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Check out this article --http://ezinearticles.com/?True-Cost-of-a-Wedding&id=4082025
The Bridal Association of America estimated that an average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
I know that I can't afford to spend that much.
We didn't spend that much at all. You can have a beautiful wedding for a lot less money, just have to proritize.
Holy makrel! That's a REALLY nice car! Umm, I'd like to know what all is included in a wedding that costs that much...there better be peonies, Vera, Manolo, and surf and turf!!!
wow! thats pretty ridiculous as an average...i wonder where this data is coming from???
I think you need to think about this like the average national income. There are some people who spend ridiculous amounts of money on weddings (and people who make ridiculous salaries) which ends up skewing the average toward the higher side. Anyone know the median amount spent on a wedding, that might be more realistic.
I only want to spend about $10,000, and my friends who know nothing about wedding costs think it's insane. I am like...little do you people know, 10k is a super low budget wedding!
I can't imagine spending 40k. My parents would probably do it, as I am an only child, but yikes, I am way too cheap to justify that amount. Even though, sadly, 40k doesn't even get you that much in the WIC. Thankfully my "dream wedding" is much more fun than princessy.
My guess is markets like New York, Chicago, LA, San Fran, etc that have really high averages pushed that number up.
We've had this discussion many, many times, but locale has a LOT to do with budget. A wedding in Chicago that is identical to one southern Illinois will easily cost $15,000 to $20,000 more. Since there are obviously people that have platinum weddings in cities as well, those numbers probably go high really quickly.
Our wedding won't be anywhere near platinum *snort* but we'll probably end up spending about $35,000 - and that's with a hell of a lot of DIY!
i think it is pretty common for people to spend that much, but i think that i can only imagine spending that much if i had a lot more people attending than i currently do and if i wasn't willing to do things on my own like favors and everything stationary related and stuff.
the article breaks down the costs -- and it might include a lot of things you wouldn't have included like the wedding rings and honeymoon.
I know I'm going to try and cut out as much as we can, but I'm sure it's going to add up quickly.
Let's see what I could do with $40,000...hmmm...
Catering for 125 at a Mid-To-Upper Venue (317 at Rice Park)= ~$10,000
Ceremony at same venue & Wedding Coordinator & Officiant= $3,000
Cake from Gateaux Inc.= $1,500
Wedding Package w/ Notable Photographer (Erin Johnson)= $4,000
Flowers= $3,000
"Mid-Level Designer Wedding Dress" + Accessories & Hair/Makeup =$3,500
Grooms Tux= $200
Rehersal Dinner for 30 at W.A. Frost & Company= $2,000
Elum Letterpress Stationary Full Suite for 75 +Postage + QueenQuills Calligraphy= $3,600
Photobooth (It's a must have these days, non?)= $1,500
DJ & Ceremony Music= $3,000
Transportation= $700
Gifts & Favors= $1,000 (Splurges on those adorable Godiva cakes)
Romance package @ The St. Paul Hotel =$500
Total= $38,500...
But it would be a pretty awesome shindig.
The bridal association has a vested interest in projecting a very large "average." They want people to think that's normal and therefore spend a similar amount. I'm coming in way under that :)
I believe it...and agree with ribbons that they want a higher number
It really does come down to location, location, location...in downtown Boston, $38k is around the norm that I've been seeing. Sad but true. But Boston is an expensive area, same with NYC, Washington, DC, etc.
I wonder if they factor in local taxes, estimated admin. fees, etc? Because those realllly hike up the prices (as we all know!)
does sales tax count? I'm from oregon and I am always horrified at the thought of having your wedding cost 8% more!
I have a feeling that certain lower budget weddings aren't included in that figure and only the ones that use some 'main stream' bridal show vendors are included.
I just can't believe that's true.
I agree with Ribbons... they need to inflate the number to keep us spending.
I am in New York so this average sounds low. A regular wedding without going all out is 50K here!
I don't doubt that number actually. If you're not a DIY kind of bride and are outsourcing everything, $30,000 is easily achieavable!
That sounds kinda high for an average. I know we could easily spend 50K on our wedding, bc things are more expensive in CT than in other parts of the country. But we set a smallish budget and I am determined to stick to it! No matter what people think the average may be.
I think it's also to make brides fell they must spend more.
Maybe the actual number is a bit less than that? That's what I'm thinking? I'd guess about maybe 15-20k? But in this economy everybody is making do with less and becoming imho more creative!
Take THAT you wedding number cruncher people!
Wow. That's high around here. According to costofwedding.com, the avg range for St. Louis is $11k to $18k.
Omg, I could do SO much with $38k.... but i'd rather use it to pay off my student loans.
