OK poll: what did everyone pay for these things....read inside 10points for detailed answer?

OK I%26#039;m listing stuff, please list how much it cost or any tips or anything, I%26#039;m trying to see if I%26#039;m on track with how much everything is going to be


how many guests did you have?


reception place


food


open bar


favors and box


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc.


decorations


invites,guest book etc.


flowers


photos


DJ


cake

OK poll: what did everyone pay for these things....read inside 10points for detailed answer?
Guests: Invited 140 (including kids) expecting 100





Reception Hall: $1,800 for all day Saturday rental (9am-11p)





Food: $10/person for the following menu: Veggie tray %26amp; fruit tray for appetizers. Main course is Veggie Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesean, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, rolls w/butter. This price includes disposable plates/cutlery. The caterer will also provide table linens for $4.95/table. And two servers to tend/serve the food at $65 each





Open Bar: We are providing our own alcohol, budgeting $500 to make sure we have a good variety of beer, wine %26amp; top shelf liquor. Through our caterer, we are purchasing bar service for $1.95/person. This includes all disposable cups, mixers, ice, garnishes, soda, coffee, water. The bartender will be a flat rate of $65.





Favors: $50. Bought candy molds %26amp; bags from this website.


http://www.candyplus.net/


Filling molds w/meltable chocolate. Making little tags which read,


%26quot;enjoy these hugs %26amp; kisses from the new mr. %26amp; mrs.%26quot;





Wedding Gown $800, shoes $50, veil free (was my moms) %26quot;Pearl%26quot; %26amp; %26quot;diamond%26quot; necklace/bracelet set on sale at Macy%26#039;s for $24





Bridesmaids Dresses $108 Alfred Angelo dresses from House of Brides http://www.houseofbrides.com/home.php





Decorations: $100 Making candles. Bought spring bulbs last fall, planted them in old pots %26amp; will be forcing them for a spring wedding. (For the guests tables) Purchased mismatched vases at thrift stores, dollar store, ect (going for that eclectic look LOL!)





Invites %26amp; Guest Book: DIY total cost for supplies $160





Flowers for bridal party: $75 DIY w/silks. Saved up coupons %26amp; bought them little by little at JoAnn%26#039;s Fabrics %26amp; Michaels





Photos: $2800. This gets us 2 photographers for 8hrs, rights to all images, all images on USB, wedding album %26amp; 2 smaller duplicate parents albums





DJ: $595 for 5hrs





Cake: Just under $600. This is our cake lady%26#039;s website ~ our cake has this shape, but different designs/colors,etc.


http://www.cakedot.com/2007cakes/Shelton...
Reply:I%26#039;m expecting 250 ppl:





Reception Place: $400 (our wedding and reception are the same place %26amp; they are providing the catering as well, so they don%26#039;t charge much for the actual venue)





Food: $4487.50 ( I get to create my own menu %26amp; there will be stations, ex: salad station, meat station, ect...)





Open Bar: $2880.00 (includes bottled beer for wedding party, top shelf liquor for wedding party only %26amp; well drinks/draft beer for the rest of the guests)





Favors: $375.00 ($1.50 per favor)





Dress/Veil: $1400.00 (haven%26#039;t picked out shoes or accessories yet)





Decorations: $1200.00





Invites: I%26#039;m making myself %26amp; I expect the cost to be about $500-$600...I%26#039;m very crafty %26amp; haven%26#039;t found any that I like as of yet.





Guest Book (and accessories): $50.00





Flowers: $800.00 (Calla lillies, tiger lillies, some orchids, %26amp; some other flowers)





DJ: $550.00 (for 6 hours and price includes ceremony music)





Photographer: $1150.00 (for 500 printed photos and a copy of 1100 photos altogether on a disk that is not copyrighted)





Cake: ??? Haven%26#039;t picked it out yet, but my parents are contributing $5,000 toward cake %26amp; desert table because I don%26#039;t like cake, so we%26#039;ll have a wide variety of deserts)





Hair/Make-up: Free (my sister is a hair stylist %26amp; her salon is contributing all hair for free) %26amp; I%26#039;ll do my own make-up as I don%26#039;t trust anyone else to do it. I%26#039;ll spend about $75.00 on wedding make-up for that day.
Reply:how many guests did you have?- trying to keep it under 100


reception place - $500


food- $36/head so Im hoping to keep it under 3,600


open bar - cashbar is included


favors and box- probably $100


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. - dress $65, no veil, shoes $20 hair $50


decorations - $50


invites,guest book etc. - $100


flowers- my dad is paying for this, probably $200


photos - my dad is payng for this, $2000


DJ- a good friend of mine who is also having his band play, $100


cake- $100-150, havent gotten that sorted out yet.
Reply:You%26#039;re going to find that these things vary greatly by where you live. In Chicago, these are our stats:





Number of guests: 95





Reception place: included in the per-person cost; additional $500 to hold ceremony at the site





Food (including the venue, open bar and cocktail hour with hors d%26#039;eouvres, taxes and service fees) $96 per person





Open bar: included with venue/food





Favors and box: approximately $5 per person





Dresses: my MoH hasn%26#039;t gotten hers yet, but she%26#039;s paying for it anyway. Mine was $98, alterations will be $45. I%26#039;m making my veil for about $15 worth of supplies, $18 for a tiara, shoes were about $60, purse was $12. My hair will cost $50-$60, doing my own make-up.





