If you could go back in time, would you spend more or less on your wedding?

[IDKNABYBIF22]

Starting to plan our wedding and torn between potentially regretting not spending more on it in the future, or spending too much on it 🙈.

YABU = more
YANBU = less

I couldn't spend less as I spent the bare minimum. Actually I could have got the tube there- got a cab as it was rush hour, January and I had a newborn and a toddler. Got the tube back home though.

So I could have saved about a tenner. Otherwise no regrets.

More.

I won't say where we got married but it was somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. We got a pissed Kiwi to film our special day. Consequently we have no wedding film.

Can't answer this, because the answer is neither.

I would do it all exactly the same again.

Well, if I could go back I'd not marry him 😂. But yeah less.

I dont think we overspent greatly, but there are certainly things I wouldnt be bothered to do again:

• Bows and flowers on the pews. I'm sure no one noticed other then me and I don't even recall what they looked like now!

• Seatcovers at the reception. Yes, they look great in an empty room, but once people are seated and coats are on the backs of the chairs, you wouldnt notice them at all. If they chairs are half decent, you can do without chair covers.

I wish I'd provided basket of new flip-flops next to the dance floor!

Less, 100%. We didn’t exactly blow the budget last time but there was some pointless stuff we had to spend money on (eg evening buffet which nobody wanted as they were still full but venue said we had to pay for ...).

Might have spent more on honeymoon tho so maybe cost neutral?!

I'd have spent less on my wedding dress, but spent same on our wedding day celebrations.

Ours was reasonably cheap but I spent a really big chunk of the budget on trendy (at the time) reportage style photos and do regret it a bit.

I'm perfectly happy with our wedding. It was just right for us. Spent somewhere around £2/£3k. Lots of guests but didn't bother with lots of the traditional trimmings. Most of the budget went on food and drinks as we catered the event ourselves.

Less. We were careful, but we bought into all the little touches and things everyone suggested, and most of it went unnoticed. It was a lovely day but the touches people loved weren’t the things we thought they’d be!

We could probably have halved the cost and not had anyone notice. Honestly; people want to see you get married. They don’t really care about favours or sweet trolleys or any of the random things.

DH did our playlist, too - I wasn’t sure about it, as everyone raves about DJs! - but we couldn’t have one in the end so DH did it and everyone loved it. Loads of people requested the playlist afterwards and they message us when they’re playing it; and mention it quite often. That was sweet, and unexpected!

My wedding was about £1000, all in including dress flowers ,small reception about 25;guests perfect for us but I suppose it depends on what you want ,you can have as big or small wedding as you want

We spent the bare minimum on our wedding day (small registrar wedding). My only regret is not paying someone to take photos, not necessarily perfect ones but someone not part of the wedding taking snaps of the day would have been lovely.

I did it on as much of a small budget as I could, and it turned out great, absolutely no regrets!

Less. the dress was about £1500 looking back that is ridiculous, my sister has just bought a gorgeous one for £400.

Tough call. If I were to go back then I'd cancel the whole thing & run like hell.

That said, having been married with the whole 'thing' once, if/when I marry DP we'd be registry office and a meal after with only closest family and friends, so ultimately I'd spend less.

Think back to weddings you've been to OP. Do you remember the finer (costly) details, excess flowers, favours, expensive bridesmaid dresses, the quality of the invites etc? If not, then nobody will remember them from your wedding either, so you either do it just for your own benefit or skip it.

I need Option 3 - 'About the same'

I got married decades ago before so much of the (what seems ridiculous to me) extra spending seems to have come in.
We invited everyone we wanted to - which was important to us, but didn't waste money on all the unnecessary stuff like some of the "room dressing" or "favours" or getting someone else to do our make up, or having a photographer for hours on end really don't need to pay someone to take photos of me in my dressing gown .

We had a lovely day, surrounded by family and friends. Lovely Church service, smashing meal and a good old dance in the evening.

Mine cost £13.50. Which was the cost of a marriage licence in the 1980’s. So we couldn’t actually have spent less and still been legal! There was no reception or honeymoon as I was on call as a junior doctor on an 80 hour continuous shift.
Neither DH or I wanted to get married but we needed the tax rebate as he’d written off our car.

Wouldn't change a thing. Ours was a small and not expensive at all. It was a wonderful day spent with the people who's company we enjoy.

I'd do the same again. Spent about £4k all in and the biggest expense was the booze 😂 we booked a village hall for the reception that was a concerted Tudor building so it had all the character of a grand venue, but for £150, cant go wrong!

We were lucky we had lots of very good friends that did lots for us because in the past we had helped them out one way or another .
So catering , venue , wedding music , evening band and karaoke, cake and lots of other stuff was provided free or very low cost like fuel , some of the catering ingredients ( only because of allergies )
All dresses and suites all came from Debenhams .

The only thing we paid full price for was the photos

We had a fantastic day , I would do it exactly the same next time

It really depends what you want Op my sister had the big fancy wedding ,lots of guests ,church wedding all the trimmings afternoon and evening reception wedding cars etc ,etc mine in contrast was far smaller no cars no trimmmgs just an afternoon reception for 25,guess which one of is still married and whose now divorced ?

Neither it was perfect. Traditional country wedding (30 years ago) before weddings turned into an industry.

Family cars, friend of mother's made the cake, table flowers were from the garden, bouquet a friend of mothers, church ladies did the church flowers. No favours or bows on chairs.

Simple marquee, sit down meal, no separate evening party, no favours, nobody had to buy a drink. Good quality sparkling wine, barrels of beer and jugs of pimms. No dancing just a string quartet.

Best day of my life.

Could hardly spend less, we didn't have "a wedding " just got married. A big wedding seemed like a waste of money and I have never regretted it. I was older (33) and had worked with so many wedding bores I would have hated the whole process.

About the same. Maybe with a few adjustments here and there.

We bought our own buffet and canapés for about £250 altogether for 80, and ran a free bar with staff.

It was a self catering apartment hotel, and we also stocked every room with breakfast food.

I think our friends think we spent a LOT - but then I spent £250 on two bridal outfits, one of my bridesmaids found her outfit for £18 in the sale, we got second hand decor for £20, no cars, two friends did photographs...

Spend money of the things people will actually enjoy - food and drink, and they will think you spent a fortune.

Less! If I could do it again, I’d not bother with half as much fuss, just register office and pub I think. It was a nice day but fucking expensive and I can’t get my head around how we justified it at the time!