Any opinions on what amount of money I should budget for a wedding?

Question

I know it will depend alot on what I want which is a simple, traditional type wedding. I think I'm looking at buffet style and doing my own favors. I'm an only child so it's not like my father has had past experience in this area. I'm sure what a good amount would be for about 100 people (give or take).. Any ideas?

More Details:
I live in NW NJ, the dress I want is only 450 plus tax and alterations of course, there will be a total of 8 people in the bridal party (4 on his side and 4 on mine) but I was told they pay for their dress and accessories and I pay for the bouquets. My father may not pay for all of the cost but he will definetely help with much of it. I hope this information helps answer the question.

Plus my aunt makes cakes so I will most likely have her make our cake.

Answer 1

it doesn't have to cost $10,000. but it's not cheap. know all of your resources. it will take doing a lot of research to get the best for the least money but you could do it.
for the photographer...look up students of photography in your area, they would be cheaper but still have the best equipment.
look into making your own centerpieces. be creative, you can make them just what you want.
if your aunt is making the cake...maybe she will do it for free as your wedding gift.
that is how i am getting my cake and my dress! my fiances aunts have a bakery and a bridal shop...how convenient!
good luck and have fun with it!

Answer 2

you can budget anything you want- the test would be either to not go over it or to come way under it. For 125 people I have budgeted 6000- i am under that currently and everything is almost paid for.

Thing is though- you really have to be firm about your budget. You dont need to spend billions of dollars to have a perfect wedding. A wedding is about the commitment- not the event.

here are a few things to help you- if you want some more ideas- email me...

- find a place to hold the wedding and reception. you can even rent space at a church (some churches dont allow alcohol so you may have to check. I found a facility that was large enough to do the whole thing for 1500 less than to do it at two places.
-look for locations out of the big cities or choose a local VFW or American Legion (they are very nice and very cheap!). Try a location near to home, but far enough out they really look for business. (the place i chose is 20 minutes away from my home)
-buffet style is a good choice, depending on how many entrees you will be having. The more meats, the more it will cost. See if there is a possibility to get a discount if you provide some or all of the food to be prepared (you can get meat cheap at wholesalers)
-Ask for childs pricing for all meals for children. That will save bunches if you have kids there.
- have the bar be open only for the cocktail hour, evaluate what you have spent by then and then decide how much longer you would or want to keep it open.
_ have your wedding earlier in the day. Your guests can have a brunch, lunch or hors dourves meal. That too will save money- also the benefit to having it earlier is most guests wont be drinking.
- also make sure to hit up bridal shows in the area. You can score some pretty nice coupons....

I have tons more, but i think i will let others answer- good luck on your planning!!

Answer 3

Figure about $50-$70 per person for the hall/food. A DJ can be anywhere from $500-$1000+ for six hours. Flowers are so different depending on what you get, how many you want, what season you're getting married, etc. Obviously, if you get flowers that are in season it will be cheaper.

Yes, the bridesmaids pay for their own dress/shoes/makeup, but generally you give them a gift at the rehersal for your appreciation.

This is a difficult question to answer because you can make a wedding in any budget you want. Your best bet would be to go to different halls/sites that you might want your wedding and price from there. That is going to be the bulk of your money, and it is pretty much non-negotiable. Once you get that figure, you can make the rest of the stuff fit into any budget you want.

Answer 4

I had about that many people at my wedding a year and a half ago. We had a pretty formal and traditional wedding actually and only cost us about...$5,000 out of our pocket. You will really cut costs by doing buffet style and doing your own favors. But check around, don't be afraid to ask people you know if they know anyone that can do special things or provide services. With the food, buy in bulk at Costco, then prepare a simple menu..we had bbq style since we had a summer wedding and everyone loved it. Look for a location that they can provide a lot of services for one cost. We had a community center wedding where we could have the ceremony outside and move inside for the reception and they provided their kitchen, place settings, sound system, tables/chairs, and set up of the ceremony and reception. Good luck and have fun!!

Answer 5

as little as possible; figure $25 a person and use the rest of the money for your new home and life. decide on what is important to you-one day or a lifetime

that gives you about 2,500 dollars and you wont be able to do a lot but if it is a midday affair, semi formal there wont be a need for a dinner and if you make it non traditional then you will save ton. you could just spend $2,500 go to a nice resort get married there with no one else and save even more unless you really want your family around. Typically though the average middle income person spends $15-25,000 on a wedding before they realize it and have no idea how they came up with that much money :-)

CONGRATULATIONS

I hope this helps

Answer 6

The most expensive parts of a wedding are the food and drink for the reception.

You can have that be as low as $3 a head (cupcakes and punch for everyone, at a non-meal reception at a non-meal time of day) to $250 a head (for a 5 course fancy dinner with top shelf liquor and real champagne at the priciest place in town).

There's really no way we can help you budget until you do more research on the prices of things in your area, yourself, and you figure out some idea of what you plan to serve. So do some calling around, and then come back, and we can help with more specific planning questions.

Answer 7

First, every wedding is different and couples choose to spend money on different things.

Our wedding was in October, with a little less than 100 guests so I can tell you about my wedding budget.
We chose to spend more money on the reception and less on the dress and flowers so my numbers are higher or lower in some ways.
--Dress: $250 (+$400 in alterations since I lost a lot of weight)
--Rest of my outfit: about $500, including a tiara, shoes, and undergarments plus hair, makeup and nails
--Groom's outfit: $100 tux rental
--Reception: $10,000 (open bar, appetizers, sit-down dinner and site fees for about 90 people)
--Photographer: $1900
--DJ: $600
--Flowers: $650 (5 bouquets, 9 boutennieres, 6 corsages, flower petals on the table, flowers for the cake, and 3 wreaths for the church)
--Cake: $700
--Transportation: $500 for 2 limos for about 2 hours
--Church and pastor: $300
--Gifts for parents and attendants: $900
--Lodging for us: $1000
--Wedding bands: $1100
Rough total: $18-20K give or take

I hope this gives you some budget ideas.
Good luck!

Answer 8

My daughter is getting married April 28th and we live in Nebraska where i'm sure the cost of living is lower. We live in a rural area which is even alot lower than like Omaha. The wedding is going to cost us about $10,000 and we are splitting it 3 ways, the bride and groom are paying for one part, the grooms parents one part and us (the brides parents) the other part. Thats how alot of wedding are done around here any more. It use to be the brides parents paid the majority of the wedding but it's not like that any more. We are having about 350 guests.

Answer 9

First off I have been reading magazines and I read that a buffet might seem cost effective but its really not because you have to supply much more food than you would if you were having a sit down plated dinner. Honestly I would say maybe $10,000 to $20,000. If you REALLY want to save money you can do DIY projects to save on paying a professional to do things for you. I have a list of 101 ways to cut back on the cost of a wedding. If you want more tips you can email me.

Answer 10

You should have a wedding you can afford without having to borrow money or dip into savings tagged for more important things (like a down payment on a house).

Yes, you want your wedding to be memorable but you don't want to be remembering it months later as you are struggling to pay the bills.

I don't have any suggestions for specific amounts - just go by the amount of money you can *really* afford to spend. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of internet sites that tell you how to cut costs by doing things yourself. If you are willing to put a little work into it, you can have the wedding of your dreams without spending a fortune.

Good luck!