how much is your budget for the wedding? how much are you parents contributing?

[lovehersomuch]

I know this may be a bit personal but i was curious to see what you all were planning on spending for your big day! This will help me gauge some info and set my own budget. If possible please provide the number of guests you expect to attend and the type of cultural wedding it is. I know there are A LOT of dependencies that could factor into the overall wedding cost but I just wanted this as a rough estimate.

Also, how much did your family help contribute towards the wedding? I know both my gf's family and my family will help with the wedding and any amount provided by families will vary across the board but once again this will kind of shed some light in knowing what to expect. I know the best thing is communication in order to identify how much they will help with.

For some background:

We will have a 2 day ceremony
1st day semi-traditional pakistani wedding approx. 150 guests

2nd day westernized (italian) traditonal wedding approx. 75 guests

thanks for the input!!

 

[Gypsy]

80 person expected attendance.
In Northern CA.
Sunday wedding (less expensive), no hard alcohol (beer, wine, champagne only)
For everything including our wedding bands but NO honeymoon.

About $28,000.
Family contribution... about 5-7K.

 

[lovehersomuch]

Date: 3/2/2008 11:53:21 PM
Author: Gypsy
80 person expected attendance.
In Northern CA.
Sunday wedding (less expensive), no hard alcohol (beer, wine, champagne only)
For everything including our wedding bands but NO honeymoon.

About $28,000.

thanks for the post!

We are also trying to cut down cost by not having any alcohol - religious reasons and will see if it is at all possible to get married during the "offseason"approx march 09..

ideally we''d want to have the 2 weddings back to back days but if it helps trim down the costs significantly we could do them on 2 sundays on back to back weeks.

 

[mjso]

150 (ish) guests
NY Metro Area Wedding
Irish Catholic wedding (AKA lots of booze)

budget - $30-35,000
my parents are contributing pretty much all of it. We''ll probably pay for our rings, but all of the ceremony/reception costs are being covered by family

 

[largirl]

Every wedding forum this topic always bums me out, LOL. Probably about $12,000 for 100 people....family paying none of it. They would if they could and are contributing their time and effort to do whatever we want, but....

....damn I was born into the wrong family.

 

[Sue16]

150-160 guests for an outdoor wedding in NorCal with a chinese banquet dinner (I''m chinese and FI is italian). We are currently budgeting $15K for the wedding not including the honeymoon or wedding bands. FI''s parents contributed $5K and my parents will contribute about $5-6K. FI is picking up the slack on everything beyond that as I''m currently in school and not working. So far we are pretty much on target and will probably come under budget.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I was extremely blessed...I did not have a budget for my wedding, and my parents paid for the entire affair sans the rehearsal dinner and open bar, which was graciously covered by my in-laws. In the end, the grand total, including absolutely everything from our Engagement Party to the Sunday Morning Brunch following the wedding, was over 200k.

Chicago, Illinois
Saturday wedding followed by a Sunday Champagne Brunch
over 300 guests in attendance
After ceremony formal cocktail party with a seafood bar and ice bar with martini's poured thru the ice bar (it was really cool!)
Top shelf liquior including Dom' for the the champagne toast...open bar for the entire duration of the wedding, including dinner.
Filet Mignon, Chicken and Prawns for dinner for everyone!

Now, with that said...to know my mother is to understand...she skimped on nothing and wanted everything. However the figure does not include our honeymoon or wedding bands.

 

[Neveah]

We are having a Saturday night wedding downtown. We are very fortunate that my parents are paying 99% and there is no budget. My Mom and I are having a reversal of roles! I''m going "that''s not really necessary..." and she "oh we WILL be having that" so, well if it makes her happy

FI and I are contributing about $2K because I insisted we pay for the church, and DJ. (that''s not including all the gifts for our extremely large.... 9 on each side, 2 ushers....wedding party. We''ve spent another 2K on gifts) My inlaws are paying for the rehersal.

We are inviting 280
Estimated cost my parents paying $45K (Cincinnati)
Cost not including day after brunch....

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

for the wedding, it''s on a sunday, afternoon brunch, limited bar, 125 guests on Long Island. including reception, dj, photos, flowers, invites, favors, dress, about 13,000. each family contributed 3,000 and my grandma gave me 1,000 for my dress. that left 6,000 for us not including our honeymoon or wedding bands which add up to another 5,000. after all that, i can''t wait for the day to be here!

 

[scarlet16]

We''re having a Friday night (to keep costs down) formal event in NYC in August. There will be approximately 200 people.

Total: ~$60,000 not including honeymoon & wedding bands.
Us: about $30,000
My parents: $15,000 (plus cost of invites and Chinese dress)
His parents: $15,000

 

[Stephanie]

We are having a November, Saturday late afternoon/night wedding in Alabama with about 100-110 people. No specific religious aspects.

Total budget - around 15K. My parents are contributing approx. 6500 to cover food and rental costs; I am paying about 6K; FI is putting up about 3K. Totals don''t include the Honeymoon.

 

[CrookedRock]

Not having a wedding so I can''t contribute... BUT

Date: 3/3/2008 2:58:22 AM
Author: Italiahaircolor
After ceremony formal cocktail party with a seafood bar and ice bar with martini''s poured thru the ice bar (it was really cool!)

