Comments on: How Much Should You Pay For a Wedding?

By: Andrew @ Financial Services

Andrew @ Financial Services — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:24:55 +0000

Thanks! This should prove to be useful. I am so lucky that my future wife is so understanding. I really want to give her a nice wedding but we don’t have the money and it wasn’t an issue at all with her, in fact, she was the one who suggested the simple wedding!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:54:49 +0000

Ditto “Headless Mom” — I think I spent $350 (perhaps less) on my dress, clearance, off-the-rack — the total included a fluffy underskirt that I don’t think I even ended up wearing. The only alteration it needed was to be hemmed slightly shorter. I remember that the bridal store was going to charge more for the alteration than the dress itself cost (they charged by the hour, and estimated that it would take many hours to alter). Since we were just talking a couple of inches, I declined (and bought a pair of almost-platform shoes for $10, which wouldn’t show, since my family & friends were insisting that the dress was actually too long); then my mom found out about a lady who did alterations, and I think she charged me $20 to hem it, and it didn’t even take that long!
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Oh, WOW! =-.

By: Craig

Craig — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:45:55 +0000

I love the fact that you got your dress in the clearance section! That would be a fun post- how much should you spend on a dress that you wear on one occasion?

By: Headless Mom

Headless Mom — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 06:12:11 +0000

We were married 12 years ago, and we never added up the total, and my father never asked how much anything cost. That being said? I was very careful in what I spent, how much things cost, and how/where I could get things less expensively. I even bought my dress "off the rack" in the clearance section. Perfect! .-= Headless Mom´s last blog ..Christmas House Tour 2009 =-.

By: Craig

Craig — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:32:13 +0000

@Kathy
We also had a low key rehearsal dinner – pizza. I love pizza so it worked out nicely for us.
I think the important thing is that people don’t assume a debt burden as they begin a marriage. It’s nice that you were able to feel like it was a great celebration and you did it in cash.
Ouch, an annulment after just a few weeks after an extravagant wedding? Like my dad always says – it’s about the marriage not the wedding. I’ll take the simple wedding and a great marriage.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:10:43 +0000

I didn’t add up what I spent (all cash, at least), and probably in the neighborhood of $5-10,000, and I felt like I was a bit of a spendthrift! Guess not, by these calculations.

One of the big savings we had, is that we live in a dry county (no alcohol allowed), plus most of our friends probably would have frowned on serving alcohol anyway; and we had a buffet reception, which is common in our area. It is not frowned upon to have a very simple reception of punch, wedding mints, mixed nuts and cake; but our reception was more sumptuous than that (it helps that my mom is an excellent cook, and has even catered things before). Our rehearsal dinner was likewise low-key and frugal, costing probably in the neighborhood of $300-400 total, with some of the best pizza available (Chicago-style, deep dish pizza). And we’re just as married as anyone else, and more married than my husband’s cousin who had the whole shebang of a wedding (including formal sit-down reception), costing tens of thousands of dollars, and getting annulled 6 weeks later. :-/
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..We’re going the wrong way!!! =-.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:59:11 +0000

Joe,
Sounds like you guys made some great wedding choices. You won’t regret it! Have a wonderful and blessed marriage.

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:56:47 +0000

Yikes. I never did think about who I’m challenging. Should I go into a witness protection program?
I’m from Ontario (Canada) and folks where I live expect a full meal at weddings. I can get pretty expensive. Lucky for me I married a girl from Wyoming so we got to have a nice, but simple wedding.

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:49:47 +0000

You do know you’re stepping on some toes with this Craig, not to mention that you’re taking on the $70bil wedding industry! (Check your car carefully before starting it )

My wife and I come from families and an area of the country where lavish weddings are the norm. We ignored that norm and had a wedding we could afford. The Lord then blessed us with a very enjoyable celebration and gifts sufficient to cover the cost even though the guest list was modest.

We didn’t take any flack for what we did, and wouldn’t have cared if we did. As you said, it’s OK to be abnormal!
.-= Kevin@OutOfYourRut´s last blog ..Fast Track to Frequent Flyer Miles =-.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:57:28 +0000

Craig,

Wonderful article. I have been married for a total of 4 months now and realize how much of a blessing my wife is. Part of this is due to the fact that her financial profile matches mine! We were able to put on a beautiful wedding (gorgeous bride included) for less than $5K and still feed 300+ people! It was a buffet line, which can be viewed as not so classy, but it went over really well, is common for the area, and had plenty to spare. Not to mention the entire setup was very clean and elegant. My wife and I planned the entire thing with the help of many family friends. We noticed that even little things could cost a lot when you have 300 guests, so we trimmed the “fat” and people still left satisfied. The “fat” was the things people “normally” do at weddings. We asked ourselves, is this necessary, do WE want to do this? I would advise others to do the same, it could end up saving you $ you can spend elsewhere (like the honeymoon!)