About how shuld we expect to pay for our wedding??

Question

My boyfriend and I will be paying for it ourselves, our parents will probably be taking care of small things, like the flowers and cake, but most likely we'll be paying for most of it. Anyways, I know the number will vary quite a bit, but about how much should we expect to pay for everything, wedding, reception, the whole yards for a 150-200 person wedding?

Answer 1

I'm the MOH in my friend's wedding that is coming up and just to give you a bit of an idea they are having 75people and they picked a nice BUT very cheap reception hall it's not in a very nice area and it is not very nice looking but it will suit them fine!! and for 75people it is costing them over $5000.00 .. I can't remember exactly but I know it was OVER $5000.00 but that includes sit down meal.. open bar and the cake...this place is $55 a plate.. plus another $6 a person for an open bar most places she was looking at was $75- $100 a plate without the cake!!

so my guess is for a reception for 150 ppl I would say $8000.00 probably more

cake ... no clue maybe $500- $1000
my fiance's sister and brother-in-law own a DJ/videographer/photographer (so we will get them free) but they usually charge $2000.00-$5000.00 depending on what exactly you want
flowers will be maybe... $800 depending on what kind of flowers you want

your dress...$$$
favours...$$$
church...$$$
limo...???$$$
honeymoon...??$$$$
gifts for your wedding party...$$$
hair and makeup ...$$$
invitations.....$$$ stamps for the invitations..$$$
Rehearsal dinner....$$$
little things... toasting glasses, garter, cake topper, cake knife, flower girl basket, ring bear pillow... $$$

I would say it would easily cost you $15,000.00 -$20,000.00 probably more I have learned helping my friend with her wedding plans... that weddings are not cheap!!!

Answer 2

Weddings cost what you're willing to spend on them.

That said, with that many guests you will definitely need to hire at least one hall, a caterer, a photographer, musicians or a DJ (unless you know how to set up your iPod to do the music), the officient...it all starts adding up.

If you're trying to work out what you need to save, start doing some research. Most companies have a web presence now, so you can Google...say flowers + your hometown and get an idea of what services are available at what price. Just get a few ballpark figures for the various goods and services you'd like, add up the round figures, and see if this is something you think you can save in a reasonable amount of time.

More often, the practical way to do things is to figure out how much money you have/can expect to have by the time you start organizing the wedding and then seeing how far you can make that money stretch. With a little imagination, flexibility, and creativity, you'll be amazed how far that can be!

Also, don't count on money from your parents until they offer it. Most parents are happy to offer some money or some service toward their kids' weddings, but some can't or don't wish to. Don't assume the cake is taken care of until either you budget for it, or mom and dad offer to take care of it for you.

Most of all, if you're looking to keep to a tight budget, you'll need to prioritize. What's really important? Concentrate your efforts on those things, whether it's the flowers, the food, the music, the setting, or the gown. Find ways to cut back on, eliminate, or DIY the rest.

With a little imagination, and a lot of elbow grease, it's still possible to give a wedding your guests will never forget on a small budget.

Answer 3

Weddings cost anywhere from say, $50 (for the courthouse wedding) on up into the 6 figures.

Since you and your fiance are planning on 150 guests - let's just set a ball-park price of $50 per guest (you can spend LOTS less - or WAY LOTS more). Please people - this is simply "guesstimating" here.

That's somewhere along the lines of $7500 for the catering alone. Add in the cost of the reception hall, the dress, the church rental, limousine, favors, invitations, RSVP calls, coordinator (wedding planner - worth his/her weight in gold if they're good) band/DJ, Emcee, and any extras - and you can easily double (or more) this figure - or about $15,000.

Now again, you ABSOLUTELY can spend LOTS less - and have a lovely wedding. So don't take these figures as set in stone - but in the end, your wedding will cost a lot more than you expect.

Some people take out loans. Some people save for years. Some people opt for a much smaller, more intimate wedding.

It's all up to you.

Answer 4

I am having an off season wedding (december) on a saturday (fridays are cheaper) and the TOTAL cost will be about $25,000 for 200. I have been very frugal but with that amount of people it adds up. Make sure to comparison shop. I got a lot online at ebay and other online retailers for far less than the regular wedding shops (favors, invites, veil, tiara, shoes, etc). The things you dont want to cheap out on is the wedding dress, the food, and the music. Still bargin shop, but dont settle for a crummy vendor.

Answer 5

Depends on a number of factors. If you're renting the place where you'll be getting married, be prepared to add on $1500-2000. If you're getting married in a church, they usually only charge a very small fee. If you KNOW the photographer, you might only have to pay something small like $300 or something. If you get a professional, be prepared to pay around $1500 and another $1000 for a videographer. See...what I mean? Everything depends on if you're going with professionals or if you're going to try and work any connections you have. Overall, if you go w/ professionals, I would expect to spend $10,000. And by the way, flowers are no small thing - they can cost around $1500.

Answer 6

i know it will be a couple thousand. But to help with expenses, find people that have hidden talents. Do any firends or family know how to arrange flowers? Go to local craft stores and get simple ideas for decorations, center pieces. Look online at bulk sites for favors. If you're having a small wedding going to craft stores and buying littlew favors. Putting together would be fun for you and your friends/wedding party to do. If your not going all out and arent going to be traditional, go for a morning wedding and have the reception immediatley following. A wedding is cheaper in the morning with the recpetion starting at like noon, and getting over at like 6pm. Its different but cheaper.

Answer 7

I don't think anyone should even put an estimate on what the price of this wedding should be. You need to figure out where you want the reception, what you are doing for food, liquor, favors. There is so much that goes into a wedding. Depending on how much you're willing to do yourself vs. how much you want hired done and what your taste is, that will ultimately determine the price.

Answer 8

We are doing the same thing. We are doing ours on about a budget of maybe $2000. But I have made some super deals.

1st of all if you are planning on inviting that many always remember that about 75% will show. But always plan for what you invite.

Shop around dont settle for the 1st thing. dont settle for what you like but wish there was more. Settle for what makes you happy but doesnt break you. I had a friend let companies "bid" on her wedding. She sent out letters that she was havign a wedding and wanted specific services. People sent her "proposals". She went for the lowest one.

When buying your dress. Dont go over board. I know that you want to be the bell of the ball. No problem with that. But shop around. I actually got my dress off of ebay brand new for 21. Check out www.craigslist.org you can find some really good deals on there.

Look on line for items for favors, or find directions on how to make things. Sometime cheaper ways are handmade. Check out your dollar stores. i actually got my centerpiece items from there.. Candles and holders are price worthy there too.. When finding decorations.. think about your house.. there are some items that you can get for your wedding that you can also use over to decorate you house.

I got my invitation paper from this site...
www.myexpressions.com
I got 100 sheets for $9. They are really reasonable. Printing your invitations is a big saving too.



Just write me if you need anything else.. I will be glad to help you out.

Answer 9

The whole 9 yards for 150-200 guests will probably cost you at LEAST $10,000.

There are lots of ways to cut costs a bit, so be on the lookout! The easiest way to cut costs is to cut guests...does your neighbor's great aunt REALLY need to be there?

Start saving now! Good luck!

Answer 10

A catering place with reception hall for cocktail hour, dinner and open bar will run $50 to $200 per person.

Photographer and video, $500 to $5000.
DJ or Band, $500 to $5000.

It really can vary.