Decorations: table centerpieces will be about $8 apiece, flower petals for the cake table are being given to us, we%26#039;re decorating the place card table with our parents%26#039; wedding photos. The room we%26#039;re using for the dinner/dance is pretty and doesn%26#039;t need any other decoration.





Invitations: We%26#039;re making those for about $50 (will make 100; we only need 55). That includes invitations, reply cards, thank-you cards, and envelopes. Guest book: going to take instant Poloroid photos of guests and ask them to sign them or write some words of wisdom. Cost of film: $100





Flowers: my bouquet: $65, my MoH%26#039;s bouquet: $35, 8 boutonniers: $64, 7 corsages: $70





Photographer: $650 for 4 hours. She%26#039;ll give us the photos on CD will full rights to print, and give a 25% discount on any photos we, or our guests, want her to touch up and print. She%26#039;ll also include a photo CD set to music.





DJ: $950 for 4-hour reception, plus $100 for ceremony music





Cake: we%26#039;re having cupcakes. We found a great bakery that will do them for $1 apiece.
Reply:You need to sit down and make a detailed list. And it will all fall into place from there. Setting a budget helps then you will know if you can have roses or daisys, a 500 gown or a 5,000 gown...all depends on how much you are willing to spend. You can always have a nice wedding on the cheap...I would look at your local library for a book on weddings on a budget. It%26#039;s nice about how much money you spend really. I recall watching something on Oprah once were couple were darn near putting theirselves in debt over these lavish weddings. Spending thousands on flowers alone...funny thing is when they went to some of the guests and asked them about what kind of floral arrangment was on their tables at the receptions they couldnt recall. I would personally rather have a wedding/reception on the cheap and have a kick butt honeymoon instead. But that%26#039;s me everyone is different.
Reply:how many guests did you have? 135 guests


reception place Was attached to the church, no cost


food $8500.00


open bar $600.00


favors and box $600.00


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $1800.00


decorations $200.00


invites,guest book etc. $200.00


flowers $400.00


photos $2500.00


DJ It was a Greek band, 6 members $5000.00


cake My husband is a pastry chef and he made our wedding cake at no cost. It was 5 tiers.
Reply:I%26#039;m getting married in April 12th (in NC)but here is what i have so far....





Guests: 230





Reception place: Free (at my church)





Organist fee/soundman fee/preacher fee: $400 total





Food: $2000+ (but not above $3000)


--Vege tray, fruit tray, crab dip, punch, quiche, in that price labor is included





Open bar: None





Favors and box: got favors from a friend..box to put envelopes in...i made myself





Dresses:


--MINE was $99 very beautiful (Davids bridal) they have beautiful dresses on the $99 rack..was orig $500 for the dress..shoes were $50


--Veil: Borrowed from my sister


--Bridesmaids: Dresses $140 + shoes = $180ish


--Hair: mine $25..bridesmaids are doing their own





Decorations: $300..but also we borrowed some as well





Invitations: I bought and made%26#039;em myself (Laura Ashley..we had a coupon)..$120


--Stamps prob. going to cost around $90 total (guess-timate)





Flowers: Used Costco...prob. around $250 total for my bouquet, eight bridesmaids, grooms/ eight groomsmen boutiners, mom/gmas coursages...used bridesmaids flowers as reception decorations. We are having friends (w/ experience) put the flower arrangements together





Photos: 2 Photographers...professional $800..friend $50





Cake: $450 (4-tier)





DJ: not having one





Guestbook: $10





Flower girl basket/ring bearer pillow (using coupon): $20 total





Rehearsal dinner: The building $200...food $70





Videoagrapher: Free





i think TOTAL for the wedding its going to be around $5000 maybe just a little over but not by too much
Reply:how many guests? 115 all day 60 night


food £4400


arrival drinks, toast drink and wine on table


favors £235


My dress £1000


hair Free I%26#039;m a hairdresser


shoes £400 Manolo%26#039;s obviously!! lol


decorations £500


invites £300


guest book £20


flowers £1000


photos £1100


Ceilidh Band (Scottish) £900


cake GIFT





Wow that%26#039;s scary I%26#039;m not going to add it all up...and that%26#039;s not even gifts or attendants clothes.
Reply:This is what I have spent so far, I also added a few items that come up and can be put you over budget if not added in.





