Wedding costs

I am getting married next monday and so far it has cost around £500 :)
Bought most of the clothes in the sales and saved a fortune, registry office was just over a £100 only got 6 guests as we are just wanting a close family do.
Riever
 
romperstomper said:
lots of people do it now , I don't think its rude at all and is better than starting your marriage with a huge debt
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Strange. I know, on a personal level, if I turned around to my parents and effectively said 'I'm charging you £500 each to come to my wedding' there would be hell to pay. I mean they'd still come...but I'm not sure they'd speak to me much after again. I just think that inviting anyone to anything and then saying they have to pay is rude; you've invited them so they are your guest; but I guess this is just based on personal beliefs.
 
I don't think they'd charge £500 per ticket.

We saved money by only inviting 14 people :D
 
fini said:
Personally I think it would be more than a bit rude turning around to your parents (for example) and saying 'Yeh I'm getting married next year in <insert tropical island>. If you want to be there it'll cost you £xxx, your choice'.

It's also hopefully the only time that they do this - why should the bride have to feel like she's just walked out of TK Maxx with a £12 wedding dress?
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because you can only look good in an expensive white lacey dress?

Theres no reason a dress has to be expensive to look good at all. I don't know how, when or if I'll get married but I know I would never want to go crazy expensive and do a "standard" wedding, churches, wasting money on all the cosmetic things people seem to be fooled into thinking they want.

I also don't think I'd want to get married infront of loads of people, big weddings seem to be more about not offending people than actually wanting people there. Closest friends and family, small and intimate, somewhere unusual, maybe a nice spot in Hawaii or somewhere tropical travel out before hand and don't have to spend a long time traveling right after your wedding as you can do it a few days before, get married and already be somewhere fantastic and be on your honeymoon already.
 
My other half is doing the planning for our wedding in september. You're missing a lot of things off your list, suggest you bite the bullet and get a wedding magazine (can get them free at wedding fairs if you can stand going to one).

Our location for the ceremony is 200m from the hotel we're using for catering, accomodation and reception but even then it's £3500 (guess that does include all the meals!) It does mean no need for cars to take us there.

One thing to remember about dresses and shoes for the bride and bridesmaids is that prices vary wildly. My other half has gotten hers 50% off in a House of Fraser sale (it's back to to full price now). Even then we could have saved a further £300 by going to Ireland next month and getting it - but would then have additional costs for alterations. Wedding dress prices are obscene, so make sure she shops around. Same goes for Bridesmaids, if you don't need proper "wedding" style dresses you could do what we did and get evening dresses from M&S for £30 a pop (we have 5 of them!)

Hiring suit a suit or kilt etc is usually about £70-£80 per person, know this as I recently had the full suit/tails etc for a mates wedding.

Our photographer is £1,600. Silly amount but after talking to almost 20 of them I took the decision that he was the one that I could get along with and who's work I liked best!

Remember if you're hiring a Church etc they don't always include payments for the person doing the ceremony so it's best go check. We're having a humanist ceremony (we're not religious) so it's about £280 on top of location costs.

Lastly remember gifts for best man etc. Don't get something garbage for them, especially him as frankly his day won't be any easier than yours, unless he's single :D

Our rings will cost around £400 a pop, simple platinum bands.

We're on track for about £9,500.

One word of advice I got from my mate recently (who saw his costs spiral) is make her justify every purchase that's not in the original agreement. His wife had all sorts of stuff ordered, most of which was never used on the day and never left it's box.

P.S. there goes OCUK as my sancuary from weddings and wedding related talk.. :(
 
We got married in November and it cost under £1000.

Registry office.
Meal at nice Italian Restaurant and everyone paid there own way.
Flowers.
Dress (cost the most out of the lot).
Suit.
Rings.

We decided that a wedding is a bonding of 2 people and not the 100+ others, hence the cheaper alternative. ;)
 
Minxy said:
I don't see the point in blowing £X,000 pounds on one day when we could put it towards paying off our mortgage or something else equally as useful.
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I completely agree, but sadly will have to do so in order to get the woman I want. :p

Only think I do want to do is keep costs low for anyone we invite, unlike her sister who got married abroad and had us all use up our summer holidays and money to get there (we spent £2,500 for a week of ****)
 
I think its quite sad that people blow thousands upon thousands of pounds on weddings.

Deposit on mortgage, nice family car, house redecorated & the list can go on.
 
I'm waiting for dmpoole to show up, his extravagant expenditure should be a model for all those planning their big day.
 
Im getting married in September and its come in at just under £5k not including spending money. Getting married in Vegas staying at the Bellagio for 4 nights, going to Kauai in Hawaii for 8 nights staying at the Grand Hyatt Regency, then going to LA for 2 nights staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton before coming home.

Decided to spend the money going away instead of having a wedding at home.
 
Wiggins said:
We decided that a wedding is a bonding of 2 people and not the 100+ others, hence the cheaper alternative. ;)
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Yup, I truly believe people invite more people purely to not offend as they can't upset that receptionist you say hello to every morning at work.

If I get married its to be with that person, people being there or not will simply effect the size of the party, it makes no difference how many people physically witness the ceremony and the meaning of the event won't change because more people are there.


If you really want more people there invite them, but them having the best meal ever or not won't matter to them, or you. Hell give the wedding table the best food money can buy if you want to, give everyone else something cheap and easy, what difference does it make to you, you'll remember the good food.

Then again I fully agree with what someone else said, I wouldn't feel particularly comftable with an intimate ceremony infront of so many people, considering its a day for me and not them I'd prefer to feel comftable and happy than appease people who don't really care if they are there or not in reality.

I just can't understand the mentality of spunking so much cash on a single day that really isn't that important and for silly reasons and whats percieved as the way to do it without really any reasoning behind it.
 
A friend of mine has just tallied up his cost so far. He just needs to get the Photographer which he reckons will be around £1000 and his total has hit a little under 20k.

3 Credit cards and a small loan from the parents has paid for it.
 
i spent 4k on ours in oct, my mate spent 15k on his the month before, we had the same amount of guests but his was in cornwall, mine in my home town, my mates all went to mine, none to his because of the cost of going there, staying and everything else, going to a wedding costs cash, for clothes, gifts and drinks, its not just costing the bride and groom.

theres no point spending a fortune, the average guest will get you something to the tune of their meal cost, and at the end of the night, they all say see you later and go home, its all about the reception party

anybody who is nervous about being the centre of attention like i was, dont be, when youre getting married you cant see them and as soon as you said your vows its like a big weight being lifted from your shoulders and you feel so relaxed
 
fini said:
Strange. I know, on a personal level, if I turned around to my parents and effectively said 'I'm charging you £500 each to come to my wedding' there would be hell to pay. I mean they'd still come...but I'm not sure they'd speak to me much after again. I just think that inviting anyone to anything and then saying they have to pay is rude; you've invited them so they are your guest; but I guess this is just based on personal beliefs.
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I'm sure most peoples parents would be a bit more understanding than yours :p

You expain that you want to get married abroad would love them to come but can't afford to pay for them . They get a nice holiday ext. You don't say "I'm charging you £500"

It was not so long ago when parents paid for the weddings .
 
As I said in the OP, I'm not really that fussed about the total cost, as long as I can get an idea of what it will be. I've got a lot of it saved already, and just really want to know total costs and individual item costs. :)
 
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