Post # 1
Member
5147 posts
Bee Keeper
Did you stay within budget? Did you have to adjust your budget?
I thought we could do it for around $5,000 originally… I had no idea how expensive things were! It’s actually going to be around $10,000. That’s just for the “big stuff”, not counting hair/makeup, wedding party gifts, DIY centerpeices, other accessories like toasting flutes and guest book, etc.
Wedding Day:
Wedding Lunch (25 guests) $400
Reception Day:
Reception venue $1000
Tables/linens rental $330
Food ($13 per plate, 100 guests) $1300
DJ $600
Non-alcoholic drinks $75
Alcoholic drinks $460
Bartender $100
18% Service charge/tips $700
Sales Tax $400
Other:
Dress + alterations $1500
Photography $3000
Post # 3
Member
1030 posts
Bumble bee
HOLY CRAP, $13 per plate?!?! Man I need to move to Kansas City..
Post # 4
Member
14657 posts
Honey Beekeeper
LOL! My thoughts exactly MissBoston. Open bar for just an hour is running me more than that. ugh…. makes me wonder why I insist on staying in Boston.
Edit. To answer the original question… I didn’t even bother making myself a budget for the wedding. I’m just going to do the best I can do for all the different aspects, make reasonable allowances for anything I really want, and it’ll add up to whatever it adds up to.
Post # 6
Member
1498 posts
Bumble bee
Wedding is the NC Mountains for 100 people. Most of these are actual values, some are still the budgeted amounts, but I’ve been able to keep everything within budget amounts.
Ceremony and Reception Venue: $3150, 6 hours plus 2 hr set up
Food/Service: $5000
Alcohol: $2000
Rentals: $1800
Coordination: $1000
Photography: $5000
Flowers: $2500
Music/Entertainment: $1500
Stationary: $1000
Transportation: $1000
Cake and Dress: ‘free’, my grandmother is paying for the dress and making the cake
Favors: $500
Post # 7
Member
1030 posts
Bumble bee
@pinkshoes: Ah you’re here too? Where are you getting married?
Yes yes the original question.. well let’s see.. we are being really strict about sticking to budget.. as of now:
Venue: $1000 (Sunday discount)
Food: ~$70 pp (cheapest I could find including apps, salad, dinner and cake, tips, tax)
Drinks: consumption, but we are estimating $25pp + 18% tip
Dress, shoes, accessories: $1100, will need about $500 worth of alterations
Photog: Can’t find anything less than about $2500
DJ: Don’t know yet
And that’s just so far!
Post # 8
Member
610 posts
Busy bee
OMG Bees I’m so stressed out. I thought we could do it for $15,000. I subtracted what we have left after the venue and caterer and photographer… We have $1,300 to stretch for decorations, cake, rings, and officiant. Not to mention my mom keeps suggesting these friviolous expenses that really DON’T matter, and she’s just like we’ll see what we can help you with. I’m not mad she can’t really help, but I’m upset when she’s thinking we’re throwing a 25,000+ wedding and I’ve told her how much our budget it. For example she really liked this cake company, they’re minimum price is $800. I told her that, and she’s like “oh well what size is that cake?” I’m like “does it matter, we’re not getting an $800 cake!” Ok sorry venting over…
@abbyful: I’m having a destination wedding in Kansas City now!
Post # 9
Member
1030 posts
Bumble bee
Ha ha! Everyone to Kansas City!
Post # 11
Member
129 posts
Blushing bee
This is in RI – we live in MA but it is SO SO SO expensive there! So we found a great country club in my FI’s hometown for a lunch wedding. We’re planning on approx. 150 people.
Hors D’Ouvres – $1500
Seated Lunch for 150 – $4050…it better be good!
Bar – $3000. If that’s reached we’ll decide whether to extend or turn it into a cash bar.
Flowers – unknown. I’m going pretty skimpy on flowers and am going to budget around $800.
DJ – unknown – I’m budgeting around $500?