The Bridal Associated definitely has an interest in brides spending more and more. Another interesting tidbit is that they are including the cost of a honeymoon ($4400-3700) and rings ("jewelry" - $2000) which I know most people leave out of their own "wedding budget" calculations. We're coming in far under this including honeymoon and rings... in NYC!
I don't think it is that off the mark...I thought my budget would be in slim company (meaning it was higher than most people spend) until I learned my venue has every Saturday booked from April until November 2011 and they charge $165 a person with a 200 person minimum (I know b/c I literally took the last Saturday available LOL)...this means that at a minimum all of those people are spending $33,000 on just the reception...so those people are bound to make the average that high even when mixed with people whose budgets are $10,000 or less.
Wow, we spent less than half that, including the rings and the honeymoon and we got married in a fairly expensive area. I bet that number is inflated somewhat - they obviously want brides to spend more. But, I could see how it would be fairly easy to spend that much here, if you didn't DIY everything and bargain like crazy.
Sadly this average is considered to be a low budget here in the Bay Area. It makes you wonder how much everyone is making when most people spend about 50% higher than this average around here.
My budget is slightly above this number and I'm really stretching it. I've been very budget conscious... trying my best to find cost cutting measures, figure out where to spend and where not to and am DIY'ing a number of things and I'm just on budget. Compared to some of my friends who have had smaller weddings I'm also spending about 50% less than they are. When you put things into perspective you start to realize that you're still spending A LOT of money. :?
Woah...
Where I live now: On average, couples spend between $32,586 and $54,310 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.
The city where my wedding is in: On average, couples spend between $55,687 and $92,811 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.
I seriously do not know how true this is but WOW!!!
That doesnt sound high to me at all! I live in a suburb of Washinton DC, and the average wedding is between 90,000 and 112,000. Yes, you read that correctly. So my wedding coming in at 45K and counting seems like I got a deal! Oh, and I dont have any vera, manolo, or peonies. In fact, we didn't do anything extravegant at all. The cost of the venue, food, and alcohol is totally to blame.
Articles like this are the reason I prefer to get my wedding advice from my 1923 Vogue's Book of Etiquette - it underlines the essentials, stresses the beauty of simplicity, and mentions that it is the height of bad taste to pretend to be something you're not!
I believe it. It all depends on LOCATION.
In my area, the average reception plate is $100 per person, so say you have a 200 person wedding, that's $20,000 JUST for reception. Factor in decor, dresses, $6000 photographer (pretty normal here), and it adds up!!! Most people in my area are spending way more than that.
Mine is running about $35,000 not including honeymoon/dress/shoes/hair/rings. Vera and Manolo are nowhere in sight. I don't even know what I'm spending anymore.
I'm in Los Angeles and with 175 people, rings, the honeymoon to Maui, and a groom suit that cost more than my dress (He shops more than me) we are just about there. And tax is so more than 9%
I agree location is everything. I live in DC and we immediately eliminated the area as a location. I make a civil servant salary, so I can't pay DC prices :) Indiana prices were much more in line with my income.
That # actually sounds A LOT more reasonable to me than the $20k I've heard touted over the last yr. We're having a $20k wedding and let me tell you - we've had a HELL of a time staying under that. We're going without a lot of the "extras" some people do (favors, OOT bags, champagne, pro hair or makeup, a cake...). Of course you need to keep things in perspective - a 50 person wedding and a 200 person wedding are 2 totally different things, and location can play a role, sure.
As far as skewing the numbers, I think if anything it's eloping couples that bring the average DOWN more than platinum weddings bring the # up. I feel a lot more people elope (subsequently incurring minimal expense) than drop $200k+ on a wedding. Everyone I know either in my NYC life now or from my hometown of Pittsburgh had weddings between $60-$80k. Nothing was dripping diamonds or top-end designers. There were nice weddings, not lavish or "burget". A $40k national average seems totally feasible.
Yeah DC area wedding - when I told my friend who's an amateur planner our total budget for 150 ppl (excluding honeymoon) was under $40,000 she was like "well we'll have to DIY everything but we can make it work!!"
Our catering alone is $15k and that was the cheapest offer I could get! (our venue only allows a few caterers on premise)
Agree with twalila--we are spending around $35k on 75 people and, while we're picking nice stuff for the most part, we are definitely skimping in a lot of areas where we could have spent A LOT more and missing out on things I wanted. NYC is very, very expensive. Sigh. I can believe this is the national average even with outrageous $800k platinum wedding outliers removed.
There is nooo way this is the average.. i would agree that the average is $15,000.. sure i can see that happeneing.. but not more than that. We are having a nice wedding and its coming out to be $16,000 Not bad at all..
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