what is your wedding budget?

[sasa]

BF and I are planning to get marry late next year (not sure about the month yet, he want Nov. I want March) I just want to get some idea of what other PS member''s wedding cost. And please feel free to share your idea on how to save $$ to cut down the wedding cost.

thank you.

 

[lilyinct]

I am getting married next July- and the estimate for what we want (backyard beach barbeque) is about $25,000...we hired a great wedding planner, and I think we''ve already made up the money we lost on her- she knows the best caterers (and is able to negotiate with them since she uses them frequently), chair/table/linen rental places, tent renters, etc. I''m pretty sure I would be taken advantage of if I were planning this on my own, so I''m happy to have her...oh, and we''re going to do all the music ourselves (with the assistance of my ipod and rented speakers)- which saved a huge chunk of cash, not to mention that we won''t have to listen to ANY songs that we don''t like...Good luck!

 

[sasa]

I heard about hiring a wedding planner is a good idea because he/she can get you a better price since they''re consider returning customers. But hiring one is not cheap too..

 

[JessesGrl]

Our whole SHAbang will also cost around 25,000....including honeymoon. This is a saturday night wedding at an old mansion that is now used for weddings, etc. I live in NY...so it''s actually a good price.

 

[jlc0604]

I''m aiming for 15K. Honeymoon will push it to probably 21K or so.

I''m going to have to cut a LOT of corners to stay within that budget where I live. To save money, I''m considering several things (though I''m not really engaged yet so planning hasn''t OFFICIALLY started

):
- Friday night wedding (cheaper than Saturday in many places)
- DIY flowers
- bringing own alcohol if allowed by venue
- cheap invitations (they just aren''t important to me at all so no point wasting money there)
- dress, maybe used? or other discount (this will probably be the most difficult area to cut costs with)
- ceremony and reception in same place (save on fees, transportation)
- no limos
- no bridal party, only best man and matron of honor
- basically, I''m not having any extras - no favors or personalized trinkets, making my own programs, Save the Dates, etc.

Things I will splurge on:
- food; tasty, sit-down dinner (I love food and want the dinner to be good)
- open bar (an absolute must for me)
- photographer

 

[jlc0604]

oh yeah - I forgot to mention that another reason it''s feasible to stay within my budget is the guest list size - We''ll probably have 75-80 guests only. Not by elimination, just because we both have pretty small families. Which helps cut costs a LOT.

 

[MissAva]

I am not engaged yet so I havent started trying to figure things out. However here are some tips I have picked up from the Bridezillas I know: if you love a certain dress find a semstress and have it made, they can often do it for less 350 for labor and you buy the materials. If you live near a university go to the art department and look at the photography profs work. Do you like it? If so they may do your wedding for cheap or be able to direct you to a talented student. Same thing for live music those Master and PHD music students are talented and willing to work for less becuase they have not yet graduated. For the direction cards for between the ceremony and the reception put up a website, you can get your own for free all over the place. I wish I had more ideas but this is it for now! Good Luck Ladies...I am taking notes for my own *someday* wedding.

 

[AmberGretchen]

OK, we are crazy, but if we are trying to do the wedding ourselves (possible but not definite at this point) we are hoping to keep everything to about $10,000, not including the honeymoon. Here are some ideas we have considered to save $:

-DIY - flowers, invitations, STDs
-Sunday wedding
-lunch or hors d''ouevres instead of dinner, or a buffet vs. sit-down (as a vegetarian semi-picky eater, this is actually my preference when I go to events to make sure I get enough to eat and don''t have to worry about stuff I''m allergic to)
-getting gown from a discount site online - there are tons of these and you can usually find something similar to what you love either there or on e-Bay for much less
-possibly using a site where we will get a 25% discount through my mom
-wine/beer/champagne/non-alcs instead of full bar
-either skipping favors or simple DIY some kind of candy or food
-going outside the major city in our area (SF)

I think those are my specific tips so far, but I really recommend shopping around and getting as much info as possible (having a long time to plan helps with this). Organization of all of these pieces of information is important - a binder and a computer folder dedicated to wedding info are both useful for me so far. Also, don''t be afraid to ask family and close friends about what kinds of discounts they might get or know of. And really think about what is most important to you - for me, photography is pretty high up there because that''s what you have to remember the wedding by. Its important to think about things that you won''t remember or that aren''t as important to you, and try to not take anything as a "given" or as something you "have" to have - almost everything is negotiable. And based on my experience buying a car, doing your research prior to going in is helpful - the more you know what you are talking about and are pleasant but assertive, the better deal you are likely to get. If you are unsure about prices in your area, try posting on The Knot local boards - people there are usually really helpful.

 

[beautifuldisaster]

well i am not engaged yet, so i cant say for certain..however when the big moment does arrive the mass planning will begin!

i am thinking about $50k. i plan on getting married on hilton head island and having about 10 people in my wedding party (both groom and bride side) and about 100 guests. i want an oceanfront wedding

we shall see how things pan out and when i get engaged and all that jazz.

i know that there are certain things that i will spend more money on....photographer, pretty flowers, a nicer dress...

and of course then there is the honeymoon, who knows what that will run. i want to go to hawaii or italy but the boyfriend has never flown.. perhaps a 15 hour plan ride isnt the best way to break him in lol