How Much Did You Pay?

Dress, slip, bra,shoes, tiara,wrap....$842.54(everything was 15% off at Davids Bridal.

Alterations...$65.00

Centerpieces (12)...$95.00(My Mom and I made them)

Save the date magnets with our pictures on them (my Mom made them also).....$24.78 (for the magnet)

Postage to send (60@ .37)...$22.20

Twisted Personalized toasting flutes (2)(online)...$25.70

Personalized Unity Candle Set and holders(online)..$74.50

Glimmering Gold Flowergirl basket and matching Pillow(online) $96.10

Favors 70 Custom Votive Yankee Candles wrapped in tulle with our names and date($324.45)

Personalized Vintage lace guest book, pen and holder (matches Basket and Pillow) (from a catalog)$81.13

Invitations (online)...the buy of the century $234.00 for 75
Including response cards etc. (I saw them at a place by my house for $225.00 more)

Postage to send...(just a tip ladies take a completed invite to the post office and let them weigh them so you know how much each one needs.)You will be surprised we had to put 60 cent stamps on them ! Also for your info the LOVE stamps come in 60 cent stamps also!
69- 60 cent stamps & 69-37 cent stamps (for replies)
$66.33
Flowers $636.00

Photographer $1100.00 which included an engagement photo, all day church and reception coverage and a 30 page album. When we sold $1000.00 in pictures we earned a CD with all the photos on it, all of our negatives, and all the proofs.

Videographer $800.00 (to save money we had him do only the ceremony and before and after church) No reception.It included 5 VHS tapes and 5 DVD`s.

DJ...$900.00

Limo...from Church to reception $350.00

Tuxes.....$85.00 each....the groom earned a free one but we gave that to the ring bearer( so his parents did not have to pay for it, the flowergirl also belonged to them so they had to buy her dress.)

Wedding cake (included in our reception package).
It really all adds up. We started ordering stuff really early... A little bit at a time so it was not so overwelming.

My dress: $650 ( mother in law did alterations)
Photographer: $450.00 (got negatives)
Hall rental: $200.00(knights of columbus)
Caterer: $1,200.00(cheap but really great)
Dj:$350.00
Tux: $130.00
Cake: $250.00
Flowers: 500.00(stargazer lilies)
Flowergirl dress and shoes: $55.00
Invitations, reply cards and table seating cards: $40.00
Stamps: $30.00
Centerpieces and favors: $120.00
Hair done for wedding: $50.00
Gifts for wedding party: $200.00
Limo: 270.00(with tip)

That`s all i can remember. My wedding may have been cheap but everyone had a awesome time. Why have my dad go broke over one day. The reason some people have a big wedding is to impress people. My father had given me a big budget but i didn`t want that. I was happy to be married.

All I remember is the Dj (Classy Deejay in Tucson 520 312-0099) The reason I remember is , They were the only one who did what they said they were going to do . He charged me $500 and he was worth every penny!

My fiance and I put out budgets together, figured out what $20,000 would pay for and our parents were great enough to give us $10,000 (each set) so we put them together had $40,000 to spend. We used every penny of it.

$20,000 - Garden / Greenhouse Country Club - a beautiful country club with a gorgeous garden, very beautiful with 5 course dinner and open bar all night for 400 people. Included a Chocolate fountain with fruit made to look like flowers, veggies made to look like a garden with animals and ice sculptures and a champagne fountain (was supposed to be $160 per person but we worked there throughout our college years so they gave us a big discount). We loved this place, they helped us save for our wedding. We thank God for them every day as well as our families.
$2500 - Jazz band
$500 - String Quartet at Church Ceremony
$3000 - Decorator
$FREE - Coordinator (my cousin is a professional coordinator)
$2500 - Gown & Accessories, Shoes
$500 - Make-up session for bridal party & self
$500 - Hair, Nails & brow wax appointment for bridal party & self
$800 - Flowers & Centerpieces - Bridal party flower balls
$500 - Chocolate
$600 - Favors - Heart shaped lucky bamboo in personalized bud vases with river rocks since it was a garden reception (1 per couple or per single person)
$500 - Dove Release
$1500- Wedding accessories (Unity candle, Veil, Tiara, handpainted aisle runner, shoes, etc...)
$2500 - Photographer, Videographer (included 4 DVD`s, 4 Albums color, black & white photos, formal session before wedding date, wedding formal pictures and all would be in personalized wooden boxes that had a picture in the lid and wedding info on them.
$500- Bridal Party gifts
$1400 - Wedding cake with fountains
$500 - Fireworks
FREE - Honeymoon (2 weeks in Hawaii) gift from both sets of grandparents for graduating and marriage.
$200 - Bridal Ladies Jewelry
$PRICELESS - My husband`s great grandmother gave me her wedding jewelry that was in their family for 8 generations
$500 Parents gifts
$800 - Horse drawn carriages from Church to Reception
$PRICELESS - My engagement ring & Wedding bands, they belonged to my husband`s great grandmother and has been in the family for 8 generations, he updated the diamonds in the set but it is very antique.

