Post # 1
Member
24 posts
Newbee
<span style=”font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial”>I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask… I know the wedding budget is a very personal thing… but are there any ladies out there willing to share with me their detailed costs of their wedding? I’m in the early planning stages and could really use a wake-up call in terms of how much things will really cost! I know it varies, etc, but just need a few ‘case studies’ if you’re willing to share… THANK YOU!!! 
Post # 3
Member
11 posts
Newbee
well, we are trying to keep our budget no bigger than 30k but its going over to more like 36… for 150 people. its not a fancy shmancy wedding but it will (i hope) be elegant!
there are many ways to cut corners…and this is me doing all the flowers and decor myself, doing all the invites, std, all paper stuff. we are buying our own liquor and beverages. (the caterers jack it up) and also not including my dress, or his attire. it only includes the big stuff like venue, rentals, catering, dj, photographer, flowers etc…
hope it helps!
Post # 4
Member
200 posts
Helper bee
It takes a lot of planning and research if you are planning a budget conscious wedding, but it can be done. Originally, my husband set our budget at $5K…..that turned out to be the biggest joke ever. Honestly, I’m still not sure what the grand total is that we spent, but I don’t mind sharing some of the numbers with you:
Dress – I had a custom made dress because I am hard to fit: $645.
Venue – We used a banquet hall that I wished we hadn’t: $1750.
Food – Stonefire Grill (two servers, two entrees(chicken and tri-tip), and three sides w/ garlic bread for 130): $1675.
Alcohol: 6 cases of champagne @ $36 p/ case, 8 cases of wine @ $48 p/ case= app. $600. We bought all of the alcohol from BevMo! and got a discount although I can’t remember how much it was. We overshot in this area and could have saved $150-200 because there were several leftover cases. We decided to drink the leftovers instead of returning them…..
Invitations – I had a very talented friend make them, so I only spent around $250.
Flowers – The friend who made the invitations made the bouquets. I gave her $200 and she went downtown to the flowermart for the flowers.
Photographer – Nataly Lemus (actually, it was her husband Art) $950 for 6 hours.
I can’t really say how much I spent for centerpieces, but they worked out to be under $20. I bought the vases and mirrors from http://www.save-on-crafts.com and the flowers from the flowermart. Hope this helps!
Post # 5
Member
24 posts
Newbee
Thank you so much… this is really helping me as I try to ballpark my "limit" within reason. So tough. I appreciate all the great ideas!!
Post # 6
Member
262 posts
Helper bee
Here are some of my costs.
Ceremony – Site rental fee ($1700), chairs/4 tables/2 market umbrellas ($510), officiant that spoke both chinese/english ($470 including tip), drinks/dim sum for after ceremony (about $300), student quartet for 2 hrs ($460)
Cake $400
Dress – purchases sample for 50% ($500 + $260 in alterations)
Shoes – 2 pairs, one for wedding gown and one for chinese dress – $177
Tuxes for groom, father of bride, 3 groomsmen – $436
3 Bridesmaid dress – $341 including alterations
DJ/MC – $1090 including tip
Liquor – $1000
Photographer – $5k
Centerpieces – $325, bought vases and flowers at flower mart
2 bride bouquets (roses), 3 Bridesmaid or Best Man bouquest (roses), 4 bout for groom and GMs, 2 large arrangements, 20 family bouts – $590
I had a chinese banquet so the food cost probably won’t be relevant for you. Good luck on your planning!