Newbie trying to make a Wedding Budget

Hello everyone!

I am recently engaged and we would like to get married this fall (is the fall too crazy close to plan for?).

I don't have much experience with planning a wedding as my friends are single.

What would a normal/average wedding cost me for a reception hall in Nassau County? How about for DJ, flowers, and photo?

sorry if my questions are vague -- I'm just trying to prepare us for the $$$ amount.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

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Posted by margaretk

Hello everyone!

I am recently engaged and we would like to get married this fall (is the fall too crazy close to plan for?).

I don't have much experience with planning a wedding as my friends are single.

What would a normal/average wedding cost me for a reception hall in Nassau County? How about for DJ, flowers, and photo?

sorry if my questions are vague -- I'm just trying to prepare us for the $$$ amount.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

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It depends on how many people you wish to have, what day of the week and time of day. You definitely have enough time to plan. I have a friend that just got engaged and will be getting married in Nov. It can be done. Good luck!

If you can afford it, you have enough time to plan. I was engaged in October, and we are getting married in August. (We were originally planning on July, but the dates worked out with the church and RH for August)

It really depends on what you want, how many people you want to have, where you want to have it. Check out the 'Planning' tab at the top of this web page. There, you will find information about general price ranges for some halls. I'm happy to FM you the quotes I got (that I can remember) from various halls I visited.

There is a range you can spend on everything, so I suggest you do some searches for different topics. For example, search for flowers and price, photography and price, etc. Many people have posted what they are getting for the price they are paying.

When I have a break later on, I'll FM what I'm paying for my various vendors.

Congratulations!! Best wishes to you and your FI!

Oh thank you so much! Originally the budget we thought was $25,000 to $30,000 -- really, we want to buy a home and the wedding $$ is something we don't want to splurge on. So far it looks like my guestlist is around 175 people.

I will check out the planning tab... Thank you so much for your replies and for telling me that it can be done... :)

xo!
Margaret

Yes, i would very much like to see your quotes if possible...

Does 'FM' mean fax/mail? sorry, i'm new to the board so I don't have the abbrvtns down... :)

Thanks!

Sorry FM = forum mail. It's like a private message. I'll send you one later tonight with what I'm currently paying. (My actual budget is at home, and I want to be accurate)

I got engaged mid January and am pretty up to date for my wedding 9/15/07.

This is what's already booked (my ceremony is going to be at the reception hall and cost is included - officiant is my uncle so its no charge):

Reception& Catering: $32,000 (approx 200 guests)
Flowers: $ 2,500
Photo: $ 4,000 (prime pkg)
Video: $ 1,650
DJ&pianist for 'tail $ 2,500
my gown & veil: $ 5,000 (i went a lil crazy)
save the dates: $ 100
invitations: $ 900
calligrapher: $ 350
favors: $ 800
Honeymoon: $ 2,500

TOTAL SO FAR: $52,300 ish
PREWEDDING BUDGET: was hoping between $50-55k

still need: limos, shoes, makeup, hair, waxing, table cards, and fancy table linens (if i really want to go nuts)

ALL THIS I HAVE RESEARCHED AND BOOKED IN THE LAST MONTH - for me the hardest part is registering for gifts - since i havent renovated my new home yet - i dont know how i want to decorate it.

If you do a thurs, friday, sunday wedding you pay much less per head or a day wedding instead of a night wedding. Fall is very popular so you may need to book a off day since many sats might be taken but then again you never know !! I say for what you are budgeting you are fine especially if you cut costs. Your major budget will be the catering hall after that figure out what is most important to you for us it was photo/video so we budgeted that as the second most. Last on our list was inviations/std's since i knew I could get deals on that.

I think your fine with your time.. most of the girls on here are a bit nuts and we did things very early.

The difference between planning now for a wedding in a few months as opposed to waiting a year or two.. Is $$$$$ and how fast it could be dished out for the payment due dates!! Unless you elope... but don't! Hopefully your venders are available for your date. Attend bridal showcases and check them out. Look on this website for ideas, print out pictures, put it on your desktop or folders. This will keep you focused on what you are looking for and how much it would cost. Get price quotes when you show your ideas to vendors. Compare and go for the best deal!

Ok, LI Weddings is having their huge Bridal Showcase this Tuesday in Melville. It is $10 per person. I would recommend that you and your FH (future husband) register and attend. It starts at 6pm and will be in Melville. You can click on the big yellow blinking ad to the right of this screen for all the info.

Next thing - you have your tentative date as a Saturday. Like mentioned above, Saturday night is THE most expensive. Thursday night will be the cheapest. Then in between is Friday night, Saturday DAY, and Sunday afternoon/evening. If you keep an open mind on the day/time, it will be easier to get better prices.

Next, on average, your reception bill will be about 1/2 of your entire wedding. So if you get a place that is $100 per person (including tax and tip) and will have 175 guests, your bill will be $17,500. That brings your wedding total to $35,000 - more than your budget. So you might want to consider a place that is under $100 per person with the tax and gratuity included (so about $80 pp when you meet with them).

Also keep in mind that you can save by doing your own centerpieces or other projects. I would suggest that you make a budget and keep it. We originally set a # per major vendor and kept that in mind when booking; we went over for photo and video, but will come under in limos etc. We definitely have gone over budget (by about $10G's) because it's all the little things that add up (hair, makeup, undergarments, shoes, invites, etc etc., then there's rehearsal dinner and all that).

So, it CAN be done, but you should make a budget and try to stick to it. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize there was more to budget for when we did ours, so we only budgeted for church, RH, and major vendors. There's a lot more to it

Check out my review - I listed all the prices for my vendors.

Review

I spent about 32k on my wedding for around 165 guests including tax and gratuity. This excludes the cost of rings and the honeymoon but includes everything else (even the cost of my DIY projects and BM/GM gifts).

It's doable to stay within your budget but you will have to sacrifice a little. For instance, you probably won't be able to get a dress for thousands of dollars or expensive flowers (like calla liles) for your centerpieces. But you can still have an amazing wedding in the 30k range!