We saved for our wedding, I am a Dentist and my fiance is a Neo-natal surgeon. We are highschool sweethearts, college sweetheards and we knew that we wanted to have a special ceremony and were only willing to spend $20,000 so we had that put aside in a bank account marked Wedding. When our parents matched it, we decided we would go all out. We purchased a new house in a great development that were building houses where you chose everything and it has great space all around. We are not rich in money, not like people think because we are just starting out in our professions and are still paying off student loans so we knew that our wedding wasn`t going to be hundreds of thousands of dollars. We were blessed to make the most of our money and even more blessed to have parents who gave towards the cost because they felt we deserved a fairytale wedding.

$40k on a wedding??? My how pathetic. Who are you trying to impress? I understand, this is the most special day of your life....but $40k on one day is a waste of money. You know what would have been more special, if you would have took some of that money and donated it to a charity of your choice. How much more beneficial that would have been than to see a bunch of doves fly up in the air and have an open bar all night. UGH!

I agree i know it`s a special day but that money could have been put to better use. I can`t remember alot of things from my wedding(it was seven years ago) because even though it was a beautiful day it pales in comparsion to the birth of my two sons. I felt i was married even before the ceremony.

I think if you have it to spend, then spend it. I have seen weddings that cost more than that. She doesn`t have to donate a dime of her money to a charity. She was given the money from family and was all set to pay 20k but she got more money. I know that my wedding ran close to 60k and I have a good job as well as my husband. There is no way I am going to cut corners on my special day. If I can buy a house that is 350k then spending 60k for my wedding is a drop in the bucket. With my family helping, it was easy and I wanted a fairy tale. No one is on here to brag, the question was how much did you spend and she told it. If you are poor and cannot afford a wedding of elegance and style, don`t put down those who can. I know people who have spent 100k on weddings, that is up to them. They are both of professions where they will be making big money, they are not McDonalds employees spending that kind of money and they were saving. I didn`t save, I took my bonus, the money that our families gave us and paid for my wedding. Many people have sponsored weddings and many spend 100k and some spend 5k, that is up to the bride. You sure are a bunch of hateful, bitter, jealous women!

I agree that each person has a right to spend what they please on their wedding. I would have loved to have a budget that large but my budget was just fine. I didn`t go over $20,000 for the entire wedding and it looked like I had spent a million. I made it look the way that I wanted it to look and I thought it was beautiful. I have very fond memories of my wedding even to this day and that was 18 years ago, it is still running a close second to having my daughter. Gina, I am proud that you graduated and happy that you have great families that didn`t mind giving you a wonderful day. I want the same for my daughter if she chooses to have it that way. I have her college money put aside, and we donate money every year to Girl Scouts (since she is a girl scout) and I still have 50k put aside for her wedding. If she uses it all, then that is what we have it for and if she doesn`t then she may have it to go towards her home. I really don`t care who likes it, it is our choice for her to have a dream wedding and if not, then that is her choice too. My husband is a judge and I am an OB/Gyn. Why are people so nasty towards someone who has money and doesn`t mind spending it? Why the jealousy? Anyone can spend 40,000 on a wedding if they so choose, it is up to you if that is what you want.

I`m not bitter, i was just agreeing with another persons opinion. That`s what this website is for. Also my parents were not poor. My father was willing to pay alot of money for my wedding but that wasn`t my style. I just hope people that blew all that money don`t lose your jobs and then wish you had that money for a rainy day.

Only people who worry about things like that are poor people. People who have college degrees and are in booming professions as Gina and her husband are the kind who have stocks, savings accounts and things like that to not have to worry about that rainy day. Stop the hating and jealousy people, green only looks good on frogs!

