[XxXrAtED]

I just went through this, and it's easy to go on a slippery slope once you start using the excuse of...well, it's a special day...
Repeating what a few ppl had already said - don't skim on the photography!! You'll look at the pictures more frequently than you'd anticipate to relive the moments.
Destination weddings can be cheaper, dependent if you'll subsidize travel arrangements for your guests. I think it's more fun, since ppl who can attend will also be on vacation mode. Jump straight into the honeymoon =).
Santorini is gorgeous. We ran into a few weddings while we were there. There are alot of possibilities all over Europe in terms of beach, castle, vineyard weddings.

[**lily**]

first off, the idea of getting married scares me. i do love weddings. but i love to plan others' weddings, not mine.

call me a cheapers but i certainly won't spend more than 10k on just 1 day of my life. i'm squeamish about having the folks pay for anything so more than likely my groom and i will split the tab (or if he has more money...). bottom line is i'm not marrying the flowers or the centerpieces. so long as i have the right guy beside me, i won't care about anything else. well, scratch that. i'll spend moolah on food. i hate going to wedding receptions that obviously cost a LOT and all they serve is a scoop of some meat with lots of swirly syrups to make it look pretty. i don't want pretty. i'm just gonna feel guilty touching it.

[HERMIT]

Thanks to the potential cost of divorce, I find myself not worrying too much about wedding costs because - quite frankly - the thought of it has fallen off my radar.

[xx_swit_c_xx]

$25,000 or less??.. yikes.

Haha, I would be totally satisfied with a $300 dress.. I think people just overpay like CRAZY on their wedding gowns... like I mean, you're wearing it once... c'mon... haha.

I think I'll probably spend $8,000 or less on my wedding. I will be doing all the invitations, gifts, placecards, flowers, etc MYSELF. Call me a DIY girl I guess =) I aint paying some wedding planner when I honestly could do it myself = cut costs too! hehe.

[lhkim85]

Honestly I'd rather just go to the courthouse and avoid the whole thing but my BF says his family will want one and they will pay for it.

[crackednut]

I want something small and intimate. The idea of inviting a boatload of people I don't even care much for bothers me.
I'm a hands on person, so I'd like to do a lot of the things myself, invitations, decorations (flower arrangement!! that excites me LOL)
Ideally, I'd go less than 10k. I'd rather save money from the reception for a awesome honeymoon

[ayahuasca]

I went to my cousin's wedding last year in the UK. It was pretty hectic. She and her husband hired out a castle for the wedding. That was for maybe 70 people. Included were a string quartet, the reception was held in an adjoining hall. They'd even provided a coach to get everyone from the hotels to the castle. All in all it was pretty big. Then to top it all off, they flew to Australia to do it again mainly for our grandmother, who's 93, and other elderly relatives who couldn't fly to the UK.

Another cousin of mine held her wedding ceremony and the husband's old high school. He went to a private school which had its own chapel, a beautiful old building I might add. I MC'ed for the reception which held in a chinese restaurant.

A close family friend decided against all that and had the ceremony held in a coastal park with a celebrant.

Ultimately, it's down to how spectacular a memory you want to make for yourself.

[GwendolynGuillotine]

Actually I knew a lady who only spent 45 bucks on her wedding, she's was really creative, had some few little connections, and kept her wedding very small. It looked pretty decent as well.

hehe, I'll be looking up after her.

[pepprmint]

meh, i think im the only girl that doesnt care to pretty up a wedding. i mean, i would be just as happy running off to vegas to elope or something. so my wedding would have to be 25K or less

and i think the bride/groom should split the cost half half. its bOth of them's big day, not just one!

[sacky]

it would depend on how each other feels about it. for me, I don't really care if its a big or small wedding, I'm not a picky person. it's funny how sometimes the parents get into this but then its not their day, its YOURS. I been a couple of my cousin's weddings. one had an open bar at the reception and I was like OMFG.. are you serious, I don't even want to ask how much that bill was... hahaha. another one the ogs took it over like it was theirs, so I'm like come wtf..

if I had to choose, I'd prolly spend like $5-$10k. hopefully you don't have to do it again if you got divorced... jkkkk xD

[ChouChou]

me and my bf are planning to get married in about..2 years time
we've already been together for 3
our first priority is a house and then mariage afterwards
although i kinda wanna get married right now lol

we're planning on a registry wedding and then a big reception at our local chinese restaurant
we already know it's going to be hekka expensive and he stresses out everytime he thinks about it lol as he is expecting to pay for eveything
i'm not sure if our parents are planning on pitching in...

