DIY projects (centerpiece accents, jumping broom, bouquet supplies, origami paper, guest book, flower girl basket, cake cutter)

 

[anon123]

I just did the math and it's closer to $1500

Ceremony was at the hall, so they knocked off the ceremony fee. We didn't decorate the location per se... It was supposed to be outside on a flower garden, but it rained, so it was moved to the indoor garden.

Mom paid for the photographer and mil paid for the dj (so we kinda cheated a little )

Officiant was $400

I did my own flowers... Came out to about $350 for bouquets and centerpieces

The dress was $600 and the accessories were... About $50? Shoes were on sale for $10 each (two pair) jewelry was $15 for a necklace (I can't wear earrings), mom bought the bracelet and veil.

$200 for favors, $100 for supplies for all my DIY projects (centerpiece accents, jumping broom, bouquet supplies, origami paper, guest book, flower girl basket, cake cutter)

Thank you for breaking it down. So the budget went over $9,000, but you and your husband didn't have to pay all of it? My fault for not being clear in the OP, maybe I'll add a line.

Weddings are very expensive. It's funny how the poll is shaping up at the moment. Where are all the votes in the middle?

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

I edited my response. See everything after the red above. Hope this helps a little more. I live in N. FL so costs tend to be lower compared to larger cities.

 

[JayAnn0513]

my attire - 1000
church - $250 donation
flowers - 1500
linens - 500
reception - 15,000 ( sit down dinner and open bar for 200 people)
dj- $ 250
wedding planner - 650 ( i think)
invitations - $300- $400 ( I think)
gifts for bridal party- $200 I think
other decor - $500

I'm missing some stuff. We spent over 30k including the honeymoon which was one of the cheapest things.

 

[nappystorm]

Lawd, have mercy. I see a Vegas, destination, or cruise ship wedding in my future.

 

[GeorginaSparks]

Can you guys also post where your wedding was located because cost of living is different. Thanks! This is a helpful thread :nod:

 

[JayAnn0513]

Can you guys also post where your wedding was located because cost of living is different. Thanks! This is a helpful thread :nod:

my wedding was 6 yrs ago in Houston TX.

 

[JudithO]

Directly from my spreadsheet... Mostly DIY wedding... about 250 guests.. Pittsburgh PA.... less than a yr ago.... sorry it's so hard to read... copy n paste from excel doesnt work great

Total 9732

Wedding Invitations 33.27 (printed them at home)

Photography 850

Videography 700 (bought a camcorder)

Tuxedo 120

Wedding Dress, Jewelry, Shoes, Veil, Bouquet 1400 (3 dresses.. long story)

Marriage Classes 25

Church Ceremony Donation 300

Reception Hall Deposit 350

Makeup- Trial + Wedding Day 30 (trial was a hot mess.. ended up @ the mac counter)

Hair - Trial + Wedding Day (Natural hair - French braid pompadour)

Caterer/Food 2480 (Enough for 300 pple.. assortment of meats, fishs, rice, pastries, appetizers)

Drinks 1100 (Variety of wines, beer, juices, soda, water.. no liquor)

Wedding Cake 300

Plates, Cutlery, Cups, Napkins 340 (those fancy real looking plastic ones)

Wedding Decor 191.96 (Fake flowers and vases from dollar tree made center pieces)

Table Rental + Wine Glass Rental 130

Wedding Programs 200 (I printed booklet at home but purchased ink, paper, etc)

Tablecloths 211.77

Speakers and Music Equipment 90

Wedding Car Rental 200

UHaul Rental 150

Bartender + Drink Tubs 230

Random 300

 

[Nix08]

40K - 250 guests - I'm in Canada, we (and our guests) loved our wedding

 

[anon123]

Directly from my spreadsheet... Mostly DIY wedding... about 250 guests.. Pittsburgh PA.... less than a yr ago.... sorry it's so hard to read... copy n paste from excel doesnt work great

Total 9732

Wedding Invitations 33.27 (printed them at home)

Photography 850

Videography 700 (bought a camcorder)

Tuxedo 120

Wedding Dress, Jewelry, Shoes, Veil, Bouquet 1400 (3 dresses.. long story)

Marriage Classes 25

Church Ceremony Donation 300

Reception Hall Deposit 350

Makeup- Trial + Wedding Day 30 (trial was a hot mess.. ended up @ the mac counter)

Hair - Trial + Wedding Day (Natural hair - French braid pompadour)

Caterer/Food 2480 (Enough for 300 pple.. assortment of meats, fishs, rice, pastries, appetizers)

Drinks 1100 (Variety of wines, beer, juices, soda, water.. no liquor)

Wedding Cake 300

Plates, Cutlery, Cups, Napkins 340 (those fancy real looking plastic ones)

Wedding Decor 191.96 (Fake flowers and vases from dollar tree made center pieces)

Table Rental + Wine Glass Rental 130

Wedding Programs 200 (I printed booklet at home but purchased ink, paper, etc)

Tablecloths 211.77

Speakers and Music Equipment 90

Wedding Car Rental 200

UHaul Rental 150

Bartender + Drink Tubs 230

Random 300

I see you kept detailed notes. You have some of them down to the cents, lol. I am way impressed at your venue cost for hosting 300 people, also for feeding all those people for that cost.

