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With that really long (and interesting to read) post regarding gift giving and money I thought I would ask another question of the boards -- what did/will your wedding cost? It's a pretty simple statement that is totally different for everyone. The reason I am asking is that yesterday we received the initial pricing for our reception venue and I was a bit taken back by the actual price. (I do have to mention that though my parents have graciously said they are going to pay for the wedding - doesn't mean I am not concerned about the prices.) I know I have am having a rather large wedding - about 300 - which brings my prices WAY up ... but I have calculated it with many fewer guests and the number is still pretty high.
So it's with that said that I ask you three quick quetsions, if you are willing to share:
1) Number of guests?
2) What is your location?
3) What was the final cost of your wedding?
Mine is still far off but I'll answer what I think the costs will be:
1) 275
2) Boston, MA
3) $60-70,000
Yikes I can't believe I just typed that!!
Whew, this will turn into an interesting question. I think a lot also depends on how old the couple is, but I'll be curious to see the responses!
1) 150ish
2) Plymouth, MI (metro-Detroit area)
3) $10,000
We'll be just out of college, so not that much extra money around to spend!
1) 120+
2) Pensacola, Florida
2) less than $15,000 (I never looked back and calculated the final costs)
1) 200ish
2) Muskegon, MI
3) 12,000
My parents offered us a budget of $25,000 but anything we don't spend we get to keep, so I'm on an extra cost cutting campagin right now. If we stay on the track we have planned it will be
1) 175ish
2) New Braunfels, TX (between Austin and San Antonio)
3) $17,000 approximate
1) 5
2) vegas (we eloped)
3) about $3000, including all wedding costs, 4 nights at mandalay bay, food, drink, gambling and airfare.
our original plan was for about $15,000 for a 100-150 guest wedding in north suburban indianapolis, but we had to give that idea up due to family (religious) drama. :(
My mom offered us a budget of $45,000 (holy crap!) but I highly doubt we'll use it all. Her words were "Just because you HAVE it doesn't mean you have to SPEND it."
1.) 200ish
2.) Cleveland, OH
3.) $30,000ish I hope...maybe less? We're in the early planning stages.
1- 84
2. Fairfax, Virignia, Suburb of Washington DC
3. $9,200-for everyting, including rings, dress, food, photography, etc.
We had a cocktail recpetion in the afternoon and only served wine and beer. That really helped keep our cost down.
What are you including in the price? Dress, honeymoon, rings? Here are our numbers with everything except rings and honeymoon:
1. 100
2. NYC
3. $57k
Hope that helps you to feel better :)
Numbers with everything except rehearsal dinner, rings, and honeymoon:
1) ~ 100
2) Dallas, TX
3) ~ 30k
Everything EXCEPT honeymoon,
1) 180
2) Chicago suburbs, hotel venue
3) About $50K
1. About 30 have booked plane tickets or have said they want to attend so far...but we haven't sent invitations yet.
2. Grand Cayman Island
3. Budget of $25K (this includes paying for our bridal party's airfare, a welcome party on the beach, and a group snorkel trip) -- but I'm guessing we'll end up closer to $30K.
Phew! The first few responses were scaring me - but then those NYCers came and saved the day!
Those costs I was considering were including everything except rehearsal (gorrom's parents) and rings & honeymoon - which my fiance and I will be paying for those on our own.
preliminary w/o rehearsal dinner, rings or honeymoon:
1) 100 (inviting 150-200 hopefully, the list is growing!, but we expect low acceptance rate from older relatives that live far away)
2) outside Austin, TX
3) 15K surprisingly, I have found this # hard to stick, to, but we are footing more than 1/2 of that ourselves, and only 6.5 mo engagement, YIPES
I look forward to what others post..maybe some with similar areas/budget can help each other out! Hiya ErinSea :-D
Not including rings and honeymoon (didn't do a rehearsal dinner):
1) 50 people
2) Charlottesville, VA
3) 5K
We're both still in school (grad and med) and paid for everything ourselves.
Way too much?
We had an amazing wedding, but I can't help but think why we did all of it.....I had wanted something small, intimate, pretty much the two of us on a deserted island somewhere; he wanted the big wedding. Oh well....
1. 120
2. Brookline, MA
3. about $50k
Where in Brookline? I lived there for two years, I love it!
Humarock - I live in NYC and its always painful to see how much cheaper weddings are in other parts of the country, especially outside of pricey urban areas in the Northeast &Chicago! My brother's mortgage on a 4 bedroom house in Ohio less than my rent on a tiny one bedroom in Manhattan! Don't feel bad about what you are spending....but know you can negotiate and shop around for cheaper places and vendors, especially in this economy!