Photography, wedding dress, and wedding cake – all gifted from various family.
Transportation – we’re renting a limo for the bridal party, probably around $1000. We’re not doing transportation for every out of town guest from a hotel. I don’t know when that trend started…but it’s a lunch time wedding, they’re all adults, they can get there!
Makeup- doing my own
Hair – unknown
bridesmaids gift – I’ll probably spend around $100 per girl. Same for groomsmen so…$1000.
Our goal is to do EVERYTHING (including honeymoon) for under $20000. Here’s hoping!!!
I got word that another set of grandparents wants to contribute something to the wedding…yay! i just don’t know what yet.
Does everyone else think all this stress and money is worth it? I’m really starting to think we should have eloped somewhere awesome!
Post # 12
Member
1398 posts
Bumble bee
Haha yea I wish I could come anywhere near that price! I have been budgeting like crazy, its broken down to every tiny thing, and my Fiance wrote a script in excel so we can track how much we’ve saved, need to save, and if we’re over or under budget. We are getting married in NJ so heres some perspective 🙂
rings: $1000
Officiant: $150
Invitations: $260
Honeymoon: $3000
3 course meal with open bar for 4 hours, plus cocktail hour: $115 per person (incl tax)
Band: $3000
Photog: $1250 (should not have been this low, I got super lucky – they now advertise at $3k)
Lighting and decorations: $450
Ceremony Flowers/bouquets: $300
Dress: will probably come close to $2000 when its all done
Centerpieces: $300
Shoes: $110
Suit: $300 (FI wants to buy a nice suit instead of renting)
Gifts for Attendants: $200
Wedding favors: $290 (I kind of want to scrap this altogether)
So yea. We had hoped for a 10k budget, then a 15k, now it looks like it will be somewhere around $22k when all is said and done. I always said I wouldn’t be one of those girls, but I’ve come to terms with it now 😛 I do think you should make a budget for all of the little things, because they become big things really quickly and its easier to adjust your budgeting now than it is to get shocked later into putting everything on a card. Once I itemized, I realized all those stupid little things were adding thousands…
Post # 13
Member
1498 posts
Bumble bee
@divergirl: you can def do your decorations with $1300. I’d say you should think about doing place holder rings until you can afford nice ones that you’d have forever. Our officant is $350, but that includes her time for the rehearsal as well. And You could always DIY desserts, or maybe just do a small cake to cut and then see if you can negotiate with your caterer to include a dessert table for your guests that would work in your budget (like nix an app or something).
Post # 14
Member
955 posts
Busy bee
My original was 5k also. I think we are going to be more around 7 or 8k for everything (not honeymoon). I am torn, it seems like so much money to spend for one day but at the same time I feel as if we are really keeping the cost down 🙂 We are haveing our wedding in Ybor City, Sarasota was too expensive. And on a Thursday night, which has saved us a lot too.
Some of my costs so far…
Venue (ceremony & reception old cigar factory turned into ballroom) $1250
Dress & accessories $770
DJ/lighting/violinist $650
Catering (dinner & apps 75 guests) $2650
Photographer $900
Linens (ebay) $110
Invites/ STD $125
Alcohol $500 (we get to purchase it and they will just serve it )
Flowers and centerpieces are a gift from my Sister 🙂
Post # 15
Member
129 posts
Blushing bee
oh…i forgot…officiant is being gifted to us by our best couples friends. Her uncle is a minister and he is fantastic!
invitations – Fiance is an awesome graphic designer so he’s making. I’m hoping to keep Save-The-Date Cards, Invitations and Thank You’s around $350 plus postage.
oh this is depressing.
flowers – i think i’m going to make our bouquets. all you need is floral tape, ribbon, and some flowers…right?? I see beautiful bouquets at whole foods all the time!
Post # 16
Member
1398 posts
Bumble bee
@pinkb: For Sarasota I think you’re doing a great job! I know some friends that are getting married at the Ca D Zan, and I just wonder what they could possibly be paying for that place…