Linda, an average wedding can be anywhere from $5000 to $25000. I have seen beautiful weddings where the person spent close to 10000 and they looked so beautiful. I am helping my cousin plann her wedding and so far, we are not even at the $5000 mark and she got her gown, accessories, jewelry, limo, decorations and flowers (mostly silk flowers made from a few workers at a local craft store, we sprayed them with a little scent she is using real flowers at the reception for centerpieces so that is fine. Linda, I think that you can have a gorgeous wedding for 5 to 10 thousand. If you have the right people helping you out and willing to look for the bargains, then you will find that you can have a 20 thousand wedding for 5 to 10 thousand. Watch for the times of the year for sales, buy things then. Research the favors, figure out what guest think is nice or choose one that is within reason of price and go with it. As for makeup, we are not sure what to do for that because she is not a makeup wearer and neither does many of my family members so she just wants something to enhance on her natural look so I am not sure of what to tell you there. What she did do is to have a few department stores give her facials and do makeup on her to see what types of makeup last all day (mainly for picture purpose). I will tell you, my cousin is beautiful but when they did her makeup, it was like seeing a whole new person! It was amazing. I would say try different lipsticks that do not rub off, so that you won`t have to refresh too much. I think all else depends on where you live and what is around you as things differ in price depending on where you live. A wedding in Iowa cost less than a wedding in PA. So try to do the research on the places around you, find the florist who has the best price, see if you want to use silk arrangements just to save money and go from there.

I have all those things such as stock, savings accounts etc. But i`ve seen people have everything then lose everything that all i`m saying, i`m not trying to be rude. I just want people to know you can have a beautiful wedding without spending alot. Just because some people refuse to spend that kind of money doesn`t mean they are green with envy. I`ve known a few friends that spent $40,000 on a wedding and they are divorced. A expensive wedding doesn`t guarantee a happy marriage. Love should never be measured by the value of a dollar

That is so true. Just because you have money doesn`t mean that you are guaranteed to be rich for life and even poor people can buy stocks. I have been the one to say that the most expensive weddings seem to end in a more expensive divorce. It isn`t just celebrities that have that happen to them. By the way, Linda stated that she was looking for a reasonable wedding and 40k is not what a person who is not poor but also not filthy rich, is looking to see. She is looking to see those who have had million dollar weddings on a meager budget. I have been to weddings that were 50k and looked cheap and I have been to 5000 weddings that looked like they spent millions. That is what Linda is looking for, elegance on a budget!

Tonya: No, a bride doesn`t have to give that money to charity. It was only a suggestion. Everyone makes choices in their lives...spending $40k or more on a wedding isn`t one of the best choices in my opinion. I don`t care what kind of job you have, throwing money away on such stupid things like a "dove release" is not going to make the marriage last. Sure, you`ll have a fairy tale wedding and it will cost you....but what happens the next day when the fairy tale is over? I just wanted to point out to you and anyone else who reads this that the secret to a wonderful day is the way you feel towards each other...and not by how much you spent on the wedding.

Brains: Being poor is not the issue here. Spending money on such foolish things is. I agree with Lisa and Theresa. Love should NOT be measured by the value of a dollar. Is your wedding going to last because you had the "fairy tale" wedding? Or because you were poor, it`s guaranteed for a divorce because a horse and buggy was not outside the church ready to take you on a romantic ride? Think about what you are really saying here. If $60k is a drop in the bucket for you - all power to you. I`m surprised you even spend your time on message boards such as these. Or is the fairy tale gone now in your marriage and you`e so board you have nothing else to spend your time on? Hmm...

Ladies....a classy, elegant wedding doesn`t have to cost $40k. Think smart....and keep in perspective the true meaning of your wedding. If it rains, are you going to be any less happy? No. Just like you will be just as happy not having a dove release as you would if you did. Good luck!

