Wedding Costs

We're getting married in 4 weeks and it's coming in as €30k.

That's for 120 people in Dublin including honeymoon.

I know that some people feel it's outrageous...but we can afford it and my parents are paying for the reception which is coming in at about €10k - (included in the €30k above) which obviously helps!!

Obviously, you can go abroad and do it cheaper - but we wanted to get married at home. (or you can get married at home and do it cheaper as per clubman!!)

Main expenses are band (2200), photographer (2k - including album & all photos on a disc!!), honeymoon (6000), rings (2000) and dresses & suits - all the clothing came in at about 3k.

Congratulations - it's a very exciting time!

Best of luck!

we are getting marries next year on a saturday and so far the budget is looking a bit like this , (its changed a little recently )

Meal Including Drinks , food, chocolate fountain , toast drinks , canapes and evening buffet 11550

Band and dj 1500
ceremony music 450
church 250
registration 150
flowers 400
cake 400
dress 2500 (purchased already)
suits 600 (to hire)
bmaid dresses 600
flower girls 50 (purchased)
pageboy suits 80 (purchased)
buses 600
cars 800
invites an aunt is doing them
photographer 600
cameras for tables 63
gifts 300
videographer 1300
bridal party make up 400
hair 200
bride acces 200
favours 200

We got married abroad last year with just immediate family (20 people for a weekend in Switzerland). If you want to keep costs down just don't tell anyone (apart from those going with you) until a few weeks before wedding. That way you won't feel presurised into inviting anybody else or into doing anything that you don't want to. Most stress free wedding ever! We came in at €12,000. Immediate family were happy to take the 2 days off work (friday and monday). It cost each of them about €500 for flight and accommodation and travel. None of them gave us gifts at our request (apart from parents).
Won't suit all families... but it did suit ours.

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!! It's really helpfull now that we know some of the numbers.
I knew the main things would obviously be the food and venue and clothes but I never knew that photographers cost that much, it's a real eye opener.

MrMan said:

Except you are then putting the cost ver to your guests who will be losing a days pay and possibly the tuesday aswell. Weekends are dearer but generally fairer on all involved.

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Lots of people get married on thursday/fridays and people take the day off. I work saturdays and have to take the day off for any wedding I want to go to. People don't have to go to weddings but if they want to go they will have no problem taking time off. None of our guests refused because they couldnt get time off. It suited the people who had kids more because they didnt need to get someone to mind them for the whole day just the evening etc. It was also a lot cheaper for guests to stay in hotels / b&bs cos it was a week night and not a weekend.

Hi, I got married March this year and it really is incredible what you can save on certain things. We had originally intended getting married abroad and have a party when we got back but it actually worked out costing much the same so we decided to have civil ceremony here with immediate family in attendance and a reception for 70 people afterwards. Made the invites by ordering stationary from diyweddings.ie. Had a photographer at the drinks reception and he charged €350 for photos (no album). Got good deal on car hire (2 jags) from chauffeursonline.ie. Band provided DJ afterwards. I can forward you a list of all the suppliers and what they cost if you want. Sites like weddingsonline were invaluable. We did blow the budget on the honeymoon but that can be whatever you want it to be. Best of luck with everything.

We recently got married and saved on what I would call non-essentials. We printed our own invitations (who keeps them anyway?) and they still looked good along with our own mass books. If you go to gettingmarried.ie you can do the booklet online, pick out prayers, readings etc. although it doesn't allow for putting in names of b-maids, groomsmen, parents etc. We didn't bother with favours, as the wedding co-ordinator in the hotel reckoned they were a waste of time and we completely agreed. nobody or very few keep them to bring home. We shopped around for wine til we got a good deal and even with the 9euro corkage we still saved money on what the hotel were charging for wine. We didn't scrimp on photos and video as we wanted good quality to look back on as our memories faded. Looking back if we had thought of it in time we would have gone to France for a holiday and brought back a few cases on the way home (Don't think it would pay to make the trip especially). We got the band to do DJ as well for no extra charge. I am now contacting all our suppliers as the website [broken link removed] is offering 100 euros to couples when they tell their wedding suppliers about the site and they sign up with them as part of a new promotion. If 5 of my suppliers join up I get 500 euro. easy money. You could also do the Eddie Hobbs on it and say cash gifts only and invite more people as your fixed costs will stay the same. But now it's starting to sound like a business venture. The key thing is set your budget however big or small, stick to it, don't get too stressed out in the planning of it, don't leave things to the last minute (such as printing mass books the day before as we did!)and don't lose sight of the main reason for the big occasion; you and your partner.

sandrat said:

We saved a fortune by getting married on a monday. saved at least 20% on the quoted priced for everything because I used the fact it was a monday to haggle them down.

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sweet Mary, that was very thoughtful for your guests lol

I am getting married in August, 40 people, costing about €12,000.00. We could have done it much cheaper than this as we are having a meal in a restaurant which is about €60.00 per head and we are also providing the alcohol for the entire evening. You prioritise...what is important to you? Will you die if you don't have party favours and your chairs are not wearing little frocks with ribbons on? Will your day be ruined if you don't have four bridesmaids, a flower girl, a page boy and upmteen other serfs at your beck and call? Will you be horrifed if you don't have a three tier cake, one tier of which has been hand crafted in Belgium from the finest chocolate while the other two tiers are jewel encrusted creations which would not be out of place on a Milan catwalk? Would you need, like some brides, to purchase a 'throw away bouquet', a replica of your bridal bouquet, but one which can be thrown to the crowd as you don't want to ruin your real one?

Sorry ranting now.....as others have said, it depends on what you want yourself. Those other sites mentioned are good for getting things....and don't mention the word wedding when you ring suppliers as it adds about 50% to the cost of everything.

I've been to 5 weddings in the last 12 months and only one had party favours. Think they are over-rated and a waste of money to be honest.

I got married in Jan of this year and being in the industry (DJ) i had a lot of contact.

We got a great deal oon the hotel, it being Jan you can bargain as they will have nothing else on. Photographer i knew and got for 1400, band were 1800 ( which seems a lot but food and entertainment are the things people remember ).

We were in NY earlier in the year and Mrs Burgundy bought her dress over there and that saved about 1500. She also bought the BM dressses on line and they were dirt cheap as well.

Our favours were cds of music from our day which cost 50 quid in total but a lot of people mentioned them to me afterwards.

I also lit the rooms with my own lights and used mates cars.

So we saved where we could.