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.

Approx 30k about 6 years ago for 100 people.
We paid for wedding party to stay at the venue and an open bar. Other than the venue and food, our biggest cost was a live band.

About 8k excluding honeymoon (that was a gift from my parents- was about 2k) in 2016.

I am pretty sure clothing and rings cost more than the actual venue and food (which was amazing!)

Because of Covid we had two weddings and had both extremes budget wise. One tiny ceremony at the local registry office, less than a weeks notice so couldn’t arrange much and rules meant less than 10 people. Had glass of fizz in the garden afterwards, picked my own flowers, baked a cake the night before and made the best of a terrible situation. Wore a m&s white dress and sandals from my wardrobe! Total cost was about £500 (more if you include rings etc) and honestly loved every second of it. We did have our “wedding” a year later but with no ceremony; a sit down meal for 50 people, party in the night, drinks and the more of a standard wedding. Total cost was £7000 and that was being very strict on budget and cutting back lots of things! Honestly - I’d pick the first one every time. It was relaxed, I weirdly had no stress and am still just as married now as if I’d gotten my big dream wedding. The party was great but was it necessary? Nope.

About 30k this year. 75 guests sit down meal and open bar. paid for some accommodation for family members too.

oh that made my heart sink. put it all in perspective i guess

£7k if we include our UK honeymoon, 4 years ago. We had a lovely day with lots of friends and family. We sadly lost my uncle a few months later, our wedding was the last time I saw him and those photos are really special to me now because of that.

Our wedding is coming up and will be £40k excluding honeymoon (c. £10k). It is a London wedding for 130 - 140 guests. I have tried to reduce costs wherever possible but 🤷‍♀️

About £35k 8 years ago, not including wedding jewellery or honeymoon.

£17,000 for a Saturday wedding in 2010 in a large art gallery. We had 120 guests, cocktails, open bar, served steak & had a 9 piece band. My dad very generously paid.

About 13k and I would spend it all again. Absolutely loved our wedding day and if anything I would probably spend an extra 1k on things I know regret.

About £300 and back to mine for sandwiches. It was honestly just what I wanted and the best day.

Thirteen pounds fifty pence! That was the cost of the licence, in 1981 in Scotland.
Me, DH, two witnesses and a registrar. No cake, photos, dress, guests, reception or ring. My “honeymoon” was going back to work the next morning for a 56 hour continuous resident call shift as a junior doctor. It was meant to be an 80 hour shift, but I was graciously given 24 hours off to get married.

£4k ish including clothes, decorations, rings etc. 40 people, sit down meal + wine and canapes. We did a lot of the work ourselves though and shopped carefully. The food was the biggest cost.

Including ring and honeymoon £10k, 17 years ago, 50 day guests, another 80ish in the evening

17 years ago

£5k for a country house hotel wedding including my dress and the honeymoon suite. 45 day guests, 100 evening guests. Champagne and canapés, 3 course sit down meal and then buffet in the evening.

honeymoon was extra. Im
not sure how much it was, DH organised it.

@Parentswriting
Obviously I wasn't invited to your wedding, I don't know you 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you get married on a Wednesday because that's what you can afford, I get it. But to make people take a day off work to prove they want to be there is a weird concept to me. You don't sound very considerate to your guests.
I doubt anyone invited to a wedding has ever thought 'yay a free day out'... more likely 'how will I get there, do I have to book a hotel, what childcare, what will I wear, what gift etc'

I’m one of the ones who didn’t spend much.

About a grand.

Pretty much all of it was the bill to feed guests lunch afterwards in a back room of a pub. My dress was £25, I don’t wear any jewellery so no rings.

It was a horrible waste of money to be honest, if I had it my way, we would have just nipped to the registry office and then gone home. But dh wanted all his friends there, I’d hardly met any of them as they were from dh home town at the other end of the country so I just sat there like a lemon.

£5K 18 years ago

£2.5k last year.

18 guests, cheap and cheerful registry office.
2 flower girls and a page boy.
Beautiful flowers & I had a lovely monsoon dress but professionally altered so it looked like it was much more. I had a veil and accessories and had my hair professionally done. Did own make up.
Confetti.
Amazing photographer but only for 2 hours which saved a fortune.
Sit down 3 course meal in a lovely restaurant with unlimited drinks. All covered by us, no one had to buy anything.
Hotel for us as it wasn't local.
Rings.

All in all an incredible day and to top it off the weather was truly perfect. If you look at the photos it looks like we had a £20k day. Weddings need not cost a fortune.

I didn't 'make' anyone attend my wedding. It was their choice whether to or not.

And it is now my choice to no longer engage with you on this subject.

Let's agree to disagree and allow the thread to get back to its original purpose.

All the best!

I agree about expecting people to pay for expensive drinks. Attending a wedding is expensive- outfit, possible accommodation, gift. I think the least you can do is provide food and drinks. If you can’t, scale it down rather than choosing a venue that charges ££ for drinks.

Or at least provide wine for the table and fizz for the toasts. Then it’s up to the guests if they want to buy more drinks.

£6000 for wedding, canapés & fizz after, sit down dinner and great band. Excludes our wedding clothes - I had an eBay dress, some hair clips, shoes I already had and did my own simple hair and makeup.
Flowers bought for church and bouquet £140 - bought flowers combined with some from our garden which I loved. We decorated and cleaned/tidied the hall ourselves - this was so exhausting the following morning!
We had 60 guests & main expense was food from local caterer, wine we bought ourselves (+corkage) and cake £180.

20k 2011. Not including honeymoon. Absolute waste of money.

Just under £4k for everything, including rings, honeymoon, photographer etc. 5 years ago in the southeast.
50 guests, registry office followed by canapés and non-formal meal in a gastropub, open bar. It was lovely and relaxed.

£35k, 125 all day guests (no separate day & evening guests) including canapes, welcome drinks, 3 course meal & evening hot sandwiches & chips), photographer, videographer, 12ft long dessert buffet table & wedding cake, photo booth, singer, band, flowers, custom made dress, all suits for groom, his dad and 7 groomsmen, dresses for 5 adult bridesmaids, subsidised rooms at the venue, cars, make up & hair for me and 5 bridesmaids, wedding stationery... I think that's everything.

Didn't include honeymoon.

Paid for by my PIL, my DM, DH and me