Weddingbee boards

With the recession it looks like  average wedding costs have decreased from approximately $30,000 in 2007 to about $20,000 projected for 2009.  That is according to my market research  on  the web. 

Here is a break down.  Do you agree? 

Invitations, Announcements, Thank You Notes, etc., $327

Bouquets and Other Flowers, $1,500.00

Videography, $1,311 and up based on demand, experience, features, etc.

Photography, $1,500 and up based on demand, experience, features, etc.

Music, $750.00 (based on 5 hours)

Clergy, $250.00 and up.

Limousine, $393.00 and up.

Attendants’ Gifts, $308.

Wedding Rings (Bride and Groom), $1,016 and up.

Engagement Ring, $3,044 and up.

Bride’s Wedding Dress, $823 and up depending on quality and designer.

Bride’s Headpiece/Veil, $166

Bridal Attendants' Apparel (5 attendants), $790

Mother of the Bride's Apparel, $231

Groom's Formalwear (Rented), $95 and up.

Men's Formalwear (Ushers, Best Man), $449

Wedding Reception, $7,635 and up.

Grand Total $20,548 (amount will vary by state, and metro areas.)
 

Hi Bees 

No, I did NOT include the engagement ring!  As you can see from the breakdown list, the engagement ring average for the US (2009 estimate) is $3000 and up!!!  By contrast the 2 wedding rings together are estimated to cost just over $1000.

The engagement ring price is mostly the price of the diamond and everyone wants to show off a big "rock".

The decision about the engagement ring is often made by the fiance/groom somewhat independently...but the decision about the purchase of the wedding rings is more often a joint decision made by the couple together.  So they are really different purchases from a marketing stand point.

Thanks for your input.  If you are interested read more about wedding ring lore. 

Kenziegirl and Gerbera, thanks for your input.  The numbers posted above come from one of many websites that you can look up if you google 'breakdown costs wedding'  - I should have given the exact url at the time, because now I am not sure where they came from.  The overall total costs are averages that I got from reviewing quite a bit of data on the web.  And yes, not everyone has a similar opinion and ofcourse these are country wide averages which may not agree with local costs.  This is apparently not a very accurate science and this is why input from you and other bees is useful, I think.  Whatever you think, however, people are cutting back on costs.  Every thing I have read confirms this. Do you agree?

I wonder how exactly Kenziegirl disagrees with the numbers I posted?

For Gerbera: in regard to 2009 wedding costs, these are ofcourse predictions as the year has just started. Understandably they vary quite a bit.  I have seen numbers greater than 25K too, but I do not believe in them.  Our poll above is telling, because various websites estimate that average spending on wedding rings will be $1600 or greater.  The bees don't agree!

Finally, you can check this site:http://www.theweddingreport.com/wmdb/index.cfm?action=db.viewdetail

their estimated total average spending for weddings is as follows:

2008 $21,814

2009 $20,398

2010 $21,166

2011 $22,347