1. Wedding bands= His band $200.00 ( he bought my set when he bought my engament ring)


2. Reception site$1,500 (private beach cermony)


3. Cake = havent picked one out yet


4. Bridesmaid dresses/Groomsmen suits = they are paying for there own items


5. Make up + Hair= $100 for hair doing my own make up


6. Photography/Videographer =3,000 for 2 photo, 2 viedo for 8 hours, my book, 2 parents books, 200 5x7 print outs, 4 8x10, and I get all negatives and rights to print them out anywhere. I also get all raw footage of the wedding and a 20min version of the wedding to music (so you can play it for family %26amp; friends with out boring them to death. I also get to copy right to the dvd as well.


7. Band =having a dj)


8. Food =$8,000 (five star resturant inside the hotel great food) open bar and all wait staff, wedding cordinator, all for 100 people.


9. Bridal accessories (necklace, earrings, etc.)= $40.00


10. Favors= $250.00 I am making choclates and fudge and having a candy bar, also cookies.


11. Chair covers $0.00 They have nice chairs and it just an extra expence. (no one remebers them, I asked several people)


12. Centerpieces= $150.00 (making them my self and I will have 20 center pices


13. Limo= none we are having cermony %26amp; reception at the same place at a hotel so every one is driving them selfs.


14. Groom%26#039;s outfit= $75.00 But I got a really good deal at bridal show for 50% off all our bridal party tuxes, grooms, dads, and ushers


15. Vacation/Honeymoon=(with air fare and resort package that includes all food and drinks and excurisionsfor 7 days)$3000.00 (but his sister is paying our air fair)


16. Host/Speaker who announces both families( we are having a DJ for 5 hours two systems and he doing our slide show for $1095.00


17. Invites $250.00


18. Flowers $850.00


19. officent $275.00 ( he is also coing to the rehersal dinner)


20. Items for the wedding(flutes, ring bear pillow, flower girl basket, sand cermony stuff, cake serving stuff, and all the extra goodies $350.00


21. gifts for bridal party and parents ($500.00)


22. My dress and Veil $800.00 w/tax and alterations





Use the knot.com it has everything and has been such a big help keeping track of everything!!





Best wishes in all your planning!! I also had a long engagement (one year and nine months) So we could save and have every thing we wanted!
Reply:how many guests did you have - 100


reception place - $3500, included dishes, glassware, linens etc


food - $4500, included service also


open bar - $1000, we provided the liquor


favors and box - $0, we didn%26#039;t have any


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. - $800


decorations - $600, we did the flowers ourselves


invites,guest book etc. - $250, we made the invitations ourselves


flowers - included in decorations cost


photos - $1200


DJ - $750


cake - $350
Reply:how many guests did you have? 150


reception place - min 8000


food - included


open bar - 25 a person??


favors and box - not need but did cookies for 1.00 a piece


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. - dress - 550 veil - 150


decorations - not sure


invites,guest book etc. - invites - 225 guest books - 33


flowers - 750


photos - 1600


DJ - 550


cake - 500
Reply:how many guests did you have?


About 140





We had the ceremony and reception in the same place (country club).





reception place


food


open bar


Okay, my in-laws paid for this and I haven%26#039;t asked how much it was. I thought it would be rude. However, when I contacted them, it was I think $1000 to reserve the club for 5 hours, the menu *I* picked out (they changed it) including the hors d%26#039;ovres (sorry I can%26#039;t spell on a Monday morning) was about $3000, and the bar was $500 plus the tab at the end of the night (whatever that would come to). Not sure how much the tent/tables/chairs and all the dishes/cutlery were. Couple thousand at least, I%26#039;d imagine.





favors and box


We did customised M%26amp;Ms which my mom bought- I think it was about $250 for nine bags (one was free) which covered all the tins we needed. I got the round tin favor kits at Michael%26#039;s- $19.99 for a pack of 20, five packs- $100.





all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc.


My dress we got a great deal on -off the rack 50% off. It was $200 then I had them add some buttons down the back and a corset lace, plus other hemming/alterations which came to $250 (more than the dress!) so the total for the dress was $450. My shoes I got on clearence at Easy Spirit for $20 (they were the only wedding shoes there, too). The veil I got with a 40% off coupon at Michael%26#039;s so that was I think $12. I made my jewlery myself (earrings, braclet, necklace) and I think all the pearls/crystals/parts came to about $25. I had extra to make earrings for each of my 3 maids, too. My friend who makes jewlery made my headpiece as a gift.