I need to see a pic of this ice bar! It sounds so cool!! We are doing a party, but not sure what to call it yet... But we would love to do some fun stuff like an ice bar... If you have any pics and wouldn''t mind sharing I would really appreciate it.

Sorry to the OP for the thread jack...

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 3/3/2008 10:15:21 AM
Author: CrookedRock
Not having a wedding so I can't contribute... BUT

Date: 3/3/2008 2:58:22 AM
Author: Italiahaircolor
After ceremony formal cocktail party with a seafood bar and ice bar with martini's poured thru the ice bar (it was really cool!)

I need to see a pic of this ice bar! It sounds so cool!! We are doing a party, but not sure what to call it yet... But we would love to do some fun stuff like an ice bar... If you have any pics and wouldn't mind sharing I would really appreciate it.

Sorry to the OP for the thread jack...

I emailed my SINL to ask if she has pictures, since the only pics I have are in our actual wedding album. She may have a handful, since she took a million photos.

But to explain further, we had several ice figures that were used as taps for martinis...as well as our signature martini (frappacinotini), which was poured down a hole at each end of the bar, and swirled thru coming out in the middle. Each bartender had a hole to pour the martini down, as well as two ice figures at their "post". We had the ice figures "lit" and they glowed different shades of gold. It was a very dramatic look, and was not inexpensive by any means since each figure was custom designed and was etched. There were flowers that were "frozen" into the bar as well. It was so beautiful.

I know this was an excess, and didn't make or break our wedding...but it was amazingly fun...and people are *still* talking about the ice bar...they freakin loved it!

 

[Courtneylub]

200 guests
dinner
open bar
$17,000
Parents aren''t giving squat

 

[oobiecoo]

We are having about 150 guests for $10,000. FI and I are both in school still but are paying for most of it ourselves... we live in Texas and his family is Catholic Irish and mine is Italian. My parents are paying for flowers, dress alterations and maybe veil (total about $600). In-Laws are paying for rehearsal dinner, alcohol, and any guests over our 100 mark... thats about $2000. Its been a real stretch these last couple of months but we''ll make it!

 

[CrookedRock]

THanks so much IHC... I hope she has some pics... Now you have me scouring the internet for ice bar ideas. I too have a signature martini I want to have served, It''s called a Pom Tree... Being in Florida I need something a lil more tropical, but still so yummy!!! If you are able to get pics please start another thread and I''ll be there in a jiffy! Thanks again!

....End of thread jack!....

 

[blueyes157]

125 Person Wedding in Pennsylvania (Lehigh Valley Area). The wedding is a Saturday wedding, formal dinner, cocktail reception. We are saving big time by having the wedding in March (20% infact on everything at our reception venue, food, alcohol, etc.)

My parents are graciously giving us $12,000 and FI''s parents are giving $5,000 and paying for the rehearsal dinner.

We are hoping the $17,000 will cover the whole affair, but we are OK with picking up anymore, but we look to be on track at this point. Of course we are paying for our wedding rings, our honeymoon, and bridal party gifts.

We want a classy, fun affair but not break the bank. We are planning to buy a house shortly after the wedding and don''t want to use our down payment savings. We are so appreciative of both of our parents for their contributions. They are wonderful!

 

[julabean]

My parents are contributing equal amounts to what my FI and I are contributing (around $5000). However, they''ve already said they''ll go above that amount for certain thing (extended hour at the reception, for example) and we''ve already gone over that amount. So...yeah. We''ll be looking at closer to $7,000 for our contribution (not including honeymoon) and my parents will be closer to $6,000.

This is for a Las Vegas destination wedding with reception, about 60 people coming. We''re getting married at the Paris, so it''s not a drive-thru Vegas wedding...hence, more expensive! These numbers also include our travel expenses, which pushes up our contribution.

 

[Independent Gal]

We are also having a two-part wedding. The total cost in US dollars (neither party is in the US) is going to be about $24,600 including everything (flights, rings, dresses, etc.) except the honeymoon (we''re not taking one) and the rehearsal dinner (projected at about $1400). Total guest count will be 110 (30/80).

 

[cdt1101]

Our budget is $25K. Our parents are not contributing. My mom however is buying my dress. We are having a tented outdoor wedding at my aunt's house. About 100 guests. The $25K does not our honeymoon or rings or rehearsal dinner. We are also paying for those things, but for some reason don't include it in the 'budget'. I guess that way we aren't as scared about all this money we are shelling out. But w/ the honeymoon, rings, and RH dinner we will likely spend about $35-40K. The wedding is in June and we have been REALLY good about sticking to the $25K budget for the actually wedding.

ETA: The wedding is in Eastern PA.

 

[bee*]

We''re having roughly 150 people.
We''re in Ireland so having it in an Irish castle and it''s costing
us roughly €19000 for everything.
We''re planning to pay for it ourselves although our parents said that they would
contribute something to the cost. Not sure what yet though so we''re just planning it as if
we''re paying for it.

 

[scm1012]

We are doing a ''weddingmoon'' in Europe. Haven''t set a budget for that yet.

