Need some more entertainment at the reception? Glendale's not all that far from Yorba Linda.

 

I don't even know 350 people to invite to a wedding. Ours had about 120.

 

got married almost 2 years ago, and we were budgeting in the $25k range w/ 200 guests for the reception (didn't really care how many people came to the church though ).

the wife was cool w/ not having an extravagant wedding (the only requirement was that it was in a church - but she, ironically, does not have a religion)

we ended up w/ just under 240 guests, my parents decided to upgrade the dinner menu at the last minute so that was an extra $60 to $80 a head (because the majority of guests were their friends), but they footed the difference in the bill.

all in all, we stayed pretty much within our budget.

not sure about other cultures, but generally, at a chinese wedding like ours, guests give cash (fine by us!) and most of the type we would break even or even make a bit on the side [we ended up breaking even, give or take a few grand]

 

Spent $60k for everything in April 2004. 225 people @ $200/head, limos, flowers, gifts and the honeymoon. Which I didnt think was *that* much. At the end of the night, we walked away with a profit of $15k.


My daughters 1st birthday party is this Sunday. In korean culture, the first birthday is a pretty important thing and we've rented out a banquet hall/country club for 150 guests @ $100/head. Most people will bring gifts rather than cash to this event so I'll be eating most of the cost.

 

the costs above seem pretty accurate. our wedding was June 30th and these are approximate:

caterer/rentals: $12k
officiant: $500
dj: $1200
quartet: $500
photographer: $4000
dress: $3000
suit/tie/shoes/shirt: $1000
flowers: $1500
booze: 1500?

I'm probably forgetting some stuff, but that's around $25k... for about 120 people... (add invitations, favors, rings, etc.)

My wife is a perfectionist and a serious do it yourself person so I didn't really have to do much; just put in some labor doing lighting and decorations when the day came. The big day itself was a blast; but there's so much going on that you really need a GOOD photographer to document everything. You want to be able to look back on the day and see all the fun people were having, the fun YOU were having, all the goings-on that you missed, etc.

p.s., we didn't have to pay for a venue because it was in her parents yard and we had a tent (everything outdoors).

 

We were married in February and it probably cost about $500. We had a civil ceremony with about 25 guests. A very gracious friend opened her home so we were able to have about 70 guests afterwards. She was kind enough to prepare food and presented us a beautiful formal wedding cake. We also got a deal on more food from a restaurant my husband has a connection with and we borrowed a friend's NSX for transportation. We paid for booze and I think that's it. We didn't have a formal photographer, but there were several people with digital SLRs and practically everyone else had a camera, so we had some great pictures. The day was perfect!
We have discussed having a more formal wedding down the road, but I suspect travel, mods and other things will get in the way of that - and that's fine with me!

People often don't realize that as soon as the word "wedding" is attached to any service/item, the price goes up dramatically.

 

I'd marry you

 

Too late

 

if you are spending money and someone is happy, really happy, than fine.

but what i see at most weddings is that no one really enjoys it besides the wedding crashers. families are uncomfortable, the groom is in hell, the bride is freaked out over everything.

the article clearly explains how people are tricked into thinking they NEED to spend on certain trendy things.

just insane.

 

i dunno, ever since i graduated (about 3 years ago), i've been going to weddings non-stop for friends. okay not that many, but about 3-5 per year. i've had an awesome time at almost all of them. whether or not it was worth the ~$25k, i dunno.

that being said, if i have any say in my wedding...it will not be anywhere near $25k. i think my ideal would be a destination wedding...like ibiza or something, not dressy, local food, and lots of fun (booze? ha). actually that just sounds like a big party. hmm.