My hair was maybe $65? My step-mother-in-law paid. Makeup was $70 a girl, I think. She paid for that, too, so I%26#039;m not totally sure. Nails were the usual mani-pedi price ($45?).





My bridesmaid dresses were After Six and were $185 at the store, but I found a website that had them for $125. They all wore shoes they already had.





decorations


Came packaged with the reception site and table rentals.





invites,guest book etc.


Invites were $85 for 100.


I did 12x12 white scrapbook pages at each table with a package of sparkle colored pencils instead of a guest book. I had the pages and the pencils were I think $20 for fifteen.





Table cameras were about $50 for fifteen. Plus $8 for one black and white and $30 for a disposable DVD camera(records 20 minutes worth and CVS develops it into a DVD- we taped the ceremony).





flowers


I did my own. bought them wholesale from Costco- off white roses and blue hydrangeas plus some delphinium (which are very fragile. I don%26#039;t reccomend those, the others were gorgeous, though). Flowers plus ribbon and such came to about $900 for 15 centerpices, three small vases arrangements for the buffet, my bouquet, 3 maid%26#039;s bouquets, five boutinonerres, and four corsages.





photos


Kokoro Photography- $1200 for one photographer for 5 hours. She was AWESOME. did a fabulous job. Our album is pricey but so totally worth it. If you go to their site (kokoro photography.com) you can see our rough album under %26quot;albums%26quot; way at the bottom %26quot;Kristin and Eric%26quot;. And you can see all the stuff I%26#039;ve mentioned so far.





DJ


$750. Did the ceremony and reception. He was pretty good, too.





cake


$200 Neither of us like cake so we got 3 round and seven sheet cakes from Dairy Queen. So cool.





The cake table was probably about $50 total. I made a cloth in our wedding colors and bought a 3-tier stand. Wound some craystal beaded garland around it and had artificial white hydrangeas on the plates, as you can%26#039;t leave ice cream cake out in summer.





The officiant was $200.





I also made toiletry baskets for the bathrooms which were probably $20 each. Got samples of Advil and Tylenol for free and bought mints, mouthwash and spray deodorant, plus adding in emergency stuff like bobby pins a small sewing kit nail files and safety pins.





I think my FIL tipped the DJ and photographer $100 each. not sure.





I think that%26#039;s it. I%26#039;ll come back if I think of anything esle.
Reply:Okay, my wedding is a destination wedding on the beach in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. May 2009





20 guests-I will be inviting more, but I am almost positive that we won%26#039;t have more than 20 guests.





Luau-$70 a head (easy to do with only 20 guests) includes food, drink reception venue and entertainment





Favors-not too sure yet...wanted to do customized sunsreen bottles or customized beach towels...$8 a head





Dress- Davids Bridal had a sale...got my $700 dress for $575





Shoes-won%26#039;t be getting married in shoes, but will have glittery white flip-flops for $20 and will wear those for everything but the bare-foot ceremony





Veil-the one I want is $200...way too much...will be making my own for approx. $40





Hair- I am getting quotes on that one...Still waiting on responses back from a couple of stylists...looks like I will be spending about $150 or so on hair and make up





Decorations-provided mostly by Mother Nature, but I will be buying rose petals for the %26quot;aisle%26quot; $40 for 16 cups





Invites-made my own Save the Dates paid $20 for printing and will need post card stamps for them. As for the invites...will also be making those myself and haven%26#039;t bought them yet, but will be willing to spend $50 on supplies and printing.





Flowers- no wedding party, so bridal bouquet will be the only flowers and I will spend $100 on that. It will be yellow and coral roses and white cala lillies





Photos-included in my wedding package which totals $845...photos included will be 300, on a cd, which I have the rights to.





No DJ needed, the tahitian dancers and drums will be fine





I am having no cake.





The expensive parts to my wedding are the $700 plane tickets and the condo for our two week stay in Princeville, Kauai as we are honeymooning in the same place we are getting married! Fiance and I are paying for almost all of our wedding ourselves. My Dad will pay for the luau (or most of it) and my sister is paying for my bouquet (she wanted to).
Reply:Hi,


This really depends a lot on where you live. We are expecting about 150 guests.





