What's the average you spend on your wedding?

Question

I am planning on getting married maybe in the next year or two but it depends on the cost. I am undecided weather to get married in a church, outside by the beach (which mean I would have to have my wedding in another state) or outside somewhere nice. What would you recommend? What's the average you've spent on your wedding day? What would you recommend not to spend so much money on and what would you splurge on?

Answer 1

All told mine ended up being around $7500. I would recommend splurging on the photographer. The pictures are what you will have to remember the day by 80 years from now. Even when it comes to the photographer though you can look for deals. I got $1000 off my package, simply because he was trying to finish booking up the year. You just need to look out for deals and not be afraid to negotiate. The most expensive portion of your wedding will be food and drinks (this will vary a lot depending on how many people and what you want to serve).

Don't spend a whole lot on ceremony decorations, you won't be there that long and depending on where you have it the place could be the decoration (like the beach, it's the beach, enough said). I also would try not to go too crazy on the dress. You only wear it once and then it typically ends up sitting in a closet.

I would not go into debt over a wedding. People already start out life with enough debt due to college loans, etc... it's better if you don't add a $25,000 wedding debt on top of that.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

Answer 2

My recommendations for spending and not spending?

Wedding Dress: Don't overspend. It's one day and you are sure to find a gown for under $1000.00 that you love. There are SO many out there. Some girls spend $5,000.00 on their dress. Are they beautiful? Yes! But for one day? I don't think it's practical.

Transportation: Can you live without a limo? I am having 2 limo's for about $600.00. It's reasonable, I think. But I have several attendants and it's quite a ride to the church from my mom's house (where I will be getting ready). But if the wedding was very close by I think saving the $600.00 is an option.

Dinner: Can you have a buffet? It's usually less expensive than a plated meal. Where a buffet becomes a problem is when you get into large guest counts. 150+ guests could be a bit troublesome for a buffet because it would take quite a long time for everyone to finally have their meal. But a buffet offers great variety and that is quite appealing. And, as I said, a buffet is typically less expensive than a plated sit-down meal. And if you do go with a plated meal, consider some of the lesser expensive options. Saving $5 - $10 per meal can add up!

Use their linens: Find a venue for your reception that really appeals to you without having to add chair covers (expensive), rented table linens and the such. If you find a location that has lovely decor without adding rented linens then you will save money.

Consider a Friday or Sunday wedding: They are usually less expensive than a Saturday wedding. Also, consider the time of year. Some people say the summer is the most expensive. Here in the North East US, May/June and Sept/Oct are the most expensive months for having a wedding due to the large demand. So consider an "off" month for your part of the country.

Have your wedding and reception at the same spot. Whether that's at the beach or at a church... if you can keep everything at one site you can save money on decorations, transportation, additional rental fees and the such.

Have your wedding during the Christmas season. Many have said that this is a great time to have a wedding and save money on flowers and decorations because most churches and halls are already decorated for the season (saving potentially hundreds of dollars on flowers, if not more!)

There are lots of ways to plan a wedding and not go overboard.

The things I think worth splurging on?

Your entertainment - make sure it's a good DJ or band. Poor entertainment, if you are having any, will definitely set the mood for the wedding. Good entertainment will do the same. So splurge on someone you like and that will keep the party moving.

Your food - even though you can save money by having less expensive meals and/or a buffet, make sure the food is good. If it's bad, people will remember that. I don't know why, but people always remember bad food at a wedding.

Your location - make sure it's where you want it to be. Don't look back in 2 years and say "I wish I got married at the beach." Be sure you are where you want to be when you get married.

Photography - your wedding day will be a bunch of memories just days after the event. All you will have left are those memories and your photographs. Make sure you have a great photographer that is on the same page that you are. Make sure he/she knows exactly what you want and what your style is. You don't have to pay a fortune for a good photographer, at least not here in Massachusetts. But I would never skimp on one.

Yourself - make sure you feel like a princess. Like I said before, you don't have to spend a fortune on a dress but you certainly can make yourself feel special. Get the headpiece you love, or get your hair professionally styled exactly as you want it to be.

Good luck!

Answer 3

OK, I am a 60 year old man, so I will be brutally blunt here. I have been watching for years while young couple squander thousands of dollars on needless expenses so that they can take pictures of a ceremony that lasts maybe 2 hours (the pictures is all that you will have left). The ceremony is a nerve rattling experience on top of everything else for everyone involved. Now I do understand that most females have a whole different view, but from a logistics standpoint, you can not justify huge expenses at weddings. My wife and I spent a whole $300 on our wedding performed at her Mom's house (1971). Since that pricing is no longer typical, I will relate some newer experiences. My youngest son was married in a church in 2004, and all told, the cost was about $7,000 with my daughter-in-law's Dad picking up most of the expense. That included a rehearsal dinner (funded by me for about $300 - and I did the cooking), and a reception dinner. To answer your question, you can spend any amount you wish.
Personally (and I am trying to think like a female here tempering it with a little financial reasoning), I would have a nice ceremony in a public building like a church (you won't have to worry about the weather that way). I would minimize the number of flowers, but get enough for the pictures. I would shop for a good photographer who can document well the ceremony. I would minimize any expenses on the cake, the wedding party attire, and any other frills that you don't really need. DO NOT go into debt over a wedding - if you can't afford it, don't do it. Finances are hard enough for young people without starting out with strikes against you. If it were my wife and I getting married again (and we have agreed on this), we would have been married by a JP, spent our money on a nice trip, and avoided all of the ceremonial BS altogether. We both believe strongly in marriage (we've been married for 35 years), but too much emphasis is placed on the ceremony and not enough on the vows and committments needed to live the marriage day to day. Sorry that you had to listen to an old man, but spending a whole lot of money on a wedding buys you nothing!

