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Weddings

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Budget

37 replies

nousername123 · 13/12/2017 00:15

How much did people spend on their weddings? And wedding dresses? How much is ridiculous?

OP posts:
idontlikealdi · 18/12/2017 16:51

About 20k. My dress was £500.

ElfEars · 18/12/2017 17:01

My wedding isn't until March but I think we'll spend about £7000 altogether including contributions from parents and grandparents. You can spend as much or as little as you want on a wedding. My dress cost £599 from wed2be and it's beautiful. I'd definitely recommend having a look there. Places like ASOS are great for bridesmaids dresses.

GreyMorning · 18/12/2017 17:03

£6k for a very small wedding, family only. 15 guests at a large country house hotel, good quality 5 course meal and we paid for all the alcohol and spent 2 nights at the hotel (that alone cost us about £900 for their best room). Wedding outfit cost about £500 but wasn't a dress and can be reused again.

We didn't really want a wedding per se as that's not important to us (being married was, a party wasn't) so essentially we just had a small ceremony and a nice family meal.

I'm pleased to report that we have a happy marriage despite the lack of seat covers, table decorations or favours 😂

ILookedintheWater · 18/12/2017 17:08

My wedding was mostly homemade (largely by my children, me and my best friend) and was a little rough around the edges. My DM describes my wedding as shabby (and not in a chic way) but everyone else who attended our 'everyone there all day, street food, open bar, dancing all day, bouncy castle, ice cream van, juggler etc etc wedding had a great time, as did we. We made everything (even grew the flowers) and then sold it on afterwards: the wooden tree slice cake stands, the paper cranes, the table centres, the satin sashes we used as table runners, the 200 picture frames with quotes in, the garden games, the baskets, the chalk boards, bunting, extending poles ....etc etc. Sold it all on. We had >120 people for 2 meals plus snacks and drinks all day and constant entertainment and on site wedding licence. 2 different musicians and a band. Selfie corner, crafts, games, bouncy castle, circus skills. (outs self) picnic blankets, pashminas for the ladies, cupcakes for everyone, bathroom baskets. It was like a fete crossed with a festival. Couldn't have done it without my best friend who was amazing and made my dress and the main cake. By the time we'd sold off everything afterwards (and made a profit on quite a bit of it) the whole thing came in just under 8K but had taken 2 years of planning and bargain hunting...growing lowers from seed etc. WE spent money on things we didn't want to do on the day ourselves: entertainment, catering, but anything that could be done in advance we did ourselves.

If I'd wanted it to be an elegant affair we would have had 12 of us for registrar's office, afternoon tea with champagne somewhere very smart then swoosh away on honeymoon.

CrossFreelancer · 18/12/2017 17:09

You can get lovely cakes from m&s for £199

www.marksandspencer.com/the-vogue-cake-white-and-gold-pre-order-available-from-23rd-february-2017-/p/p60094635?prevPage=plp&pdpredirect

You could buy your bridesmaids dresses in the sale from coast for £100 www.coast-stores.com/p/plie-lace-dress/1869641

Or even on eBay for your dress! I love eBay. If it's only been worn once before, it's bound to be in good condition.

Budget doesn't mean it will be tacky at all. Instead of registry office, could you get married in a church? They tend to feel grander. (Obviously not so if you are not Christian)

Photographers are expensive. But tastes vary and I'm sure you can find someone with little experience willing to shoot for the experience.

We ended up spending a lot, but we were very fortunate at the time. I love a bargain and would enjoy planning a wedding in a budget Grin

MadMags · 18/12/2017 17:10

I would say around €13,000-€15,000

ILookedintheWater · 18/12/2017 17:10

...must not forget that we also had a sweetie buffet :) We were ruthless about not spending on things we didn't think added value though: no chair covers, no favours, no fancy cars etc.

CrossFreelancer · 18/12/2017 17:14

Also if you choose to DIY at a local barn type venue. You can buy a lot of wedding stationery/ table decorations on eBay second hand then sell it all.
rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173038009505

Mooey89 · 18/12/2017 17:19

Our budget is £5k.
It was going to be 3k but my Nan is kindly giving us 1,000, and my mum has bought my dress!

We’re having the ceremony at a castle, then having a posh bbq at a quirky local tennis club cafe - Im doing all my own decoration, my friend has a cake business and doing our cake for cost only, my friend is doing my flowers, I’m having an iPod and a playlist and hiring a sound system, I got a new photography startup to do getting ready, ceremony and just after for £250 including prints and an engAagement shoot! That was my best bargain of all.

I’m massively shopping around and loving the budget planning at the moment.

I really don’t want to get into debt for one day, we don’t have a lot of money, but we do want to have an amazing party.

HolyShet · 18/12/2017 17:20

It's who you're with and making sure there's enough to eat and drink that matters. Matching bridesmaid dresses etc matter not.

We spent £3k including my clothes, DH new kilt, friends made cake, did photos, dj'd. Only wanted a simple bouquet. Meal for 40 +kids at gorgeous restaurant then big house party at home for 120, catered it ourselves with more mates helping.

PinguDance · 18/12/2017 17:33

Re. Cake; I've worked at a lot of weddings where we ate more cake than the guests. Sponge isn't particularly nice the next day after sitting out for hours so often no one came back for it. It makes more sense to me to have the cake for pudding than wait til everyone is full to cut it then end up wasting loads.

inchoccyheaven · 29/12/2017 00:26

We are getting married in 3 weeks and it will cost about £9000. Slightly more expensive with 2 brides outfits, hair and make up than bride and groom but we havent got any bridal party so that helps balance it!

We are getting married at 4pm and having a buffet rather than wedding breakfast and then will have the cake for guests to eat as well as a sweetie cart and choc fountain so hopefully no one will be hungry.
Bought my dress off the peg in a sale - was £500 instead of £1500 ! And alterations are costing about £100.
My fianceè bought her outfit online and again having it altered for less than £500.
We are doing centre pieces ( bird cages and candles etc) ourselves and will sell off the bits after.

We have got a magician because we love magic and our photographer was over £1k but we really liked her and she included album, signing board and pre wedding shoot so felt it was worth it.

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