Reception place(with food)(soup, salad, filet mignon or chicken, chocolate covered strawberries) $18,000


Open Bar(beer and wine) $4,000


Favors:$500


Dress: $1400, Veil: $450, Shoes $50 (my sister is doing my hair...she%26#039;s a hairdresser, but otherwise it would be $100)


Decorations:We%26#039;re having special lighting brought in but everything else will just be flowers, Lighting is : $550


Invitations: $1100, I%26#039;m going to do a %26quot;wishing bowl%26quot; type thing for my guest book...plan to spend around $40


Flowers: $2500 ( save money on flowers by using a lot of the same flowers...cheaper in bulk and also what is in season)


Photos: $3600


Video:$3,000


DJ: $3,000


Cake: Came with the venue, but otherwise would have been about $600 ( to save money on a cake have it decorated with real flowers, it%26#039;s much much cheaper)
Reply:how many guests did you have? 200-250 I lost count


reception place: $1000 ceremony %26amp; reception hall


food: $1200 we only did finger foods because it was a cocktail reception at 8pm


open bar: $1200-included 5 kegs, 20 1.75 bottles of hard liquor, 6 cases of wine. We brought our own booze that we were able to get very inexpensively at the local supermarket.


favors and box: $90 personalized red shot glasses


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $my dress $300, veil $5, jewelry $40 (but it was a christmas gift), shoes $35, gloves $10, stockings $3, bridesmaid dresses $200, they wore their own shoes, their gloves and jewelry $16/per girl. www.awnol.com


decorations:$500


invites,guest book etc. $70 made them myself, envelopemall.com


flowers: $500 did them ourselves


photos: $1600


DJ: $250


cake: $250 ask to have them done as seperate cakes instead of tiered and put them on stands, much cheaper this way.
Reply:How many Guests- 200


Reception Place- Circle Bar Ranch in Fountain Hills, AZ


Food- Around $5500.00 for apricot mango chicken, salad, rice pilaf, veggies, iced tea, lemonade...


Open Bar- Beer, Wine, and the hard stuff at 23.50/pp


Favors- Mason Jars filled with lemonade mix with handmade thank you tags (in our color-eggplant, with a cute dragonfly stamp), Eggplant colored rock candy sticks with ribbon- About $500.00 total


Dress- Jasmine Couture dress that I LOVE! $1700.00 (trunk sale)


Veil- $140.00...Ivory with lace and beading


Hair- $100.00 for me, $45.00 for each bridesmaid, moms...$505.00 total (about) also plan on tipping $100.00 since they are coming to me free of charge.


Shoes- Nina shoes $90.00


Jewelry- Swarovski earrings $12.00 (ebay), swarovski bracelet- $30.00


Decorations- Table Linens $300.00 (approx.)


still working on getting a few more things but getting married outside so there isn%26#039;t too much we need to decorate!


Flowers- around $2000.00 (my bouquet, 7 bridesmaids, 3 corsages, 10 boutaineers, arch flowers, rose petals in aisle, centerpieces for 20 tables...)


Invites- $500.00


Guest Book- Actually doing a photobooth guestbook $950.00


Photos- $3800.00 (6hrs/2 photographers, coffee table book, all proofs on a disk without any watermarks or copywriting)


Video- $250.00 (family friend, we totally got lucky!)


DJ- $1400.00 (6 hrs)


Cake- $800.00 (4 tiers, 2 flavors- Pink Champagne with raspberry filling and Marble with cream cheese filling and buttercream smooth frosting)


There are other little things that we have paid for here and there, now that I type this it makes me realize just how much we have spent! YIKES!!! Hope that helps!
Reply:how many guests did you have? we are inviting about 108-112 as it stands





reception place $275, he%26#039;s a member of the fire house where we are having the reception so we get a discount





food 0, his family is doing all our food, i%26#039;ll make a few desserts for the dessert table





open bar $1069 right now, $9.90 a person (again we get a discount)





favors and box, not more than $30 total, $19 for organza favor bags and the rest for chocolates


what box do you mean?





all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $157, my dress was $150, shoes $7, hair mom is doing it, make up i%26#039;m doing it





decorations- probly spent $30 if that, mom paid for most of it. ribbon i got 75% off after christmas and from bbcrafts.com


candles were 75% off too. organza and tulle was 50% when i bought it too.


i made my runner





invites,guest book etc. - $92 was the quote for invites- but she%26#039;s giving me a discount so obviously not $92 now





flowers $220 for flowers, i%26#039;m doing silks from afloral.com


i got 5% off for being a new customer- you can get free shipping on orders $199+ if you order by 2/14





photos $300 for 6 hours, edited on cd (found her on craigslist... check your local for a photographer under services!!)





