Is a wedding day worth it?

[CallieCat19]

Hi,
Posting on here for traffic

Just wondering what people thoughts on their wedding day was really, is it worth the money?

Like most girls I’ve been imagining what my wedding would be like since I was little but now I’m older I’m wondering if it’s worth all the money? I’d feel so guilty spending thousands of pounds on a day when there’s so much more important things the money could go on. But then if I didn’t have a wedding day I think I would feel a bit sad because it’s what I always imagined.
Any thoughts?

Huge waste of money. I’d rather put it towards a home instead. We have already told our children we won’t be paying for weddings, if they want to waste money they can waste their own.

I don’t buy all the hype of the perfect day though and hadn’t been dreaming about it since being a little girl. A marriage is so very much more than the set dressing on the day.

We are looking at a really low key wedding. I have never really wanted to get married but now I just really do however we really don't have any spare cash at all and I can't see how to do it the way we want cheap enough .

How people spend a load is beyond me for a day but each to their own eh!

I’ve been to mega bucks weddings as a guest and really enjoyed them, especially as I knew the B&G could afford it. One all bells and whistles one must have cost £40k...she was going to have the second wedding her first wedding really hadn’t been. Beautiful house, free bar, musicians, cheese table,pudding table, 8 bridesmaids.....it was fab,

Ours was about 5k. And about as much fuss as I wanted, we spent money on food...

I don’t regret the money we spent on our wedding. We were at the dual income no kids life stage. We could afford a splurge. We did not go into debt or even allow a budget that would have seriously strained our finances. So a splurge, but nothing insane relatively to our incomes.

I’d never do it now. Every penny goes towards being parents, but before that happens, it’s nice to have a little fun.

A last minutes cancellation at the registry office meant I was married on 4 days notice. Party at a local cafe for everyone I knew at the time, 15 bottles of Moët from the local PX, chose clothes from my wardrobe on the morning of my wedding day, dinner in the evening with about 8 friends. My husband booked a hotel room for that night and it had running water at 11pm (we lived abroad somewhere fairly rough so that was very exciting). Honeymoon weekend on the coast. Probably cost c. £500 max, including rings and cake, at least half of which was the Moet. Our families toasted us from their homes, they couldn't have come because of where we were.
I smiled all day, there was no stress and it was all so much fun. Still married 21 years later. If we had got married in England I don't know that we would have survived the conflicting wedding demands of our respective mothers!

We spent £2k all in to elope to Vegas, were there 5 days so it was the honeymoon too. Married 13 years with no sign of the marriage ending and so happy we didn't over extend ourselves and spend a fortune on a day.

I never really thought of marriage until it was actually looking like a possibility, but the money situation is a bit different as we're both Jewish so kind of grew up with the expectation of our parents paying the bulk of it and it honestly wasn't until I joined forums discussing it that I realised that's not the case for most people!

We did pay for some of it, but parents covered most. It felt totally worth it. Had it been us paying we would have done something a bit smaller and simpler, I think it's all about what you value. We both valued the presence of friends and of our parents' friends, so we were happy to have a biggish wedding (not that big by Jewish standards!) , and catering for that was the main cost .

I loved mine from start to finish. It wasn’t overly lavish in my opinion. About 80 guests. The main thing that I was overwhelmed at other than the obvious marriage bit was turning round after the vows and that were done thinking wow everyone we love most is in one room together for us. That’s pretty special. It’s not going to happen again. That moment has stuck with me. I also had a complete ball and didn’t go to bed until 4am. It genuinely was brilliant. I would do it again in a heartbeat

Only spend as much money as you think is worth it?
What is important to you?
We had 60 people for lunch at a restaurant, friends and family, married at our house, no bridesmaids but we had flowers. I wore a beautiful designer dress I got for $500 AU, found a cheap photographer. All up it cost 7 grand including the honeymoon, 25 years ago. I stressed about how expensive the shoes were 😊
We wanted it to be low stress and we didn’t want to go into debt. So did the things we thought were important. It was a beautiful day and I still remember how lovely it was.

We had a smallish wedding, the same 60 people day and night, no bridesmaids, nothing too extravagant. Almost twenty years on and even though some of those family members are no longer with us and photos are a great reminder, I still wish we'd gone even smaller. It was a lovely day, but I can count on only both hands the number of those guests I've seen in the last 12 months.

My husband is the envy of his friends as I was quite happy with a wedding abroad for just the two of us. Got married in Florida at the Waldorf using a local wedding company out there. Saved a fortune and loved every minute of our time there. My husband's friends have had to pay for expensive UK based weddings which they haven't enjoyed. We had a small house party when we got back and my despair for drinks and a Chinese takeaways for everyone which we loved. So relaxed and we put the money we saved towards paying off our mortgage.

We had a smallish wedding, the same 60 people day and night, no bridesmaids, nothing too extravagant.

That's sad, We had more than double that number and, apart from the people that have passed on, have probably seen over 90% of our guests in the last 12 months. We both have big families and haven't changed jobs since.

60 people is quite a big wedding and not at all 'sad'. We had 18 people. It was great.

The trick is not to spend lots of money. The trick is to make it personal to you. It's a big party and a big dress at the end of the day. It's not necessary to have a sit down meal, three piece band and all the trimmings. Grab a marquee and get a local chip van to turn up. Get married on the beach or in the woods. Spend the money on a glamorous elopement instead! Honestly, the more you stray from the wedding day template, the more fun you will have.

We spent 4.5k, with over 80 guests. Some of that was down to family pressure but I still got the day I wanted and I look back fondly on it. I also got married in red and the dress has seen two outings as a normal ballgown since then!

Ours was so worth it. Cost just over £9k in March this year. We got married in an old 1920s cinema in our city, around 120 guest, pie and mash for food and a big old party. It was honestly the best day and I'm constantly saying to my husband how I want to do it all over again just to take it all in. We wouldn't do anything differently and loads of guests commented on how unusual it was.
We both didn't want a 'weddingy' wedding if that makes sense, so it was completely different and personal and very 'us'. I'd do it again in a heartbeat

I don’t think so. Each to their own but I just don’t get it. I do understand that we all differ though and that what would be my idea of hell and a waste of money would make others happy.

We got married in City Hall NYC with our teens. 4 mins in shorts,done and dusted. Running round Manhattan in the heat to sort paperwork after before offices shut, grabbing a flower from a stall, kind people who helped us,people watching other couples and the lovely meal after made it a day I’ll never forget. I’m guessing others would feel cheated though.

60 people is quite a big wedding and not at all 'sad'

Just as well my sad comment wasn't referring to the size of the wedding then!

$35

I was lucky enough to have mine paid for by a very generous parent, so it was definitely worth it for me

We were married 10 years ago and I would do it all again tomorrow.

We had 65 of our nearest and dearest at a lovely venue that we all thoroughly enjoyed.

I would do it again because I have absolutely no doubt in each other. This is it.

It cost approximately 12-13k and left us without debt.

Do what feels right and doesn’t leave you feeling deflated. X

Yes it was worth it !! Most wonderful day ever

The only thing I regret is not being able to eat the amazing food as was so much adrenaline in my body !

Nope.

I certainly never dreamt of my wed ding day since I was a little girl!. Got married at 35...11 guests. Cost £500.
2nd time my dh and I went away on our own. No one else there.
I would be appalled if my dcs had expensive weddings and certainly wouldn't contribute.