i want my reception to be at the ritz carlton in ny and that is the price they told me. i have approx. 350-400 people attending so im looking at atleast $80000. (thats just for the ballroom)(food+drink separate)
theres no way i can afford that unless i take a loan. (a big one--$40000).
is it worth it??
i really want my reception at the ritz-carlton in ny. i really have my heart set on it. i walked into it one day when my fiance and i were in ny and just fell in love.
just looking for more opinions...or suggestions as to how i can make this work.
ok, i know i asked this before..but today my father agreed to put $15000 toward the wedding and and fiance's parents agreed to put forward $15000 as well.
so i would probably just be taking out $20000 in loans...worth it or not?
2007-09-19 10:06:44 · 33 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
wow... I'm suprised that no one has reported you yet.
oh no wait.... nevermind
Good luck with that whole fake wedding thing though
2007-09-19 10:28:37 · answer #1 · answered by Kasandra 3 · 9⤊ 0⤋
It's SO not worth it. I know you said that you had your heart set on the Ritz Carlton, but you should know that people get way too caught up in the details of their wedding and the whole "princess for a day" thing, and you should really be focusing on finding a location that you can afford without taking out a loan and putting yourself (and your future husband) in debt.
On your wedding day, what are you going to remember: the venue of the wedding or the fact that you got married to the person that makes your life complete?
If you live in NY, you can find so many other venues that are in your price range. If nothing meets your standards, consider going to Jersey or CT, or even upstate NY. There are ways to duplicate the venue you want for your price range.
I would try to put things in perspective. I would invest more money in the photographer and personal touches that make your guests feel comfortable. The reason being is that you'll have your pictures forever ... your venue will only last a few hours. Unless you're extremely wealthy, there's no point spending a ton of money on a venue that people won't even recognize in your pictures anyway.
2007-09-19 10:34:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
NEVER take out a loan for a wedding. Just a terrible idea. Sorry, but you would certainly live to regret it.
See if you can reduce the price by having a brunch reception, luncheon reception, or non-meal reception at the same venue.
A non-meal reception could be just wedding cake and champagne, or cookies and punch, or cookies and cocoa, or a cheese and fruit tray, or champagne and canapes--- basically some combination of just finger food or snacks, or, a very late night dessert buffet. It can be really elegant while still being simpler than dinner. If you plan both your ceremony and reception for a non-meal time of day, it's perfectly acceptable by etiquette to have a non-meal wedding reception.
2007-09-19 11:32:50 · answer #3 · answered by Etiquette Gal 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
IMHO it's not worth it. Even $20,000 will put you into debt for a long time. Starting your wedding in debt is never a good idea. You can have a really beautiful wedding somewhere else for even just $40 per person.
Plus, keep in mind that that's only the cost of food. Does it include decorations, photographer, dress, tux, wedding party outfits, flowers, transportation, hair, etc? That all adds up.
Use the $30,000 your parents are giving you and host a really great wedding at a cheaper place. Please don't go into debt for what is basically a 6-hour party.
By the way - if you're actually $75,000 in debt like a question you asked a couple of days ago says, why would you want to put yourself into that much more debt?
If you're going to lie on this site, at least keep your stories straight.
2007-09-19 10:21:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
NO! There is no sense in going into such a large amount of debt for one day. You can have a BEAUTIFUL wedding for the $30K that your parents are willing to contribute. I have $20K+ in student loans, and that's reasonable debt to have. Going into severe debt for a wedding is insane, and you likely will regret it. The Ritz Carlton is beautiful, yes, but I assure you that every woman who walked in there would love it and want her reception there, but it wouldn't kill her to end up somewhere else. If you have $30K to spend on a wedding, you can do it easily.
P.S. If you're looking at at least $80K for the site and your parents give about $30K, that's still $50,000 (AT LEAST) that you would need to cover, which means you would need a far bigger loan than what you're indicating here. And if you were planning on putting all of your savings toward the wedding, that's an even worse idea!!!
2007-09-19 10:14:25 · answer #5 · answered by Sarah 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know every girl dreams about her wedding day forever but its not worth it if you have to take out a loan. If you are going to be taking out a loan it should be because you and your husband to be are buying a home or sending your kids off to college. This is just one day that you are planning for. I know it is a very important day in your life but it isnt about where you have the wedding. This day is about you and your love making a commitment to one another. It seems like you are just willing to go broke to put on a nice show for everyone. If you dont have the money to have the wedding you want then you shouldnt be borrowing money from the bank for it. Im sorry to say this, but people who spend so much money on a wedding end up divorcing soon after wards. You get so caught up in this one day but what about the rest of your lives. You should be saving it for when you have kids, or vacations, etc.. I think to many brides have forgotten what getting married actually means.
2007-09-19 10:44:20 · answer #6 · answered by maria 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ARE YOU NUTS?? Sorry, but honestly, is that worth it?? You forget what a wedding is really all about: It's you and the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. Do you want to start into your marriage with such a financial burden?? Are you willing to wait 10 or so years to buy a house, have nice vacations, have a family because you have to pay off your wedding? Either cut the guest list considerably or look for another venue. I had the most wonderful wedding and reception you can imagine, because it was the day I promised this wonderful man to spend the rest of my life with him. We had the reception with 22 close family and friends in a small restaurant, which cost us about $850, and I wouldn't trade this wedding and reception for any other, not a million dollars!!
2007-09-19 10:43:13 · answer #7 · answered by Stephanie P 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No absolute way. Why would you enter into a marriage with debt. That's not a good way to start. Not creating new debt. My advise is to go with what you can afford. If you want the ritz that bad, Make your reception hall look like the ritz. It'll save you alot of money. Good Luck. Congrats on the marriage.
2007-09-20 05:01:08 · answer #8 · answered by classystyle03 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since you seem to be trolling for a certain answer, here it is "SURE"
Since you seem bound and determined to do what you want, just do it without complaining that you will not be able to get credit to buy houses, cars, education, etc. for the next several years.
400 people x 240 each (for food alone?) is $96,000. My 80,000 Mortgage on my house comes to let's round it up to $1000 a month for 30 years.
A loan for a wedding is probably a 60 month (signature type) or credit card loan at a much higher interest rate. If you can afford it go all out.
What it boils down to is: Can you afford several thousand dollars a month to pay for your wedding?
2007-09-19 10:42:06 · answer #9 · answered by Asked and Answered 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sorry but that sounds ludicrous. First of all, do you really have 350 close friends and relatives? Do you? How can you make this work? Well you can start by living (and projecting) within your means. Clearly you do not have the jobs, income or savings to support the way you would like to live and the way you would like to be perceived. This reception idea is not worth it. $20K to $40K in loans to pay for a dinner party? Not worth it. Your kids may want to go to college one day... will you tell them that you cannot afford to send them to school because you had a wedding reception of this magnitude?
2007-09-19 10:18:50 · answer #10 · answered by Shibi 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I don't think anyone is going to agree that this is worth going bankrupt. I wanted to marry in a castle but that didn't happen. Its not about the money and its not about the place, its about the people getting married. So why not marry in a different hotel, say the Airport Hilton...And cut back the number of guests. Who needs almost 400 people. How about 150 close family and friends....and if your parents and his parents are giving you guys 30,000 why not buy a house. My wedding was wonderful and only cost about 3000
2007-09-20 09:07:57 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