DJ $400- we know the owners of the company





cake $75 from shop rite, i love their cakes, and they only charge $1.50 a serving. i%26#039;m getting a cake for 50 ppl and having a dessert table.





oh as for transportation... the best mans dad is getting us an suv for the day (he works for a dealership and is allowed to use vehs for the day)





rings- our rings are from ebay. mine is titanium for $30 and his is about $50-75... if he every picks which one he wants
Reply:1. 125 counting the wedding party


2. $600 (firehall)


3. $1700


4. $400 (we are stocking ourselves) + $30/hr for 2 bartenders


5. $150 (we are doing a candy buffet)


6. I haven%26#039;t purchased my dress yet, but my bridesmaids got their dresses for $75 ea. from Chadwicks (there is a similiar dress they liked at David%26#039;s Bridal that was twice that amount), I have budgeted $1600 for my dress, shoes, veil, alterations. Hair I have budgeted w/makeup at $150 plus tip


7. My decorations for the recept. will be in total around $400


8. Invitations are around $200 (we are getting ours free though as my fmil works for the printer. My guest book was $3.95 and I am covering it myself in sation and Swarovski Crystals. Total cost will be around $8


9. My flowers are only $432 + tip from the florist. I am making the bouquets for my bridesmaids, and they will be around $15 ea. complete


10. I found a amateur photographer on Craigs List and she is charging $250 and I get them on CD and all the copyrights to them


11. Our DJ will end up being $750 plus tip (5 hrs.)


12. We know the person making our cake, so that will be a gift. Otherwise, the cake I want, made with fondant, buttercream underneath the fondant, and lemon cake. 4 tiers would cost around $500 at our local baker.


13. Our videographer is costing $695 + tip


14. I bought a large hat box and we are going to decorate that for our %26quot;card box%26quot;.


15. I bought our unity candle holder at a thrift shop for $2.75 (costs $35 new and the one I got is in perfect condition!)


16. Candles I am buying a large plain white pillar and two plain white candlesticks. I bought silver brads and am putting them on the candles myself. Paid $8, cost at the store was around $35.


17. I made numerous purchases on ebay, including my flower girls%26#039; dress (won the auction for $.01!!! Shipping was $4.95, paid $4.96 for a designer and in perfect condition!), we purchased our bubbles on there for $18.00/96 bottles, votive candles $50/144 candles. My flower girl basket and ring pillow for $13/total w/shipping (both brand new).





I think you can find super bargains on ebay. I am considering purchasing my dress on ebay if I can find one I like and can try on at a store close to me to make sure it looks good first.





Good Luck and best wishes!
Reply:How many guests?





We invited 225 people about 200 are coming.





Reception Place?





NYC (5 star hotel, penthouse with the most amazing views of central park I have ever seen)





For food, reception rental, and open bar it costs 650 per person normally, luckly we were able to get it for less because our date had just been canceled and they need to fill it immediatly so we got it for much less (about 250/person). For top shelf liquor it was an additional 30 dollars per person. Food is a cocktail hour with 10 passing hor%26#039;dourves, a caviar bar, sushi bar, veg and fruit platters, and a really nice tapas bar.





Meal is plated 6 course meal (appetizer, salad, soup, sorbet, entree, dessert) There are 3 meat options and 3 veg *his whole family are vegetarians* And dessert isn%26#039;t really dessert its more like just a bunch of chocolate covered fruit.





Also included is fine china, gold plated silverware, and crystal drinkware. Linens are also included, chair covers were an additional 6 dollars per chair. Also it includes 2 waiters for every table of 8 people.








Favors and boxes?





I was able to find full size philosophy bath and shower gel on sale for 5 dollars each. Then we got personalized ribbon to put around them for 30 dollars for all. Also Swavorski crystal flowers that are part of our centerpieces are doubling as additional favors, but it wasn%26#039;t included in that part of our budget.








Dresses shoes extra:





I am having my dress custom made and beaded it is cost 5800. My veil is being handmade also for 1200. One pair of Jimmy Choos 600.





Also I am having my hair, make-up, and nails done the morning of the wedding. For myself and my 3 bridesmaids its running 5,000.





The jewelry for myself is up to my husband put it can be no more then 7,000.





Flowers:


We are paying 500 for my bouquet, 250 for each of my bridesmaids. 30 for each boutonniere, and 75 for each corsage.





Decorations:





We are having rather large floral centerpieces. And animals made of flowers, including two trumpeting 5 ft tall elephants in the front of the ceremony. Chair decoration is a red sash with floral ties and a tree pin made of crystals (these were the closures on our invitations also)





It is costing about 30,000.


Also we are having our company that designed and made our invitations make the menus, programs, seating chart, table numbers, etc. this is costing an additional 5,000.





Invites:





For 135 invites it costs us 7,000. They included a boxed invitation (big silk boxes with jewel enclosure so the guests can keep them) with direction card RSVP and reception card.





Guest book:





We got silver trays that can be engraved with the included pen we got three so everyone could sign. They were 175 each.








Photos:





1 hour pre ceremony with the bride. 1 hour pre ceremony with groom. 30 minutes family and party portraits. Ceremony. And 3 hours of ceremony coverage. It is running 6,000. Then the actually albums and all pictures are additional costs.








