recently been proposed to, booked a venue, how much will it all cost?

W

wicklowlass

Guest
getting married next year , have a few things booked just wondering how much people spend on average for a traditional wedding of 150 people and where they source the money from!
i have videographer , photographer, band all booked an the price is topping up very fast!!!
 
The 'traditional' wedding seems to be the one that costs a fortune. You could be looking at €20k plus for 150 guests.

What seems to be very popular at the moment is an evening wedding: immediate family to church and meal; extended family and friends are then invited to the band and disco including a small buffet and cutting of cake. This saves a fortune and doesn't put people under pressure to take a day off work and buy an expensive present.

Also, if you go for this option, most hotels will open an account for you which you can start paying into straight away. You will more than likely have the hotel bit paid for by the time the wedding comes around. Therefore you're not borrwing and putting yourself under pressure. I don't think anyone should borrow for a wedding. ok it is a very important day but it's just one day. Why should you pay for it over the next 10-15 years!
 
much will it all cost?
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How long is a piece of string?? If you plan to do favours, opt for seat covers (a really stupid expence IMO) and all these silly extra things, you will spend a fortune.

There are loads of threads on ways you can save moeny;
- get you dress on sale
- keep you numbers reasonable (Margies idea is great)
- buy dress in the sales (or 2nd hand:eek:...not to everyone taste)
- Borrow friends "nice" cars to get to the church
- Do your own invites online
- do you need a video & a photographer? So many people have great videos & cameras - you can easily put your own togeather
....have a search of the threads.

I reckon people remember the meal, the band/DJ (only if they are really good or really bad) and the craic they had. Get the essentials right & you and your guests will have a great time and you don;t need to spend a fortune.
 
ive already booked up the meal but i do agree the evening thing sounds great!!

my meal. including chocolate fountain reception, canapes, wine with meal, round of drinks with toast is costing 11550 euro for 150 people.
i went for an all inclusive package.
a family friend is a photographer and is doing it for 600.
the videographer is 1300.
cars are being hired my parents in law.
flowers by a family friend.
dress is 1500
groomsmen attire 1000
3 bridesmaids 1 flower girl 1000
band 1500
favours 300
church 250
cake 400
invites 300
rings 400
hire buses 600
honeymoon 5000

so already im at 25700 euro!!!
 
wicklowlass said:
so already im at 25700 euro!!!
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€22700 - It's a great day and you only do it once or twice in a lifetime. With 150 guests you may receive a cash gift from at least some of them, let's say 30 @ €200 which brings your day out back down to €16700. And of course you'll have a serving set and there is always one guest that will get you a €9.99 towel set from Dunnes.
 
John Rambo said:
Why is the honeymoon being included as a cost for the wedding day?
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because naturally we have to save for that too, and it needs to paid for prior to the wedding so why not include it in the cost?
 
davidoco said:
€22700 - It's a great day and you only do it once or twice in a lifetime. With 150 guests you may receive a cash gift from at least some of them, let's say 30 @ €200 which brings your day out back down to €16700. And of course you'll have a serving set and there is always one guest that will get you a €9.99 towel set from Dunnes.
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its 25700, i checked the figure again. would some people really give 200 euro? do people actually give that much??
we have a house and two children so wouldnt really need gifts but wouldnt really feel good if i put money only on invites, ive seen it done but wonder is it a bit cocky?
 
europhile said:
A chocolate fountain? Did Jordan have one of those?
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the package includes it, i didnt opt for it, and the only other package offered by my hotel is an al a carte menu which works out a lot dearer.

jordan?
 
wicklowlass said:
because naturally we have to save for that too, and it needs to paid for prior to the wedding so why not include it in the cost?
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If you need new suitcases to go on honeymoon would you include those too? All I'm saying is that often these figures bandied about are inaccurate...just as yours are inaccurate. People will say 'oh my Lord, 25 grand just for one day' when a) there's a long haul holiday for 5 grand thrown in there. b) you should receive at least €7500 in cash as gifts (€150 per couple from 50 couples/100 people on average) There is a perception with a lot of people that weddings should be revenue neutral-i.e. a cash gift should offset the cost to the bride and groom (or parents)
 
wicklowlass said:
would some people really give 200 euro? do people actually give that much??
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Well that was the 2006/07 figure, although with their net worth down now and people not feeling so flush with the value of their house back x% you may not do as well, but anything less than two 50s in an envelope :( especially since your spending around €50 per head for their meal.
 
We always give €150 to an aquaintance and €200 to a friend. From conversations with a number of people this would seem to be the norm for a couple.
 
wicklowlass said:
my meal. including chocolate fountain reception, canapes, wine with meal, round of drinks with toast is costing 11550 euro for 150 people.
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I can't help thinking that €77 per person is madly expensive for what is ultimately a mass-produced meal?
 
wicklowlass said:
ive already booked up the meal but i do agree the evening thing sounds great!!
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I think you are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted!!

You both need to sit down and decide can your family afford it or will you struggle to pay it back over the next number of years. If you can;t afford it - go through the list and see where you can cut back. Maybe the hotel will let you re-jig the meal....'cos I guarentee you are paying for the chocolate fountain & canapes!
 
well the package is all inclusive, thats a five course meal, upgrades for both sets of parents to deluxe rooms, flowers, table covers, bagpiper, place cards, sunday lunch before wedding bridal suite with champagne breakfast, then the fountain drinks canapes etc, only extea is 380 euro for bar extension .
am i getting a bad deal?
 
Cut out the favours altogether. I don't know anyone who actually keeps them. The cake seems a little expensive, you should shop around. Also the invites for only 150 people (probably around 80 -90 invites) seems a bit high too.

Do you have to hire buses? Can people not make their own way or is it in the middle of nowhere?

You'll get a lot of useless presents so don't count on cash from all guests. And, yes it's really tacky to put money only on the invites.
 
thats what i thought, ill leave that out then!!!
the favours, i was only going to do some chocolates in a bag??
maybe thats not worth it?

i know someone who might do the cake cheaper. i do need two buses as the venue is 20 miles away.
 
forget the favours - no one will notice.
the all in deal with the hotel is expensive - can you ask them to price it individually and then you can leave out the bits like chocolate fountain and canapes? 77 euro a head IS a lot for a mass produced meal.

Do you need a videographer if you have a good photographer? Everyone I know got their video and NEVER watched it. Could you not get a friend to shoot some footage with a camcorder so that if someone wants to watch a moving image later there will be some footage?

cake and invites seem expensive also - im sure you could cut costs there.

20 miles away is nothing! Ive driven much further than that for wedding reception after the church bit. Why not let people make their own way?
 
Straight off I'd cut out the favours and buses our reception was a 45min drive from the church and we didn't provide buses. i've been to lots of weddings in the same situation and only 1 provided a bus (it was in the UK, buses were half empty) people will want to have their car and not have to trek off to get it the next day,
As for the cake my mum made it, others I know bought them in Marks and Spencer and they looked perfect. Flowergirls outfit came from Next and got lots of admiring comments it cost €70 all in including shoes. You can definitely get a better deal on the videographer. Can I ask why you're getting parents rooms in the hotel package, can they not quote for you for the meal only without all the extras?? Do you really need a bagpiper, the lunch before the wedding and the drinks fountain??

It's very easy to get carried away you have to understand it's not necessary
 
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