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I'm not in the same country as most of the people on here so I won't give you a figure as it will most likely be wrong for the country you are in, but I think weddings are over rated. It's the little things that really send people's budgets out the window. Here are some money saving ideas, but still with a great wedding as the outcome: - Rent as much as you can. You don't need to buy things like cutlery and plates etc as you will most likely never use them all again unless you entertain lots of guests. It would be nice to keep the plate that the cake is on as a memory, but not all of the plates for guests. Rent vases, and table cloths, and floor mats (I knew a woman who paid $6000NZD for mats that I swear looked exactly like the ones already at the church....). Little things count. Like if you are really on a tight budget, the bride could go without arriving in a limo as people will remember her walking down the aisle more than they will remember her arriving. You could have the reception at your house or a friend's house that has a roomy entertaining space instead of renting a hall or paying to take everyone somewhere fancy. If you have it at home you could make all of the food yourself which will cut back on lots of catering costs. Another idea that I have heard about is getting guests to pay for their own meal. Personally I think it's a bit (insert word not allowed on fun advice here), but people that cannot afford to cater a large amount of people are really getting into it. I have been to two weddings where I had to pay for my own meal. Getting married in a public place like the beach or in a beautiful reserve would mean no cost of a hall or church, and would also mean less decorations needed all over the walls.... because there are no walls outside!! You don't have to skimp and have a totally boring wedding, but if you incorporate one of these ideas (or other ideas) into your wedding you could save a lot of money that could be saved, used to pay off part of the mortgage, help pay for honeymoon etc. Congrats and I hope the day goes well :).
First off, sit down with your fiancé, or with your parents if they're going to contribute, and work out what you can afford to spend.
To keep track of your big day spending, write down the estimated costs in a budget planner and then regularly review the costs as you confirm with suppliers to ensure you stay on track. Think about main factors. - Location. Where you get married matters, and not just for the venue. - Guest list size. Some venues have minimum and maximum guest requirements and are priced accordingly, and vendors might charge per head for food and drink. - Season. That sunny summer wedding probably comes with a trade-off: price. Ceremony sites, reception halls and photographers are known to offer lower rates during off-peak months, such as January or February. - Day of the week. Saturday is the most popular day for weddings, and high demand often comes with a higher price tag. You might be able to save by scheduling your big day on a Sunday or weekday — unless it coincides with a popular holiday.
Compare prices and services Once you’ve picked the services you want, the best way to identify fair prices and approximate the total bill is to ask around. Talk to friends and family who’ve recently gone through the process, or consult a wedding planner.
Average wedding budget breakdown: Wedding venue: £2,790 Reception venue: £3,919 Catering: £3,959 Photography/video: £1,046 Flowers: £638 Cake: £300 Entertainment: £773 Wedding Dress: £1,378 Stationery: £271 Groom's outfit: £439 Beauty: £301 Engagement ring: £3,037 Wedding rings: £809 Honeymoon: £4,413 Of course, all the expenses will depend on your capabilities. You may not include all the details. Think what style of wedding do you want and how to spend money. Get luck!
I think we spent 5-7K on our wedding reception, etc, about ten years ago...I thought it was amazing, but we only had 72 guests, so it was fairly small.
This was in Oregon, too, near Eugene...depending on the area you live, the venue alone may be that amount.
Some things you can do to save money when planning your wedding:
1) Go to a nursery yourself to get flowers...a wholesaler that will sell them by the bunch, and then rent vases, etc, from a party supply store.
2) Arrange, select and order the decorations from a party supply store yourself, which can save a fair bit of money.
3) An idea I read here: digital cameras the disposible kind, on every table, to get a ton of great photos...I wouldn't replace a professional with this, but rather, supplement, so that they aren't needed for the same length of time, eg, the real photographer will cost potentially less this way overall and you have more great photos.
4) Make your own invitations...my wife designed this website, and a host of other things...it's a hobby for her, and ours still bring a huge smile to my face. A hassle though, in truth, but worth it for us.
5) Anything else you can tackle yourself, do so...but again, it's a lot of time and effort you're trading in for the savings.
Good luck!
Without your specifications and preferences, I am afraid I would not be able to give you an exact figure or even an estimate because weddings typically depend on the size of your guest list, your location, where you want your reception to be, whether you want your wedding to be simple or grand, what type of food you want, etc. I can give you tips though on how to save on your wedding but still make it a beautiful event.
• Do as much as you can yourself—from creating your invitations to making your giveaways to decorating your reception area. You can ask the help of your family and friends with these tasks to make them much easier. Furthermore, if you have a mom or aunts that are excellent in cooking, you can save money on catering by asking them to cook or bake your cake. • Ask your friends to take a lot of photos of your wedding. I am not saying that you should replace the professional photographer, however, you can save a ton of money by supplementing him so that you wouldn't need to pay your photographer his extended hours. For more info about how to do a beautiful wedding without blowing your budget read out:
I think the average amount any person should spend on a wedding is what they can afford. The "wedding" is, afterall, the shortest part of marriage. I think the national average runs about $20,000...what a waste of money, espcially if you have to go into debt to pay for it.
Thank you. I always like doing things myself so this sets my mind at ease a bit.
