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How much did your wedding cost?
- Thread starter Stinsok
- Start date
Couple grand. We eloped and had a reception back home after the honeymoon. The ceremony itself was like $700ish, the honeymoon a few thou, and the reception a few thou (I have a large family, it was like 75-25 my side to hers and I didn't invite beyond parents/siblings/grandparents/aunts and uncles/select cousins). Worked well for us, we aren't big party people and as much as it's supposed to be our day we (and certainly much more so for my wife) don't like to be the center of attention, so having a big wedding seemed awkward to us.
i got married in '92. less than 30 people. we spent under $2K. rented a B&B for our friends for the weekend, did all the cooking, brewed the beer, etc. i think the hand-made rings were the most expensive part (about $500). currently glad i didn't spend more...
so far the divorce has been cheaper, even with therapy! i guess it depends on what you add in tho, the separation and costs of two households are putting us each into debt
so far the divorce has been cheaper, even with therapy! i guess it depends on what you add in tho, the separation and costs of two households are putting us each into debt
I got married in June. We got married at a beautiful local park/nature preserve. Cost, 0. We had dinner for the guests which consisted of my family and her family. Cost, around 200.
Both of us just wanted plain wedding bands. Total for both, around $400.
Marriage License $50
Total cost, around 650.
It meant more to me than any $20,000 wedding could.
Both of us just wanted plain wedding bands. Total for both, around $400.
Marriage License $50
Total cost, around 650.
It meant more to me than any $20,000 wedding could.
Not sure, but I'm guessing the inlaws spent the price of a decent compact car. My father-in-law offered me a cash payoff shortly after I proposed. Take the money, use it for whatever and have a small local ceremony. My wife and I were young and wanting a huge party, so we declined. Might sound selfish, but he confided in me later that he wanted to throw the kind of wedding we had.
We lived in Beaumont, TX at the time, but the wedding was in New Orleans. 300 people, paid hotel for the wedding party, open bar, live music, etc. It was really nice, but if we'd been a little older we'd have taken the cash and had a much smaller ceremony/reception. Sure, it could be considered money wasted, but my friends still talk of that wedding fondly 9 years later.
Mike
We lived in Beaumont, TX at the time, but the wedding was in New Orleans. 300 people, paid hotel for the wedding party, open bar, live music, etc. It was really nice, but if we'd been a little older we'd have taken the cash and had a much smaller ceremony/reception. Sure, it could be considered money wasted, but my friends still talk of that wedding fondly 9 years later.
Mike
People spend stupid amounts on weddings sometimes. I don't mind, keeps my band working and pays me good money.
And a big +1 to the folks who've noted that divorces cost even more.
And a big +1 to the folks who've noted that divorces cost even more.
Which one? The first was the cheapest, the second I paid for at the end, and the third and happiest (and still going) was maybe a grand.
1979, we were both still students.
There was no comfortable place to draw the line on guests, so we kept it as family only.
No diamond, just wedding bands.
Her father is a minister, he performed the service (my dad was the official witness).
Her sister made the dress and her grandmother played the music for the service.
Reception at her parent's house afterwards.
It will be 31 years later this month. Living frugally has served us well, although we did go to Paris for our 20th.
There was no comfortable place to draw the line on guests, so we kept it as family only.
No diamond, just wedding bands.
Her father is a minister, he performed the service (my dad was the official witness).
Her sister made the dress and her grandmother played the music for the service.
Reception at her parent's house afterwards.
It will be 31 years later this month. Living frugally has served us well, although we did go to Paris for our 20th.
First time around $250. License plus dinner for 4. Alan Watts officiated for free. I've never wanted to wear a wedding ring so we eliminated rings.
Second time it was just the cost of the license. A local judge married us.
Neither marriage took, but two children came from the first.
Second time it was just the cost of the license. A local judge married us.
Neither marriage took, but two children came from the first.
That depends on your perspective. "Stupid" money is all relative. People here drop thousands on instruments of exotic wood. My brother bought a Lexus IS-F for his 7 mile commute. Vacations can be exceptionally expensive. With all that in mind, dropping serious money to celebrate one of the sincere moments in one's life with every last one of your friends and relatives, while treating them to excellent food, free alcohol and good music? Worth it to many.
Of course. The wreck I might get in on the way to the store would surely cost me more than the gas, but that doesn't stop me from making the trip or make my efforts pointless.
Mike
I think it's stupid when either a) the family of the bride wants a big wedding and the couple doesn't or b) when the couple (see bride to be) wants a big wedding, and her family can't afford it.
Also, it was a bit of tension for our wedding because of cultural differences. In Iran (where my wife's dad is from) the groom's family pays for the wedding (but the bride's family pays for the house, he sort of neglected that part of the tradition), while here, obviously, the bride's family pays for the wedding. For a little while no one was paying for our wedding but us ( and we work for my father in law for a meager sum). In the end my father in law ended up paying for it, and forced some unnecessary cost onto himself, but it was a great day for us both.
7 years ago, about 10 grand. half paid by her parents, half by mine. It was the type that was nice but unless you were the groom or bride, nothing memorable. It was at a nice church / hall, open bar, decent food. limo ride. I paid for the honeymoon, about 3 grand cruise ship.
I'm not sure what my wedding will cost when the day comes, but I know that I make between 350-400 a night when I bar tend weddings....fun times.
Total spent, including a week at an all-inclusive in Mexico for the honeymoon - about $5k.
Outside the honeymoon the biggest expenditures were the dinner ($900), the band ($800), and the booze ($600).
Yeah. My 5k initially included just two dudes playing traditional Hawaiian music. But much of the reason why my wedding was so cheap, was because it was the November after 9/11. We planned our wedding in Hawaii because it was half way between Japan and the US, it would keep the numbers down, and we both love surfing and Hawaii. Well, 9/11 happened and our wedding that was going to be about 60 people fell down to 20 people. The hotel where we held the wedding (the Mauna Lani - a beautiful resort) was empty. We had to stay at the hotel for one night as part of the deal for the wedding. They upgraded that room to a suite right on the beach, the menu that we ordered was on the cheap side (relatively speaking - the Mauna Lani menu is crazy delicious seafood - we had giant panko shrimp with a coconut butter dip as appetizers) but they upgraded everything, and the chef went nuts and cooked us all kinds of amazing food for no extra cost (we gave him a fat tip).
Then there was the band. Originally, through the wedding planner we hired a two piece. Guitar, and uke, and they sang tranditional hawaiian music. But when the showed up, because there was no work. They brought the whole band at no extra cost. It was a guitar, a regular uke, and 8 strink uke, two hula dancers, and a stand up bass. Amazing. They played through dinner, and then after dinner they spiced it up a bit with songs that got the folks out on the dance floor. Not one of those songs they played were cheesy covers. They all had a cool Hawaiian vibe to them. We wound up tipping them nicely just the same. They were all just really stoked that we were going forward with the wedding despite all the flying scares.
