How much did your wedding really cost?

[Blondbombsite]

I’m curious because on here it often seems that if you spent more than £500, you’re looked down on for being stupid and vain but simultaneously your guests are all there under duress so can’t have any inconvenience or expense to attend. Obviously these two things are at odds, so I wondered what the true experience was for most people.

We’re getting married soon and although I don’t know the final costs yet I estimate it will be around 12k in total. That’s for 30 guests, a sit down meal (including canapés first, beef dinner, desert table and cheese table), welcome drinks/ wine with meal and an open bar all night. The biggest expense is food and drink apart and accommodation as we’re paying for all of the bridal party to stay at the venue the night of the wedding and breakfast together the day after.

Ours was approximately £50k including the honeymoon 🙈.It was at a top London hotel. We had a singer who was a little famous from those reality singing shows - this was 16 years ago and we went on a 3 week honeymoon somewhere remote and exclusive and we flew business class. I wasn’t fussed tbh but DH wanted a grand event. It was a lovely day and our families still talk about it now, however I’d rather have the 50k 🤣

We spent £13.5k 17 years ago and that did not include honeymoon. We got married in a castle with a horse drawn carriage and had a medieval banqueting hall for our reception of 80 guests with Insalata Caprese or tomato soup, roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and 3 vegetables or vegetarian ravioli. Choice of 3 desserts. Cheese Course and wedding cake. Champagne and 3 bottles of wine on each table of 6. 3 bridesmaids and a Paige boy. Evening reception for 120 with finger buffet and first drink at bar free. I felt like a princess. I don't regret spending a penny we spent. I have some amazing photos too.

So sorry your DH died. That must be so tough.

Nothing very sadly.

if I had been able to get married in our local church like we had planned instead of the hospital late dh and I were planning on spending no more than 3 to 4 thousand pounds.

instead the hospital, local vicar planned our wedding in less than 24 hours and everything was very kindly donated even my wedding dress. We already had the rings.

I know someone who spent 20 grand on their wedding and he fucked off with her best mate a year later!

another mate spent 1000 17 years ago and still going strong.

I don’t know, life has taught me that having a big expensive wedding means nothing really its the commitment behind it is what counts.

$50 in the Court House, Orlando, just us 2, whilst on holiday (a last minute cheap US deal and we were having a holiday regardless) alongside dinner for two in Tony Romas afterwards, so probably about $100 dollars total, at whatever the conversion rate to £ was in 2004! My view is do what you want, what you can afford and makes you happy and ignore others, it is about your day and in your way. Next anniversary will be 20 years married, having been together for 27.

4 years ago today and I still haven’t found out the total. I’d guess between £15k and £20k. Church wedding and reception in a field at home. The big items were purchased/rented and the rest was handmade/homemade. The reception tipis were by far the most expensive single item costing about £9k but well worth it. The only thing I’d redo is find a different photographer as the one I used was rubbish.

Mine (second marriage) cost about £10k 12 years ago but that included 3 nights for 26 family and close friends at the venue. We had a very good deal as were charged as a Monday even though it was a bank holiday and 3 nights for the price of 2 in the house. DD got married 7 years ago and it cost me about £30K including her dress and bridesmaids dresses, flowers, marquee with furniture, lighting etc., catering daytime and evening, booze, plus her room the night before and our room for 2 nights. They paid for the church costs, cars, the band and their room the night of the wedding on top of what I paid so not sure how much they spent. We had a big dinner for about 20 the night before and my Dad picked up the tab for that and the champagne for the toasts. No regrets on either wedding.

13k on the wedding.

We provided full booze and board Friday evening to Sunday morning, covered rooms for 18 people out of 85 guests, I had two dresses that cost £250 altogether. We didn't spend more than £300 total on the cake (I made it), the flowers (my sister did them) or photography (we asked talented friends with good cameras to do a small amount each and have them all a thank you gift). A hog roast, and a couple of generous M&S buffets, plus a sit down 3 course meal. Sent our friends away with free leftover booze.

So our wedding sat square in the middle of "yes, we spent money" but "yes, we ran everything on the cheap".

Tiny registry office wedding.

About 2k all-in on mine & DH’s clothes and my hair & makeup.
£100 on flowers
£2.5k on rings.
£1,200 on wedding lunch for 8 in a nice restaurant with champagne & wine.
£100 on taxis.

Our biggest expenditure was our honeymoon. About 5k all-in.

Less than £1000. Very small wedding and meal after. It disappointed my mum but to be honest I hate being the centre of attention and wanted any spare money we had to go elsewhere.

About £30k (6 yrs ago) for just over 100 people. Although we were in a field so had to provide electricity, heating, lighting, toilets, water etc! I think the tipi hire was the biggest cost. I had a very detailed spreadsheet that used to haunt me in my nightmares 😆

Ours was last year - £32k for the wedding as we paid everyone’s accommodation and had a free bar as well. Our honeymoon was £19k and the only part I don’t regret! My husband turned into groomzilla - I literally just wanted to elope the 2 of us!

£3k inc clothes, rings, photos, four nights stay. No guests, no honeymoon.

@Newusernamee wow! Where was your honeymoon?

Around 14k including my dad putting 2k behind the bar.

20k 8 years ago. We had 100 people in the day and about 200 in the night.
My mum gave me £200 for my dress (that was how much it cost from eBay). The rest we paid ourselves.
I did the stationery myself, we didn't have a florist and I did the table decorations as well. Obviously my dress didn't cost much. I think our big extravagance was actually the number of people but we both have huge families and multiple large friendship groups. It was worth every penny.

17,381 GBP excluding the honeymoon (which was just a few nights walking in the Dales) and my dress, for 150 guests plus a few extra for dancing. Food was the biggest expense at 7400 for dinner and canapes. Then marquee at 3000. We did it on family land and it was all very relaxed.

My sister in law made the cake which was delicious.

We probably would have gone smaller scale but I got a big compensation chèque from a driver running me over on my bicycle, so we thought we'd spend it on a big wedding. Still had a few thousand left over, I went for a cheap photographer, local flowers we arranged ourselves, a band we knew, booze from Majestic with undrunk bottles returned, and we walked from church to venue so no fancy cars.

We went to the maldives for 2 weeks with business class flights. We figured it would be the only time we would could justify leaving the kids for that long so we made the most of it! Wedding was worth suffering through just for that slice of paradise!

About £5k. Small wedding with close family in Santorini. That includes the dress and the cost of the holiday for me and DH.

25-25k lots of guests Church wedding and local small golf club house for reception. It wasn't even that showy. Stuff is just expensive where we live.

£5K in the mid 2000s

50 guests for meal and an additional 70 for the evening. One drink to toast and some wine on the tables.

And all the other costs, dress, suit hire, bridesmaids dresses, photographer, church, flowers also are included in the £5k total.

We saved a few thousand having a vegetarian menu and evening buffet.

We had a disco rather than a ban and didn't bother with favours or other fripperies

Would probably cost £10 to £15k now for similar given inflation.

I'm so sorry

But MN is full of anti social people who don't even answer their door so I guess it's going to be skewed

We are looking at about 16k but I think you need to consider when people were married. With inflation etc a 16k wedding 20 years ago would have been fit for royalty but 16k in 20 years in the future might buy a few sausage rolls and a handful of flowers.