DJ:





We opted for a band instead. 4 piece orchestra for cocktail hour and ceremony. 12 piece swing band for reception.





Total is a little over 8,000








Cake:





We are having a custom made cake with ornate decoration and custom flavor (peanut butter with jelly filling) So it is running a little more then the basic price for the cake from our baker 3200








We are holding on to 3,000 for tips.

















Now you shouldn%26#039;t use my budget as a set up because everyone has a certain amount you can spend. You can notice however that like most brides I will be spending the most on location/food. And the second most on decoration. It is important to just remember to stay in your budget and work with what you have. And always use Yahoo Answer for advice the girls her are really sweet and great with ideas for cutting costs or decor.





I will admit mine is a little over average, this site will tell you average costs for everything in your area





http://www.costofwedding.com/
Reply:34 guests


Reception place = 150.00


Food = 900.00


Open Bar = 1 hour 350.00/ cash after that


Favors = 30.00 (back to back cookies w/initials wrapped %26amp; tied with ribbons) 70.00 (champagne flutes filled with shredded foil %26amp; rocher chocolates also doubling as place cards)


Bridal dress = 120.00 Davids bridal


Shoes = $20.00 Payless


Veil = $10.00 made it myself


Decorations %26amp; flowers = $300.00


Photos = $300.00 all digital / will photo for 8 hours 1200 pics


(we will get the disk once he has a chance to edit %26amp; touch up then we can take it to Walmart etc to get it developed)


DJ = $350.00 for 5 hours


Cake = $70.00 48 cupcakes decorated to our specs and one 7%26quot; cupcake for top layer.


Invitations = $30.00 did them myself


Guest book = $10.00 doing a tree with cards for people to sign then hang.


Candy Bar = $150.00 12 glass jars filled with 12 different kinds of chocolate %26amp; gold chinese take out boxes to fill and take home as favors.
Reply:well......... I don%26#039;t think my answers will help you much since I got married almost 20 years ago but here they are:





how many guests did you have? 300 - 350


reception place - free (church fellowship hall)


food - free (the ladies of the church provided it)


open bar- noine since we were at church


favors and box -none people didn%26#039;t do that so much back then


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $900 or so


decorations- nothing, church ladie did it all


invites,guest book etc.- $200


flowers - $600


photos - $300


DJ - didn%26#039;t have one


cake - $40 all we had to do was cover the cost of the supplies as one of the ladies in the congregation did wedding cakes





I married a pastor and the people of the church did so much for us. We were living out in the middle of nowhere when we got married so we probably wouldn%26#039;t have had the DJ or a sit down meal.





I guess I didn%26#039;t help much huh? I know that weddings can cost thousands..............
Reply:how many guests did you have?


300





reception place


$8400





food


Above includes food





open bar


$700





favors and box


$275





all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc.


$1000





decorations


$180 (rented them from the hall)





invites


$245





guest book etc.


$100





flowers


$300





photos


$100 (have 2 people taking them for free; we buy the film only, they will develop)





DJ


$250





Cake


Included with reception total.
Reply:I had a total of 150 guests (only 1 child, which was my flowergirl) in NY.


*Reception--my place came with a full, top-shelf open bar, tons of cocktail hour food, multi-course sit down meal with 3 choice of entrees, desserts, centerpieces and my cake (my place has their own florist and bakery). Total price for that was about $14,500.


*My wedding day attire and hair and make-up all in all cost about $500--I got my dress on sale for $99 at a sample sale and alterations were minimal, my veil at a wholesale place, I didn%26#039;t buy new shoes (I had a pair and didn%26#039;t want to spend the money), hair and make-up were probably the most costly out of all those expenses.


*Decorations--$0. My catering hall was completely decorated.


*Guest book was a present to us. Invites cost me $300.


*Flowers--$800. I had all roses and lilies. Bridal bouquet, MOH bouquet, 4 BM bouquets, 3 corsages, 8 boutenneirs, 20 pew bows and 2 altar pieces. The florist I used was wholesale and didn%26#039;t charge based on what kind of flower, but per piece because they work directly with suppliers.


*Photo/video-about $5,000. They came super early and stayed till the very, very end. I had about 1,000 pictures and they all came outamazing.


*DJ-about $3,500. I had a dj and an mc, as well as, 2 plasma screens, a photo montage. My cousin is friends with the owner and we got a deal--they were a featured vendor on TLC%26#039;s A Wedding Story and pioneered using tv screens during the reception. They played music videos on the screens, as well as, put up real time pictures of the party. We also got an added bonus of an extra dj.


*Favors--about $150. We went on-line and got a deal. We refused to spend money on something people usually throw away.