i definitely want a great dress..good food and a decent photographer
we're also planning on flying our grandparents in. his grandmother from HK and my fathers parents from Malaysia. they definitely have to be there as it would be disrespetful if they weren't
man...this is going to be expensive >_<

he even wants to rent a lamboghini [sp?] lol !!!!

well..we're not trying to put tooo much thought into it right now as were saving for the house
but i can tell it's going to be a very stressful time fr the both of us

edit :: oh yeh

i also found this website based in china that do reallllly cheap wedding dresses
i've never ordered from them before and not sure about quality
i think they're kinda like cctfashion, only for bridal wear
i think you can give them a pic of a designer wedding dress and they can recreate it for you for a frcton of the price
i'm not advertising it lol, but i thought i'd share it for those girls who wanna save rather thn splurge lol

www.landybridal.com

[bubblishxtrem]

My bf and I were talking about it. A little bit early, but oh well. We're thinking $20,000 tops since we're covering all the costs. We'd rather spend money towards a house, and pay off his tuition bill. I've looked into the costs and such, and so far...it's within budget! 200 guests tops since we live in two different cities, it'll be his immediate family, whoever else in the extended family who wants to travel, his close friends, my immediate family (no extended in the US), and friends. Intended place is my city since the cost is cheaper. I have a friend or two who do photography, so I might comission them for a discount rate. Photography and video during the actual wedding will probably be done by multiple friends. Ebay will be for all the dresses and misc decorations. The place rentals provides tables, chairs, tableclothes. All flower arrangements will be done by me to cut florist costs. I'm actually thinking of using fake flowers for majority. No live dj, the laptop hook up sounds great. The most expensive costs are the rental space, catering, and booze.

[CharlotteDarcy]

I heard the most expensive part of a wedding is renting the location. I wonder why.

no wonder some people just have it in their backyard.

[Pogichinoy]

I heard the most expensive part of a wedding is renting the location. I wonder why.

no wonder some people just have it in their backyard.

Depending on how exclusive the location is for the wedding and reception, yes it can get quite pricey. Catering and reception services too add up, especially if you have a heap of guests.

[Face]

Since I'd imagine when I get hitched, my parents will not pitch a dime--not because they do not love me more so cuz they raised us to pay for our own private expenses if we have the money. So the person most likely to pay for the wedding would be myself and my significant other. I personally would aim for the 10-15k wedding MAX, which I THINK was stated as the average cost of a wedding. If I were to go beyond that cost, I'd feel guilty because I'd rather have that money go for more long-term expenses (ie. home, car, tuition payoffs, etc).

I mean, if you really got the bling bling, go ahead blow 100k on 1 night. I've heard of newly weds who had extravagant weddings and ended up with a bad start in terms of financial situation.

[.Saranbaatar]

Our wedding was small 17 people in total.
It's your day, if you make it big, don't skimp out on photo's cause with a big wedding, the picutres will be your memory of the day, since you'll be so busy with everything you won't live it that much.

We just went to City Hall, and had dinner after. and we had a great day.
All in all we where done for under 1k euro's including dinner and everything
And my wife bougth her dress 2 days before the wedding

My brothers girlfriend took pictures for us. they are good but i never look at them tbh. Haven't even printed them.

[iyaiyayeo]

i have a big family so i think i'd be spending much more especially on the reception and venue. since prices have gone up, costs will also be higher. just plan it well so you may be able to budget everything properly.

[touche`]

A wedding sounds nice, but I would never ever spend more than 25K on a wedding. If I have to say and make a guess on the amount, then it would be 5000-10000. I just like the idea how both, the groom and the bride, should help pay the wedding (I'm not talking about equality here!) but in general. I mean it is both of their wedding, so why not help each other out?? If family or relatives can help, then it would be nice too. Honestly, I don't want to have more than 150 because I hate the idea of having to invite EVERYONE that goes to your church. It sound really mean, but I would prefer close friends and relatives. I like small and simple wedding.

[juicejuice]

I wouldn't mind spending 25k to 50k but I cannot expect my partner to pay all of it. Since its a marriage of two people, I feel that both should pay because they need to make decisions for the wedding arrangements.

I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on the wedding, I would rather use most of that money for a down payment for a house. My boyfriend and I discuss about it and it is better off having a small wedding which is more economical with the people who are close to you.

[bebexlove]

I have no idea how much a average wedding costs so I picked under 25k.. That sounds like an extreme amount of money to put on a wedding so.. Also I don't plan on having a huge party or anything.. Something with just close family/friends. (: