I recently got engaged to the most wonderful person I have ever met. I'm truly blessed. We are, however, starting to plan the wedding, and I'm very confused as to what a realistic budget is. We are planning a guest list of approximately 90 people. We live in a town of about 25, 000 and plan to have the ceremony in a park here in town. I was just curious what a realistic budget for a wedding of this size should be. Any suggestions??? We are paying for this ourselves, and its the first marriage for both of us.
2006-12-24 04:41:45 · 8 answers · asked by Krissy 4 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
We don't want a completely casual ceremony, but not a full blown formal either. Six total in wedding party (combined groomsman/bridesmaids/etc)
2006-12-24 04:53:38 · update #1
realistically about 11,000 more elaborate ( wedding in a castle) 50,00 but some ppl can do it much cheaper ... I have seen and been to a few and they were pretty groovy... mind you if you want an "eloquent " affair then yes you will be paying a lot more, but if you do something cool and casual ... you can definitely stay within a low budget range....
I think 90 ppl in park with a good food ( remember that is key, that is what ppl talk about how beautiful the bride looked and how the food was)and decent DJ and photographer ( think college student or someone just starting out, that you are willing to take a risk or someone that just takes digi pics and you print them on your own), you can def come in under 5,000 easy...
heck even a nice flowy sundress would make nice for a ( I assume spring/summer ) wedding and for flowers the same you can find things on line rose packages or even daisies ( my flower of choice) things only get expensive if you let them
2006-12-24 17:46:20 · answer #1 · answered by drkbabe73 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's hard to determine the budget because it varies by your location. I would start gathering pricing information for different wedding vendors you might want to work with. After that I would prioritize those things that are more meaningful to the both of you. Whether it's the food, or the pictures, etc. Then you will know what you can splurge on or what you don't want to spend much money on. Also, once you determine what you both can afford, STICK TO IT! You definitely don't want to go into debt over a "party" the most important part of the day is the ceremony. As long as you don't loose sight of that you will be OK. Happy Planning!!
2006-12-24 15:29:13 · answer #2 · answered by mrsgns2b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well i specialize in weddings and i think a reasonable budget depends all on what you acctualy can afford always remember your wedding is your one and only day you get to make all these arrangements and let everyone come together especially for you in otherwords its a very special day and only happens once i understand you dont want to go all out but weddings are expensive whatever you do to work out your budget make your choices wisley about food and drink and decor ECT.. for example some tips a cash bar is much prefferd to save a bit and a wide variety buffet is always cheaper and better bigger decor but less of it makes it a bit easier as well your venu should also not be oversized the bigger the more expensive these are the kind of things you need to know in order to work out a budget no one can tell you how much is a good idea because it could be to much or to little its a big day for both of you try make most of your decisions together..... if can help with anything else just reply
2006-12-24 16:30:59 · answer #3 · answered by sunshine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you should visit a local bookstore and review some of the many, many wedding planning guides available. They will give you good ideas - and probably some pricing guidelines. You need to be very realistic with what you can afford. If you're like most people, you'll probably have to prioritize your spending. What is a MUST have vs. what you'd like but can do without. Don't be afraid to call around for pricing in your area. You're going to have to do your research. Do you have any friends who've recently married? They might be able to give you some good leads.
Remember, no point in putting yourselves in the poor house before you get started, right?
Good luck with everything!
2006-12-24 16:34:25 · answer #4 · answered by fdm215 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had planned a fairly nice wedding at about $5,000. It was just gonig to be very close friends and family at the dinner, and I wasn't going to have open bar at the reception to save a little cash. I was still going to have my dress and my bridesmaids would have theirs. Then we were going to have dinner at a local restaurant with about 20-30 people. Big reception afterwards with a DJ and all that jazz. You can get a nice dress at a bridal shop for fairly inexpensive. I ended up only paying $300 for mine (we ended up going to Vegas to get married). Just ask the bridal shop where their destination dresses are. The trains are shorter and aren't as heavy, but they are still gorgeous and cheaper to boot.
2006-12-27 10:55:18 · answer #5 · answered by StayJ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are in a small town, then you can get away with something around 5-10k...if you are in a larger city, then you probably won't be able to do anything for under 15-20k.
The national average is around 25k, so plan accordingly...take a look at the budget calculator at www.weddingchannel.com as it is a really great one!!
2006-12-25 12:12:59 · answer #6 · answered by VAWeddingSpecialist 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it really depends on what type of wedding you want to have. i was going to have a very small wedding and do pretty much everything ourselves and tried to get out around $5000. it's impossible. the best thing to do is to buy a planning book and call around to different places to price things. book your reception site first and go around that.
2006-12-24 12:48:12 · answer #7 · answered by redpeach_mi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
stay within your means. you don't want to start a marriage in the hole
2006-12-24 13:24:04 · answer #8 · answered by jimbeach37 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