Does anyone have or has come across an article or something that has the estimated costs for a wedding? Ex : flowers estimated to cost - $2500 (guessing I don't) I am trying to put together a budget.
Any info. will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Septbride
Teri
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Re: Wedding Costs???
theknot.com has a good budget guide, but you have to put in the total amount you'd like to spend, and then it plugs in a certain amount for each category. Since it varies so much on region, I haven't seen a blanket guide for specific prices.
Sonicstef
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Re: Wedding Costs???
The knot is a good indication of percentages for each item but their commentary on the cost is insane. If you put in $5K for wedding attire, they tell you something like you can have the most expensive couture gown out there which is just not true and that is just the start ofit.
dgtlsunshine
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Re: Wedding Costs???
You have to be careful with the knot budget. When I first started planning for my wedding I used it. That thing is completly off on some things since New York is so expensive. Like what they were telling me I could get a photographer I would never find in New York.
zac1228
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Re: Wedding Costs???
weddingchannel.com also has a budget calculator. I'm not sure which is better (the know or wedding channel.)
lesleyw
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Re: Wedding Costs???
I have to agree with what the others said about the Knot.com. When I first put in my budget I was amazed at the kind of wedding they said I could have (the most expensive designer dresses, the most popular bands, the most sought after ceremony venues, etc., etc.). It was a rude awakening when I stated to gather vendor quotes for a wedding on Long Island and realized their advice was way off. But it is a good way to get you started thinking about all of the expenses that come up. FYI, I'm finding the following prices for a Friday evening wedding next Aug.:
Reception Hall $90-$120 pp Band $5,200 (including ceremony musicians) Photographer $3,500
This is just what I have found. Other people may have different priorities and have gotten different quotes. But I hope this helps! Good Luck!
Teri
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Re: Wedding Costs???
I think it's going to be hard to find any real accurate listing for NY - because NY is so insanely expensive! I used theknot's guide as a basis, but we went above in most categories. It should only be used as a rough estimate. What I liked about this was it listed random small things that when we first starting planning I hadn't even thought about yet.
michele31
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Re: Wedding Costs???
For kicks one day I went theknot.com and put in $20K I could have MY pick of weddings vendors..which is totally insane. I found that there is NO average among LI and NYC brides. Some of us spend $5K on flowers, other spend $1000. It all depends on your priorities. Make a list of the vendors that you need, then priortize them. For instance, photography was more important to me than flowers and limos, but flowers are more important than limos. That way you can see where you should concentrate your money. That helped me a lot.
Becky
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Re: Wedding Costs???
I actually created my budget from doing searches on this site. I did a search on the various vendors to see what people in the LI area were actually paying and what they were getting for their money. Then I decided what I could afford and what was important to me. For example, after some searches on music, I decided to go with a DJ rather than a band so that I could spend more on the photographer and videographer. I suggest running some searches on this board. Good luck
alina
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Re: Wedding Costs???
We set a rough budget first, then I used one of the bridal books to get %, and then worked off there. I know that total catering cost comes to about 50%, so I worked with that figure, and did the research based on total cost (i.e. price+taxes+gratuity). The message board here is extremely helpful and can help you gauge pricing, also try the boards at knot. You will have to prioritize on things (unless the budget is unlimited), so try to put the priorities together with budget and then as you do research, do the adjustments. I would suggest setting a lower budget, so that you don't have surprises and then upgrade when necessary.
dora
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Re: Wedding Costs???
I agree with the othe brides --> theknot is good at listing most of the expenses and giving you a rough idea of percentages --> but you should completely disregard the commentary attached. As was stated NY/LI weddings are way more expensive than the national average (and, by the way, suggestions re: timing are often off as well since vendors seem to book farther in advance here than in other parts of the country)
To create a really accurate picture of what stuff costs, your best bet is to do searches/ask questions on the board re: what everyone paid on their stuff.
bodengallo
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Re: Wedding Costs???
There was an article in Newsday that gave figures for an average wedding on Long Island. It was about two months ago, you can probably do a search on Newsday.com. But to give you an idea the total figure came to $33,000 which is pretty accurate. And this is only average! If you are on a strict buget my biggest suggestion would be to be flexible with your date. You can get some really great place for a great price if you are flexible. Also, shop around and set your priorities ahead of time. Good luck in your planning
tarakinspa
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Re: Wedding Costs???
I think it better to go by percentages of your total budget than to say a certain amount on each thing, because as someone else said, everyones priorities are different.
like for me the hall meaning food and atmosphere were important so I spent there, but you can always bargain for a price that fits your budget also. My priority honestly is to buy a house so i bargain with everyone that will hee hee
Research has gotten me some great deals already, just do your homework if you really want to save and you will.