Answer 4

Well we are just starting our plans and what not, but we are not having a traditional wedding/reception sorta...We are getting married at a already decorated chapel that holds 40 people but we are only inviting 11 people to the wedding(which is $175 which includes the ceremony,pastor, photography, chapel) then for the reception it's jsut going to be a party lol, get some meat and cheese platters, a cake and make some of our own food..Also borrowing my best friend's dress...So all together we'll probably spend maybe $400 or $500 for the whole thing..Oh yeah we also bought our rings about a year ago

Answer 5

We spent a little under $5000 on our wedding, and it was perfectly beautiful. If you know how to stretch your money, get creative and scout out the best deals then it is possible to get everything you want and not spend a lot. (this is why I went into event planning)

The vendor I would suggest splurging on is the photographer (and videographer if you have one) since they pictures will last a lifetime.
Also, you don't have to splurge, but make sure you do put a lot of thought into decorating, it always makes any budget wedding look better, and you can do it cheaply. I have seen a wedding that costed $6k look far better than a wedding that costed $20k due to this.

Also I've seen weddings from $500 that were very nice all the way to $60,000. But IMHO, it's one day, don't spend your whole salary (or more) on it, b/c no one but you will really remember all that stuff.

HTH

Answer 6

The national average for weddings is about 20k (which I think is a little on the low side) but I've done weddings for as little as 10k to as much as 100+k...it really just depends on your means and what you want to accomplish.

If you aren't looking to spend a small fortune, then stay away from ANY AND ALL holidays (Valentines, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, Easter etc) as most of the time the locations and vendors are going to charge through the nose for their services because of the demands...

Stay away from an outdoor ceremony or reception if the month you are getting married in is prone to rain, excess heat or bugs...extras like large tents, fans and bug solutions can take up a large part of your budget...

Forgo a large 5-tier cake and replace it with a dessert buffet or a smaller, 2-tier cake and additional sheet cakes (that the guests will never see)...sheet cakes save a TON because they are so easy and don't require any of the elaborate decorations...the dessert buffet will give your guests a ton of options and can act as their favor as well...candy buffets are becoming very popular. Give each guest a small take out box and let them loose...then place a sticker with your initials and/or wedding date on the box the keep it shut for the trip back to hotel.

Most importantly, have fun with everything and be creative!!

Answer 7

We chose to have a very informal wedding. It wasn't "small" per se, we had it at a large outdoor event, and had a lot of people participating - but we didn't have a "wedding party" or a reception or anything like that. The event itself provided a nice backdrop for the wedding, and the party afterwards. Our friends took care of everything from decorations to doing my hair and make-up - even the musicians and the minister were recruited from our circle of friends. So, after everything was said and done, we have probably spent around $1000 on everything, including bride and groom outfits, rings, deli trays, booze, and gas to drive to and from the event. And then we spent an additional $6,000 - $7,000 to take a nice Caribbean cruise and a trip to Japan. :)

I think, what to spend or not to spend money on is a very personal decision. We knew from the start that we absolutely did not want the hassle and the expense of a big wedding, so we picked a setting that would allow us to minimize the planning and maximize the enjoyment. But for some, it is really important to have all the trappings - the dress, the bridesmaids, a 200-person reception, an expensive ring. I actually love nice lavish weddings - but only if I'm attending as a guest. :) It just wouldn't be worth it, and it wouldn't be enjoyable, to put one up for myself. So, sit down with your fiancé and throw some ideas around. I'm sure you'll come up with something that will strike a nice balance between expense and meaning.

Answer 8

I read a statistic on the average cost of weddings and it was $50,000. However, you could just as easily have a beautiful union for a fraction of that. Bargain shop and barter. Whatever makes you happy. And remember, it's only one day. Is it worth putting yourselves into debt so early on in a relationship? Another study showed couples who fight over money, ofter resent the marraige once it's occurred. I'm married. But mine was a JP. Free with no party afterward. But that's because my hubby was joining the military. He's promised me a big wedding on our 10 year anniversary. At that time we would take out about a 40- 50 thousand dollar loan to do it BIG. After all, every woman wants what she wants, right? Good luck honey, and if you do decide to, splurge big for me too!

Answer 9

$50,000 for a wedding?! Geez Louise! Well I must have had a plain jane wedding. We got married in a church ($125), my dress was $1,100, the flowers were $1,325, the cake and refreshments were $550, the photographer was $1,200, the video was $200, the carriage ride was $125. So lets see that totals $4,625. I still had a beautiful wedding and married the man of my dreams. You don't have to spend a ton of money to have a pretty and meaningful wedding. Little touches mean more. Before I walked down the aisle, I had a wrote a poem and recorded it for my husband, it played before the wedding march. Now our rehearsal we had a party after at my Aunt and Uncle's house, they hosted and provided hamburgers/hotdogs, then everyone brought other things. It was so much fun and a great way to relax before the big day. Congratulations.

Answer 10

i have been trying to keep cost downs but it looks like it may cost around $6,000. I think that the wedding ceremony is does not really incur that much its the location for the reception that really gets you. If I had the money, I would splurge on reception location and food. Not the amount of food, but the kinds of food that I would provide.

I think that an outdoor wedding is lovely in the spring; just when its not to cold or too warm. Find a nice garden and go for it.