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.

Bang on £20k 6 years ago. Don't regret a single penny n still very happily married

The 5k didn’t include rings as my husband bought those .

Ha, was reading through and hoping there would be a few more higher ones. Ours was 40k not including the honeymoon. Which before getting married I would have thought ridiculous for one day…but I don’t regret a penny! I didn’t realise how expensive everything was. (I know you can do it in the cheap but..).

London wedding - hired an empty venue and then had to ship everything in. Food alone cost £10k. We didn’t want to scrimp on that. Free bar was about £2k. We paid for hotel accommodation for family. It just all adds up!

We could afford it though and it was the most wonderful day.

$800 which was about £400 at the time, this included make up, hair and photography.

Granted it cost us $4000 to get there but it included our honeymoon.

A lot less than the divorce. Wedding wA about £1k 20 years ago, divorce was £10k 8 years ago. Never again.

Oh and we had over 100 guests and this was 8 years ago.

£14k this year. 40 guests. Hotel for 2 nights for everyone. All Meals and drinks for the weekend for all 40. Cake. Rings. Entertainment. Outfits. Ceremony. Pretty reasonable actually for what we got.

£30-£35k I think but hard to recall now

£7k 23 years ago, 120 guests in a marquee in the garden, all food and drink, live band and disco. My mum made my dress.

Same

Too long ago to be relevant.

I certainly didn't have an open bar, that seems OTT to me.
Surely people expect to pay for their own drinks nowadays ?

£500 and it was great. The religious ceremony was free, the reception was in the community centre next door and my friends did the food and decorations and one made my dress for me. Loved it. It felt special enough, but not too much.

I am a bit embarrassed to say £36k 13 years ago. It was not that showy and we didn't have a massive wedding cake nor did we spend on flowers (well £300 for the flowers and a florist friend did the flowers as her wedding gift to us).

I did however get married in a nice hotel and the wedding breakfast/evening buffet and canapes was £125 per head and I had about 100 guests. The rest was the band, the table decorations, breakfast for all guests the next day, master of ceremony, bar, wine at the table etc.

in hindsight, would I do this again and spend all that money, I'm not sure. But I didn't get married until I was 41 and met my husband late in life and we had no children then and we didn't get into debt so I don't get too strung up on it, however some of the best weddings I have been to were ones on a budget.

I didn't keep a tally but no more than 8k.

£150 for the wedding including £50 for my dress.
This was 30 years ago and we didn't have a reception just half a dozen people at register office.

Ours cost £4000 (18 years ago.)

Church wedding, 50 guests, sit down meal, welcome drink, toast, unlimited wine with meal, evening buffet.
I made my dress, mum made the cake and a friend decorated it as her gift. A friend did the photos and we used family cars rather than hiring some, my mum did all the flowers.

£1200 28 years ago but I bought my dress in a sale and we had 25 guests for wedding breakfast and then drinks and nibbles at our house afterwards for those who chose to be there.

@bloodywitchescat 💐All best to you - yes ironic and sad but best wishes - that is a very hard thing to go through - Basilisk x

Lost track towards the end but way over £50k.

Approx £30k.
5 years ago.

@Georgyporky i actually hate having to pay for my own drinks at a wedding - usually the same weddings where the couple ask for money as a present.

If you’re going to host a party, then you shouldnt expect your guests to pay. And if you can’t afford a big wedding without pushing extra costs onto your guests then don’t have one.

Married in 2008 and spent around £25,000.

Glad I got married, wish I hadn’t spent £25,000. Wish I’d invited close family and friends only and not gone OTT.

It was a beautiful day don’t get me wrong. But once it was over, I realised how unnecessary most of it was.

Married 27 years ago this Christmas in the local register office, in secret. Had a party later the same day for about forty friends and family. We made the buffet!

rings we’re the biggest expense at £120 for both. Buffet and booze? Not much I bet. Liscense? Can’t remember !

two nights in the dales with mates car. 😜😍🤣

had a great time to be fair … people still talk about it!

£15k for 50 guests. I’d do it again, it was worth it.

@catlady1234

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We also chose Wednesday so that the 20 people we invited would have to take a day of work so we knew they weren't just coming for a free day out.

Attending a wedding is far from a free day out in fairness, don't really think there's a need to test your guests!

God! I feel sorry for anyone invited to your wedding! What an awful way to treat the people close to you.

Aw, were you one of the people who wasn't invited to my wedding? There's probably a good reason for that! All the best!

5k for a Saturday, church wedding, hotel reception with 3 course meal, buffet and a disco for 50 people.

It took a lot of work to get it that cheap. Well worth it though.