*Tips-about $700 in total for the bridal attendant, maitre%26#039;d, dj and mc, photo and video, limo....
Reply:Im still planning so here is what i have so far, hope it helps:





how many guests did you have?


we are inviting about 200 ppl


reception place: for adults it is 39.95 a head w/ alcohol, and $35.95 for anyone under 21, and 15.00 a head for children





food- included in pricing above





open bar - included in pricing above





favors and box- I am doing a candy buffet, which i have budgeted at about $350. hopefully less??





all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc.: my dress was $618.00 my grandmother is doing alterations, not sure about veil, Freind is doing my hair(she works for a salon) and shoes i havent picked out yet.





decorations: part of this is also included in the price per head listed above, but i am adding a few of my own little touches, extra candles, and autumn leaves.





invites,guest book etc.: hopefully for invites,RSVP, reception cards and thank you notes, all in qty%26#039;s of 125 it will only cost $117.00, havent purchased a guest book yet





flowers- all Gerbera Daisies $555.00 maybe less





photos- my photog is only $850.00





DJ- Dj was only $695.00





cake- Not sure yet, this is my next step!
Reply:we got the reception place, food, decorations, photos, videos, dj cake for 10,000. and we invited 500 people the hall holds that much. also 2 kegs





my dress is 350, havent got my shoes, veil yet





invites was $250 for 300


yourlastingimpressions.com its 30% off other invitations sites.





i got my favors, guest books less than $40


got personalize cake %26amp; knife for $15


personalize wedding glass (bride %26amp; groom) $10


decorations (veil and tux that goes on the glasses) $2


bride %26amp; groom shot glasses (dressed in a wedding gown %26amp; tux) $12 for 12


(orientaltrading.com)





hope that helps


we spent little money for alot of things
Reply:i LIVE IN SOUTH CENTERAL WISCONSIN:


reception place 1,000.00


food UNKNOWN AS OF NOW


open bar NOT HAVING ONE


favors and box DOING PERSONZLIED M%26amp;M%26#039;S GUESSING ABOUT 200.00 FOR 200 FAVORS


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. MY DRESS: 575.00 HAVENT GOTTEN BRIDESMAIDS YET, GOING THIS SAT. VEIL: 0.00 USING A COUSIN%26#039;S. HAIR FREE, MY FRIEND IS DOING IT. SHOES: 40.00


decorations UNKNOWN


invites,guest book etc. INVITES: 180.00 FOR 100. GUEST BOOK I THINK IT WAS 15.00


flowers 300.00


photos 2349.00


DJ UNKNOWN, PROBALY GOING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS 600.00


cake 300.00 TO SERVE 250 PEOPLE.
Reply:Hey L, Congrats and I can%26#039;t wait to see pics. Email me so I can send you a link to our wedding page. On to your question, right now most of the prices are accurate because we have everything but some stuff like the food and decorations are still up in the air but it is a broad count of what we plan to get because we started pricing exactly what we are getting.





how many guests did you have? 200


reception place $1100


food $1000-$1500 My family is catering


open bar $500


favors and box $ still up in the air because I am making CD favors.


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $320 dress, $180 veil, $130 hair, $55 shoes, $75 other accessories.


decorations $250


invites,guest book etc. $100 dad paid for invites, $100 guest book, unity candle, etc.


flowers $50 yes $50 we have silk flowers for the whole bridal party


photos $750 we received a discount for early booking.


DJ $400


cake $150
Reply:how many guests did you have? 40-60


reception place $250 site fee (at a resturant)


food $66/adult (if everyone orders the most expensive choice)


open bar $43/adult for 3 hrs beer, house wines and premium cocktails (grey goose etc)


favors and box $2.75/favor (no box - not sure what that is sorry!)


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc. $850 (no veil)


decorations $700 (arch, chairs and canopy at wedding site plus centerpieces and table numbers at reception)


invites,guest book etc. $600


flowers $825 (roses and cimbidium orchids)


photos $3200


DJ Didn%26#039;t have one


cake $340
Reply:how many guests did you have? 200


reception place- $1200.00


food- $1600.00 (we knew the caterer)


open bar- We didn%26#039;t have an open bar, we bought several cases of beer and wine.


favors and box- $300.00 on my favors


all dresses,veil,hair,shoes etc.- Dress- 600.00, Veile- I borrowed it from my SIL, hair- 30.00, Shoes- 20.00, Nails- 30.00, Toes- 15.00,


decorations- 400.00


invites,guest book etc.- Invitations- 300.00


flowers- 100.00


photos- 500.00


DJ- 400.00


cake- 264.00 ( That was for the bride and groom cake)





My fiance and I had to pay for our own wedding, so I tried to cut corners as most as I could. We made our own flowers (I went with fake, not the silk ones, the rubber looking kind) Hope this helps!



loan