40K - 250 guests - I'm in Canada, we (and our guests) loved our wedding

Wow, that's a lot of money. I'm sure it was very lovely, too.

It's really interesting. Where are the 10k, 15k, 20k, 25k weddings? It's like if you don't keep it under 10k, you go over 30k!

 

[laurend]

Justice of the peace and a honeymoon paid by my parents...priceless LOL.

 

[laurend]

Mwedzi are you getting married?

 

[anon123]

Mwedzi are you getting married?

Some day soon

 

[F8THINHIM]

My wedding was at my former church in NJ. My former pastor (who is like a father to me) wanted to perform the ceremony. (Circumstances got crazy while planning so I planned to go to Vegas, but he wanted to do it. The flight was booked, so we moved the date up to marry in NJ before DH and I left for Vegas). This left us two weeks to plan and our budget was about $1500.

• The wedding and reception were at the church - free
• Church folks cooked and served the food we bought - food $300
• $450 for pastor and servers
• $200 for decorations
• Invitations were texts, phone calls and emails (80 guests) - free
• Photographer/friend $100
• Wedding gown from ebay $60 w/free shipping and no alterations needed; (New $1000 gown - seller bought Italian designer gowns to open a store in Florida, but it didn't happen for her. She was selling her gowns for a great discount, and by the time I found her, she had a few left and had to get rid of them a week after I purchased, so that worked out perfectly for me.
• Shoes - $3.00 from a local thrift store
• Limo - gift from sister - free
• Wedding cake - gift from son-in-law - free
• Bow Ties - $20 (ebay)
• Flowers - DIY (from WholeFoods) - $70

Total was $1203. The vision was spring so bridesmaids were just told to dress colorful like springtime; Colorful gowns, flowers, cake, decoratons, flags, dancers and food. God defintely took it and put it together. We are still in awe at how wonderful it came out.

 

[Britt]

Lawd, have mercy. I see a Vegas, destination, or cruise ship wedding in my future.

Ohhhhh yeah! The thought of planning a wedding makes my head hurt. I honestly just want to show up and walk down the aisle and look good. This thread is just confirming why I want a destination wedding. They can do all the planning and arrangements. If I could get all that done w/o going overseas, that would be better. A coworker of mine did a destination wedding in Maryland and I don't think he spent all that much.

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

Destination weddings are a great idea!
Plan ahead so you and your friends and family can get cheaper flights. The hotel plans everything, you just pick your package, plan your clothing a ceremony--if you want and show up. I think you just have to research the issue about the marriage license, signing, officiant, etc. Your marriage is not legal until you have some paperwork done over here. Maybe someone who's had a destination wedding can provide some feedback.

 

[JudithO]

I see you kept detailed notes. You have some of them down to the cents, lol. I am way impressed at your venue cost for hosting 300 people, also for feeding all those people for that cost.

@mwedzi

lol.. Thanks... Girl... you don't play when you are paying for your wedding out of pocket.

For the food, we just invited 3 women who could really cook nigerian food to town... Gave them a place to sleep, paid for their rental truck, and my friend who had a nice kitchen left her place for them... they did the groceries, all the cooking, and it all came up to less that $2500... Super happy.. having it professionally catered will have cost too much... I was one phone call away from calling the China King down the street and ordering pans of Chicken and Shrimp fried rice ... general tso's chicken to save cost... As a matter of fact, I already called.. the women came thru last minute... lol .. that's what wedding planning frustration does to u.

 

[Krullete]

Some day soon

Congratulations, and best wishes!

 

[Nix08]

I did all of the planning and still have my binder (I don't have the spreadsheets anymore). I even had a spreadsheet with 5 minute interval divided by different locations and who was suppose to be where and at what time. The entire process was so fun to me. If you are not into planning I strongly recommend a destination wedding. My only regret which someone recommended in another thread was that I should have gotten a doggy bag of food. We served our guests an amazing meal but I was too excited to eat
-A couple key features that made it extra nice for me:
-We had dancers introduce us and do a performance
-I had a stamp made up and had the florist stamp the petals on the center piece
-The tables were named with a corresponding quote
- Instead of confetti we painted dowels and tied ribbon to then ends for the guests to wave
-I had the program printed but I bought ribbon in the colours of the wedding and used the material as the cover and another ribbon to tie it closed ... they were gorgeous

I may not be describing this well but reminiscing is making me smile...I think I need to look at some pics tonight

 

[naturalgyrl5199]

FYI:
Approximately 1/2 your budget usually goes into the reception and food cost.
Invest in a good photographer! A great one with a good repuatation....Those memories are priceless. I remember looking at my photos and just smiling. The day goes by so fast you don't remember the details. A good photographer catches the memories. You really re-live the moment with good photography. Definitely look at samples!

 

[Anakinsmomma]

Thank you for breaking it down. So the budget went over $9,000, but you and your husband didn't have to pay all of it? My fault for not being clear in the OP, maybe I'll add a line.

Weddings are very expensive. It's funny how the poll is shaping up at the moment. Where are all the votes in the middle?

As soon as you say wedding the price jumps!!!

Yea, the parents paid for some stuff.

Mil: dj $800
Mom: photographer $800 veil $90 bracelet $250

Ps: Staten Island NYC

 

[Anakinsmomma]

Lawd, have mercy. I see a Vegas, destination, or cruise ship wedding in my future.

That's what I wanted. DH wanted the family affair :Lol: