Posted on 12/11/2009 10:51:24 AM PST by beefree
20 years ago, we spent $500 (not a typo, for real $500 total). That included the rental of a lovely Victorian B&B (bride’s dressing room in the tower, groom’s dressing room and veranda, antique chairs and tables, antique lace linens, crystal plates & silverware, punch, they did everything and cleaned up afterwards!), preacher, bridal gown and accessories from Sears, tailored groom’s suit, invitations from the local print shop, flowers, tiered cake, finger snacks, and the birdseed. The only thing was when we got the pictures back of the cake table, you could see out the lace curtains to an old claw footed bathtub flower planter, lol.
Truth be told, ours was MUCH nicer than the one my bridesmaid had two weeks later that cost so much she wouldn’t say. $2000 for the gown, hundreds for an ugly nasty tasting cake, and who knows how much for a professional photographer who had everyone waiting in the parking lot for over an hour so the reception could start. That ceremony was too stressful on everyone and no one was very happy including the couple. I say, the simpler the better for the check writer, the guests, and the happy couple.
“Reality check: set a limit on what you will spend, and leave it to the bride and groom to pay for the rest, if they want it that badly.”
Amen to that! We had 3 sons get married this year! We gave each 3K ($3000)and told them to spend it as they would. One had no help on the bride’s side, so he did it all for 3K. Another had about that same amount of help on the bride’s side and had a huge wedding. The third had a small wedding and a great honeymoon. All three were very frugal wedding planners, I thought.
What people will remember the most is a beautiful wedding ceremony and an open bar for the entire reception afterwards, which will help them forget everything else.
Spare no expense on liquor and the actual wedding, and cut corners elsewhere.
You don’t need those ridiculous party favors, expensive flowers everyone will ignore; a mutli-gazillion dollar bridal dress; 10 bridesmaids with dresses, groomsmen and tuxes, more party favors, and a huge ridiculously priced limo; a huge rehersal dinner; 500 wedding guest; etc. A buffet meal with good food works just fine and is cheaper than sit down table service. Or go with a late morning/early afternoon wedding and just have light snacks or a light lunch at the reception. Keep the guest list to 125 or under - you’ll never have time to talk to more people. Let families bring their kids.
Save the money for the honeymoon and a downpayment on a house. The wedding and reception itself will be a blur for the bride and groom which they will mostly forget. Spend it on what they will remember and have forever.
So is that you photoshopped out from behind the bride?
;)
Now THATS Embarassing
Is the Bride in the entertainment business?
I wish I would get invited to one of these big weddings. I always get invited to the cheap ones, but we aren’t too fancy out here in flyover country I guess.
Just to Clarify: That's NOT my wedding. ; )
I’ll say; she didn’t even get her hair done.
Mine? North of $20K. Due to logistics it became a “destination wedding” in Lake Placid NY. Roughly $10K for the venue (the Golf House, grand backdrop of the Adirondack High Peaks), $80/plate for 100 guests, and remaining in assorted smaller (*cough*) expenses. Rings & dress not included.
During planning we seriously contemplated eloping. $20K would get us, and 2-4 witnesses, a grand trip to the Austrian Alps with a lot less hassle.
Tip: NO DEBT. If the two can’t handle achieving that goal with grace, they need to reconsider.
And $12,000 for the boob job?
Her RING should be 3 months of the groom’s pay - enough for her to get by for a while by selling it if he fails to follow thru.
I’m the good looking one.
Best to your son and his bride!
We are in Northern VA, but the Valley of Virginia is maybe my fav place on earth and where I hope to retire to one day. When is the wedding? Our son got married in Staunton last May and it could not have been prettier. The ‘marriage’ on the other hand couldn’t have been shorter. But the reception was lovely ;)
Let's not get blue here...
We had a night wedding during Christmas season. The church was already decorated, so we didn’t do a thing there. A friend from church provided some flowers for free. Other friends brought baked goods (cookies, etc.) for the reception, and we provided a few things we bought at Sam’s Club.
We reserved 30 seats at a local restaurant for our rehearsal dinner, and just had people order off the menu, no alcohol. That kept those costs low.
We paid maybe $5,000 for everything, including a honeymoon in Paris.
It was a great ceremony. I encourage you NOT to spend more than $5,000 on yours. More would be a WASTE of money, and would negatively affect your early years of marriage, where that money could be better spent on your home and your relationship.
We hope to retire there too. Our daughter is in Woodbridge and our son will be in the Winchester area. We figure we will settle some place in between to be near enough to spoil the grandbabies.
Our son’s wedding is in mid June.
Small or large, I tend to enjoy weddings.
Going to a wedding of 300 or more and you only know a couple of people is not nearly as fun as going to one with less then 50 and you know a great percentage of them.
The wedding gowns came from goodwill. After a professional cleaning and mom's alteration skills, nobody knew they weren't new. Mom and Grandma made the bridesmaids dresses.
The venue for one of the weddings was an authentic mill that had been relocated to beautiful grounds and turned into a wedding venue. The other was at a ski lodge during the summer, when it was really beautiful, but not in use for it's intended purpose.
Both weddings were done on a shoe-string, but were very well done. I am guessing that each would have cost around $10,000+, but because of the way they were done, cost about $1,500.00 each.
I would suggest a small destination wedding and then a party afterwards. My friend Marcia got married in Las Vegas and then had a wedding reception at a local movie theater (she is a projectionist)after she got back home to Illinois. I’m planning my wedding and I don’t want to spend more than $500 on the dress. Camilla La Vie, Group USA and Maggie Sottero are really inexpenisve but still beautiful. Some of the Galina Signature dresses at David’s Bridal are nice too. I’m thinking either wedding in Vegas, The Grand Lido resort or Walt Disney World. Probably will be Vegas, just due to price.
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