My wedding was approx $215k. Now why am I bragging about this? We went to look for a site to get married. We had an appointment for a hall and while lost looking for this hall, we found a for sale sign on the most beautiful house with a wonderful back yard and the backyard had a fish garden in the back with waterfalls. The house was my dream house. We finally found the place where the hall was and it was beautiful but I told my fiance, instead of spending the $30k on a wedding, reception for one day, lets put this money down on the house and get married in our church and have the reception in our own back yard. We can rent tables, chairs, the backyard itself was the decorations with the waterfall and the beaufitul huge goldfish in the pond area. I was in love with the outside of the house. We made an appointment with the realtor and put a bid in after we saw the inside of the house. The house was our dream. I told the lady who was selling the house this is going to be my wedding reception site and approx a month later, she accepted our bid and we put down $55k in cash on the house and got a loan for the balance. We actually spent $10k on our reception and wedding. I had a beautiful early summer wedding and the church was decorated by friends and family who donates flowers to the church and I made the pew bows and other decorations myself from watching Marth and other TV decorating shows. I also took craft classes. I had 300 guests plus 20 in the wedding party and we rented the tables, chairs, table and chair linens, dishes, buffet tables and everything like that from a rent an event place and friends and family helped us set up the back yard. We hired a caterer to make the food we had great friends and family to help us with serving, we hired a DJ and although we didn`t release doves, we had all of the butterflies around us to help us make the moment special. When it started getting dark, we had lights around the area and it was still special to us. We did honeymoon in Europe and we came back to our investment. I could have had a wedding that cost 55k and when you think about it, I really did but I was smart (not to say that anyone was stupid for spending that kind of money on their wedding because if you have it like that, then I am glad that you made yourself happy by doing that, but I felt that I was smart because I turned my wedding into an investment and it is so special to me because it is the place that I know that I will remember most. My house is the place that will hold many great memories, my wedding reception, family gatherings, place to raise my family, love my husband, shelter us from everything outside those doors. I think I spent the most money on my wedding but I spent smart. BTW... I have stocks, bonds, mutual funds and I am professional human being. The type of work that I do, does not make me who I am. As for the lady who called 60k a drop in the bucket, I am happy that you and I pray that life never changes for you because you will surely not survive. Now I will say this, Linda asked about reasonable weddings, she was looking for help. I felt that $10k for my wedding was very reasonable because I had put all of my wedding/house savings into the house and our families gave us the 10k for our reception. I felt that was my greatest day ever. Linda, you can have a beautiful wedding for less than 10k just from smart planning, buying during the "sale" months (when there are fewer weddings like in December, January) and you can save even more by getting married in the winter rather than in the spring (if you live where the weather turns cold). I am happy for all of the brides on this board who have had weddings no matter the cost, I pray that they survive as that is what a marriage is about, not how much you spend and not how much frills you have. Did your fireworks out shine my fireflies? I don`t know. The butterflies and fireflies put on a wonderful show for us for free and I thought it was all the more special. Congrats to all of the brides on the board.

Justine, when I read the first few lines on your post, I was almost knocked out of my seat as I thought you were a snob who spent that kind of money on a wedding but after reading your post, I saw that you did something more wonderful. You are correct, I am sure that you felt the butterflies and firebugs were just as exciting as the fireworks that the other bride had (fireworks at a wedding?, wasn`t the kiss and happiness of the day enough to make its own fireworks in you mind?!?!?) WOW! Dawn, I feel that you are correct. I am not jealous of anyone who spent that kind of money, all we are saying is it wasn`t necessary as you could have had all of that and more for 10k and something more simple. Will your family remember the doves or fireworks? Probably as much as I will. Are they talking about it in a positive way? I am still laughing at the thought of it. I am still thinking Oh, come on! I am even more in disgust when I read "a drop in the bucket". Do you people know just how silly that sounds? Good luck in your marriages and I truly pray that you never need that "drop in the bucket" when the well runs dry.

I am planning a wedding as well and all the small things are very expensive. Right now the best prices I got were 1000 for centerpeices which are roses and calalilys and 500 for bouquests and my bridesmaids have five calalilys each. Limos I am paying 1200 for 2 10 passenger lincolns and a excalibur for 3 1/2 hours. Videography and Photography I havent found anything cheaper then 5000 for both which is absolutly insane. And most dj`s want like 4000 which it totally outragous for 1000 more u can get a live band. There are alot of websites online with very reasonable priced favors just type in wedding favors and u will get all the sites. Invitation you can find alot of really nice ones on ebay for a great price as well. I was speaking to a friend that is a wedding planner and she told me when you go to a florist for flowers do not tell them it is for a weddign they raise the price about 3 times the amount .. Hope I helped you

To be totally honest with you it really depends on where you live to know how much things are going to cost. I live in New York City and everything is outragously priced. I will be 23 and my fiance will be 24 when we get married and we have help from nobody paying for our wedding and it does cause a big dent. We found this awsome place called the Renaissance in Staten Island that was priced very well.
With 150 people - 18,000.00
Dress- 2500 my father bought my dress
Invitations ebay 200
Favors from hansonellis.com- 359.00 check it out they have alot of cute stuff and they arent that bad in prices
Dj still a question it is very expensive like i said the cheapest price i got was 3800
Video and photo - they are a rip off come on 5000 for pictures....
Flowers - you can get a great deal just remember not to tell them it is for a wedding 1800 for centerpeices, bouquets and mother flowers alter flowers

Me and me fiance have less than $1,000 on a wedding were getting married in feburary 2006 up in the mountains in the woods its going to be wonderful.........

Around $300 total. We bought simple white-gold bands for around $100 each and the remaining $100 was spent chartering a boat. The captain was a notary who married us on the boat!