I never thought I would spend this much on a wedding:
1. approximately 220
2. Hamburg, NJ (about 1 hour from NYC)
3. $80k
Honeymoon, attendant gifts, and tips is not included in here and only our wedding bands not my engagement ring. I do think we went a bit over the top but the bulk of our budget was the venue then band with a quick follow by flowers and photographer respectively. If I could do it all over again I might not have picked such an expensive venue but I know I will love the day soon coming up.
Janna -- Thanks for the reassurance. I knew going into this that a downtown Boston wedding was what we wanted and that the expense was going to be high ... and our large families = large guest list doesnt' help matters ... it is all just a bit frustrating knowing that just because it's a "wedding" people are able to increase the prices ten-fold!
I know what you mean too about cost of living ... We love to watch the HGTV shows that show you how much $300,000 can get you in other parts of the country - it baffles me!!!
This is also helping me think/realize how much we really should start budgeting ourselevs for our rings, attendant & parents gifts, and the honeymoon. Ahh why is money always at the root of everything!?!
Southern California wasn't much better than some of those other areas, although I saved by choosing Long Beach (where we live) instead of Downtown LA/Beverly Hills, etc.
1. 280
2. Long Beach, CA
3. $30-40K
Our guest count is not for sure yet (because it will be across the country from most of the people I know...) but I'm guessing between 150-200. Our wedding will take place in Morehead City, NC and we are planning on spending $6000. Period.
My parents are paying and we didn't get a budget, so we're fortunate in their generosity.
1) 70 people
2) Atlanta, Georgia
3) $55,000
125-150 people
Lake Tahoe
less than $15,000 (and I still feel that's too much!)
1. 150-ish
2. Des Moines, Iowa
3. ~ $14,000 (I don't have an exact final tally)
100 people
Mountains of North Carolina
$16,000
Our initial budget was 13,000 but we splurged on invitations and plan on extending open bar to six hours (the entire reception) from the initial three. It's not too bad, since my mom decided to contribute 3,000 -- so we bascially break even.
Really, it's such a waste of money :( That's a car (something I have yet to own), that's a down payment on a house! That's money that could be invested and turned into a hella lot more money! Have I been taking stupid pills?!
1. 100 people
2. Alpharetta, Georgia (outside Atlanta)
3. $20-23K (excluding rings & honeymoon)
Well, we're still unsure how many people will actually attend, as no invitations have been sent out yet and a large portion of the guestlist are my family friends half the country away, but...
1. Est. 100-150 guests attending, 300 invited.
2. Jackson, Mississippi
3. Budget is sort of nebulous.. just the barest minimum we can get away with is the only idea we have of it. So far the only thing I can think of that we haven't paid for yet is reception food (we're DIYing hor doeurves). What we have spent (rings, honeymoon, dress, invitations, flowers) is about $2,000 -- I can't see us spending more than maybe $1,000 more.
Heh, seems very podunk compared to the other budgets I'm seeing. :)
Wow, this is crazy to see. I like how different it is for each of us!
1. ~60 attending, 110 invited (oye, that's another story)
2. Western MA
3. 5k including honeymoon, rings... everything in any way related to the wedding, including gas for travel (and we're driving up from DC to MA then Maine and back)
1. 200 guests
2. Los Angeles
3. $55,000 (excluding rings, attendant gifts, and honeymoon)
1. 14 guests
2. Sydney, Australia
3. 15k (weddingmoon)
at home reception
1. 125 guests
2. Tucson, Arizona
3. 10k
~130 guests
Nashville, TN
$15k-$20k (not including honeymoon)...I think we're going to come in around $18k
Wow! Seriously thanks for all the resposnes (keep them coming!) I really wasn't sure about how this question would go over ... but I'm glad everyone felt like they could share!
Each and every wedding will be different from the other and perfect (or as close as possible!) for each bride & groom. I know it soudns lame but as long as you say "I do" at some point (or something along those lines) that is all that matters! 
Inviting approx. 190 but hoping for 150 :)
Location is Vermont
Cost, excluding rings and honeymoon and rehearsal dinner, will be around $40k give or take a few. I feel so bad about it too! You would think that Vermont would be more affordable but nope!
1) 50ish invited, 30ish attended
2) Charlotte, NC
3) I think the final numbers came in around $4000. This included the rehearsal dinner, and his ring. My rings were already paid for and we didn't take a honeymoon... yet (no money and no time off).
I'll admit though, sometimes I get really jealous of the beautiful photographs that brides with professional photographers got. (We had our friends do it.) But other than that I have absolutely no regrets about the sacrifices we made to have a wedding we could afford!
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