Nuptial celebration - will be sometime in early October 2009 and it will just be a formal dinner for 115.....haven''t done the math yet but $10-12k would be awesome since we just want to do a meal, beer/wine plus one signature cocktail, dessert bar and light flamenco music. Oh, the amount is lower because we wouldn''t need to pay a site fee since we''ll do the dinner at my parents beautiful home in NorCal.

 

[scm1012]

Also, haven''t really discussed the finances with either parents yet so we''re just planning as if it''s all on us.

I''m sure my parents will contribute plenty but I can''t say much for FI''s well-off yet super tightwad parents who will expect all of their people to be invited without dropping a dime. No contribution from them is good for me though because that gives me the entire say on what happens.

 

[Pandora II]

I am extremely fortunate to have the parents I do, who are paying for most of our wedding.

Not including rings, honeymoon, FI's morning suit and my dress, I'm expecting to come in around the $28k mark - which is less than 50% of the average UK wedding so I am feeling pretty chuffed with my bargain hunting!

We are inviting 120 guests, venue is an 11th century Abbey, buffet meal and I've hired a singing pianist for the evening.

We are only serving wine:

Cartizze - which is the riserva superiore of Prosecco, from a tiny village in Valdobbiadene in the Veneto
Grignolino d'Asti - a light white wine from Piedmonte
Either a Barbera d'Asti or a Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato - both reds from Piedmonte.
With the cake we are serving Malvasia, which is a sweet red dessert wine.

My parents don't approve of serving spirits or beer at weddings, so we've tried to make the wines as interesting as possible.

I've set the limit for my parents at $20k, anything that goes over that is going to be removed from the list and I will pay for it on the quiet.

I'm also DIYing the bridesmaids dresses, the cake, the flowers and the favours - which is saving a small fortune.

London is so horribly expensive.

Luckily the honeymoon isn't till a few months after the wedding, so we have time to save a bit more for that!

FI's parents have been very generous, but we would rather put their gifts towards a deposit on a bigger house.

 

[sap483]

Our budget is approximately 50-55k for about 150 guests. My grandfather is contributing 12k, my parents another 18k and FI and I will be spending between 20 and 25k. FI''s parents are paying for the rehearsal dinner.

 

[lovehersomuch]

I will be spending approx 12k on the engagement/wedding ring and my gf and i will be paying for our own honeymoon. She will likely spend around 1k on my wedding band. We have also budgeted so far 10k that we will be putting towards the wedding ourselves.

so that would be a total of 25k (rings, honeymoon, wedding budget) included that we would be contributing towards our wedding. this will be paid in cash - no loans..etc.

im hoping that her family and mine are able to pay for the rest of the wedding and since we are doing a 2 day ceremony i hope it is a significant amount. im sure they will also be pleased to see that we were able to put a good amount towards the wedding ourselves. we will trim down costs as much as possible without excessive over spending.

some more insight on us.. im 25 my gf is 23 - we are hoping to have saved up about 160k before the wedding to get our own place (for about $500k) and to pay for other expenses we have as a couple together and save the rest (emergency fund, savings, 10k towards wedding, rings...etc).

i think its important for couples not to lose track of marriage being for a lifetime and how important their money will be down the line. dont just blow it away on a wedding - the last thing you''d want to do is get married and be in debt. for those of you that have parents paying for everything obviously this wont affect you so you can go all out on the wedding.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh, I think most of us weren''t including our engagement rings!

Couldn''t agree more about not overspending on weddings, especially if debt is involved.

LHSM, do you think your parents will be happy to contribute? Are you worrying about it?

 

[Gypsy]

LHSM... The other''s can correct me if I''m wrong. But I don''t believe any of the above estimates include the engagement ring.

I know ours doesn''t if it did we''d have to add a little over 10K to that. Wedding rings, many of us include. BANDS. But the actual diamond ring... no, I doubt anyone in the thread included the price of that in the wedding budget estimate.

 

[lovehersomuch]

Date: 3/3/2008 5:47:15 PM
Author: Gypsy
LHSM... The other''s can correct me if I''m wrong. But I don''t believe any of the above estimates include the engagement ring.

I know ours doesn''t if it did we''d have to add a little over 10K to that. Wedding rings, many of us include. BANDS. But the actual diamond ring... no, I doubt anyone in the thread included the price of that in the wedding budget estimate.

i just threw those figures in there as expenses related to the wedding but for the wedding specifically my gf and i will be putting in 10k towards it (not including any rings or honeymoon).

 

[lovehersomuch]

Date: 3/3/2008 5:44:43 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Oh, I think most of us weren''t including our engagement rings!

Couldn''t agree more about not overspending on weddings, especially if debt is involved.

LHSM, do you think your parents will be happy to contribute? Are you worrying about it?

i hope my family is able to contribute towards the wedding - i have 2 younger siblings and i know my parents have a lot of responsiblities so i personally dont want them to hurt in the end by contributing too much but im sure they will.

my gf did talk to her father and he is ok with helping out - im sure we''ll figure out how much after we are engaged which is hopefully soon as we would like to get married by next spring (march).