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Here was mine
Honeymoon: $0K
Reception: $6,000
Flowers: $100
MISC: $0?
Limo: $0 - no limo we drove ourselves
Gratuity: $0 - included in our set reception price (had it had a restaurant)
Decor: $0K - I did no extra planning on decor
Party favors/disposable cameras: $0 - no favors, 99% of people throw that stuff in the trash or leave it there.
Gown: $300 (with alterations) - I never understood spending soooo much money on something that you wear once, and not even for that long.
Groom: $150
Bridesmaids/groomsmen: $0K - had none, and never saw the point of people standing at the "altar" in matching dresses, just to stand there.
Gifts: $0K - we did not buy gifts for eachother.
Hotel: $150
Center pieces: $0 - our flowers were the center pieces and were the only flowers we had at the reception site.
DJ: $0
Food: $? included in reception cost.
Wedding bands: $500 (total for both)
Do you follow the tradition which expects the woman's family to pay for the wedding? Why or why not?
Do you think spending a lot of money is wasteful? or should a wedding ceremony (and reception, if having one) be an "all out" affair?
When spending money on a wedding, where do you think most of the money should go in planning? For example, I remember seeing a documentary on TLC where a couple spent 10k just for floral arrangements of the wedding/reception...given that the average cost of a wedding is said to be around 20k. Various wedding planners for the show stated that floral arrangements usually wind up taking the bulk of the budget.
How much would you expect a man to pay for a ring? As a man, how much would you be willing to pay for both an engagement and wedding ring? Which is most important to you?
Would you be offended if the man spent less than 5000 on a ring or made payments on it?
$80 by the time we paid the preacher and bought both of our rings. We saved a ton by eloping.
My husband and I didn't have an 'all out' wedding. He was a graduate student then and I was just starting out myself, so money was real tight. We used to live 10 minutes from the beach so walking on the beach in the evening was something we did all the time (it's free!!). So one night he went down on his knee to propose and gave me a simple and inexpensive engagement ring with a diamond so small you have to use a magnifying glass to see it :-) Our wedding rings only cost us $350 for both.
One month later, we just went to the city hall with a couple of real close friends as witnesses. Then we went home and I made some simple meals, then had 10 real close friends to celebrate with us. It was probably one of the best nights of my life and I still remember every beautiful moment of it. I never regretted the fact that we didn't have an elaborate wedding.
i wouldnt know how to act if i had a real wedding or was even given an engagement or wedding ring.
i have been married several times, and never got a ring...i had to go out and buy one myself, just so i would have at least a simple band to show i was married. (and i just spent maybe 50 bucks or so at a pawn shop)
(if you are wondering why, i guess it's because i was the breadwinner in the marriages, even though i was female-my income was triple or more than any of my husbands)
edited to add: OMG i just read all the responses. i cannot believe how many folks out there have money for big weddings and men who are able to spend thousands on rings! SHEESH. unbelieveable. matter of fact, i have never EVER been given a gift of any value from any of my exhusbands while we were married, nor from any boyfriend. but i wasn't upset-they couldn't afford it. it wasn't their fault. all of my weddings were JP ceremonies too, by the way.
Last edited by NOTAM; 07-22-2008 at 09:07 PM..
Reason: add
We got tired of his mother being nasty so we decided to go get married after his final exam! Best thing we ever did. We still laugh about it and everyone that knows us is not surprised by our marriage ceremony.
[quote=Blueberry;852351]That would be fun and funky! If it doesn't upset the bride, I'd say go for it. People would sure remember that wedding!
blueberry wrote: That would be fun and funky! If it doesn't upset the bride, I'd say go for it. People would sure remember that wedding!>>>>>>>>>
blueberry wrote: That would be fun and funky! If it doesn't upset the bride, I'd say go for it. People would sure remember that wedding!>>>>>>>>>
Why do have to care about what people think? What is more important is your marriage and then your money to finance the marriage throughout your life.
I believe you don't have to have a party to get married.
To me, that is totally ridiculous. For example: The rehearsal: you go over and over the same thing. Why don't you get married for real on the first rehearsal?
What you need is to spend on the following:
1. Your doctor's examination to make sure that you are not going to have sick offprings and that your partners is not bringing any STD with him.
2. Your marriage license fees.
3. your house. I don't know why people spent an entire fortune on the wedding and not having a single thought on a real place to live. They end up in a apartment when they could have placed that money on a downpayment instead.
I understant poor couple who don't have that oportunity to buy a house before getting married, but who don't spent on their wedding neither. I wouldn't judge them for that.
In my opinion, people should leave wedding celebrations to the rich, and not trying to emulate them with parties and customs by putting enormous burden on their families and friends.
People need to be smarter and practical on this.
Last edited by my goodness; 12-07-2008 at 04:30 PM..
No way I'd pay more than 5k on a ring. Really....you can get a very nice ring for a few thousand...then take a great honeymoon, not carry debt etc.
Some of the ring guidelines like "20% of gross pay" are just BS marketing. 10% is A LOT....5% is plenty.
My wedding was large 250ish people and nice. We *maybe* spent 20k total including honeymoon, rings, reception, rehearsal dinner etc. Wife's parents chipped in about 6-7k my parents about 3k...we covered the rest. This was in 1995 in Chicago-land area. Reception hall was free due to church connections.
Screw the ceremonies, go to Vegas and get married and party like a rock star!
Screw Marriage and be safer and sane.
Wedding = Go and celebrate with friends to Marriage to Your Singledom.
Ring = Play ring around the Rosies - at least you'll have the potential of smelling Roses verses $$$ burning away on Marriage, Divorce, Monthly Child Payment Annuities to an EX and loss of much of any accumulated wealth.
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