Paying for your wedding?

JohnGalt · February 28th, 2005, 16:52

Can someone tell me how much did you guys pay for your weddings, how may people you had and how long the party was, and how good was the building in which the ceremony performed?

I am currently searching, part time (no date set yet), for a place to do the weding and at what cost the rent would come and the food for 100+ people.

EatSleepFly · February 28th, 2005, 16:58

Why not just get your "employee" to take care of all that?

JohnGalt · February 28th, 2005, 17:00

lol. If you re-read my last post I said, sometime during the relationship, you have to integrate the nice-guy routine.

EatSleepFly · February 28th, 2005, 17:02

Just giving you a hard time. Congrats on getting married.

Bandit_Driver · February 28th, 2005, 17:47

Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips.
Organist 100+
DJ's vary $500 - $1000
A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000
Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers
If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner.

good luck & congrats

Doug Taylor · February 28th, 2005, 17:51

I'll rent you my backyard for $500, but there's going to have to be a keg for every 50 people, you have to have someone clean up and the first person that drops a cigarrette butt into my bouganvillas is getting his ass whipped!

Deal?

JohnGalt · February 28th, 2005, 17:52

Deal, as long as you have mice no bigger then my head.

Kristie · February 28th, 2005, 23:27

Nope, no mice here! but we do have 3 cats (they keep the critters away)!!

heck, we'll even get some friends to valet the cars! haha.. we have a guestroom that has already been dubbed "honeymoon suite 69" from another after wedding party we've hosted in the past.

ok.. our was approx $6,000 for the wedding/reception itself (everything inclusive) including: the chapel, photographer, videographer, flowers, music, minister, 4 course food/drink (including 2 free drinks for everyone), reception area decor & dance floor. it was a 20 minute ceremony with rat pack music (you can bring your own CD), 4 hr reception.

my dress, i found for $300, $75 for doug's tux, hair at the salon for us 3 girls was $150, napkins, invitations and on and on...

we paid $150 for elvis to appear and play 3 songs, do pictures & autographs for a good hr or longer. people still talk about our reception to this day!!

we paid $500 for 4 hrs worth of DJ/MC's.. They'd done so many weddings at the resort that we had no problems at all with anything...they did a great job of interacting with our crowd of 60 people.

all in all, We paid about $7,000-$8,000 total for 60 people, had it paid off in 6 months....Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was THE best money we've EVER spent.. we saved most of our $$ for our 2 honeymoons...a weekend in Frankfurt, Germany & an Alaska Cruise at our 1 year anniversary.

Can't beat having 2 official honeymoons! I'm still pretty tickled on how much $$ we saved just so WE could have some fun!

Doug Taylor · March 1st, 2005, 11:06

Tell him about our idea about giving everyone a disposable camera and how 'good' it worked!

Kristie · March 1st, 2005, 19:41

uhh yeah.. don't use disposable cameras! we had a few that disappeared with the "we'll send it in the mail" - never got them... and the rest either didn't turn out (too bright, too low light, too grainy) or were photos of the bathroom or people's tongues or just some really wacky stuff!!

just let your photographer do the work!

Mr_Creepy · March 1st, 2005, 19:44

We did the disposable camera deal. It worked great! Most of the pictures we treasure were from the disposables. Now mind you, we had someone collect the cameras as the party was ending!

Most of them had pictures left on them so we used them on our honeymoon as well.

Ah ... back in the days of starving pilot wages ... Glad those memories are just that - memories!

Kristie · March 1st, 2005, 19:46

well, i'm glad yours worked!! ours just SUCKED! all that money spent for the camera's and developing and we had so little to save!

I tend to wonder if it's the type of camera or the expiration date or what it is that makes the camera's either good or bad!

kellwolf · March 1st, 2005, 22:39

Never give disposable cameras to a bunch of drunk ex and current Disney employees at a wedding reception. Most of the pictures Wal-Mart will refuse to develop.....

Doug Taylor · March 1st, 2005, 23:22

I'm shocked the 'good people' at Wal Mart didn't turn you into Powell at the FCC!

ajf005 · March 2nd, 2005, 00:53

Yo dont worry about it, doesn't the bride's father pick the the bill for that? I hope my wife's dad does when that awful day comes. Just kidding

Mr_Creepy · March 2nd, 2005, 08:27

[ QUOTE ]
Never give disposable cameras to a bunch of drunk ex and current Disney employees at a wedding reception. Most of the pictures Wal-Mart will refuse to develop.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it helped that our reception was in a church fellowship hall I guess - and the "champagne" was non-alcoholic.

That was kind of a downer actually, as I was hoping to have some drinks. I suppose that is why we got all the cameras back!

MQAAord · March 2nd, 2005, 08:46

[ QUOTE ]
Well it helped that our reception was in a church fellowship hall I guess - and the "champagne" was non-alcoholic.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, our wedding & reception in Wisconsin were non-alcoholic. Any gathering that took place on church premesis (dinner was in the church hall) had to be 'dry'. Not too big a deal, as it was a small family-only thing, but it would have been nice to have a bottle of champagne with dinner. Oh well! We had a nice chilled bottle of bubbly for the hotle room at least!

Now the Chicago reception was another story......... Full open bar, paid for by us. Imagine 100 of your closest airline friends given free reign of an open bar for an evening.........

Kristie · March 2nd, 2005, 09:25

[ QUOTE ]
Yo dont worry about it, doesn't the bride's father pick the the bill for that?

[/ QUOTE ] I'm not sure I would consider that a guaranteed position. Not all wedding couples want the families having any say in how they plan their wedding - after all, chipping in money means they get to have some say and the day is supposed to be for you, not them.

ready2fly · March 2nd, 2005, 11:26

[ QUOTE ]
Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips.
Organist 100+
DJ's vary $500 - $1000
A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000
Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers
If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner.

good luck & congrats

[/ QUOTE ]

My wife and I paid for our entire wedding (minus $2000 from the folks) and walked down the isle with a $0 balance. It's the ONLY way to go!!

My advice: Save the $$$ on the wedding - elope, then go on a great honeymoon and have a party/reception when you get back.

Doug Taylor · March 2nd, 2005, 12:24

Must not have been a Wisconsin Lutheran church because those people know how to throw a kegger!

I married one, I oughta know.

Swen · March 2nd, 2005, 12:46

Can't forget to have the polkas! Its great watching drunk polish relatives trying to polka.

I went to two weddings of a certain religion that didn't allow drinking or dancing. Those were the shortest receptions I had ever seen. To spice it up a little, there were some minivan bars outside.

kellwolf · March 2nd, 2005, 14:19

[ QUOTE ]
My advice: Save the $$$ on the wedding - elope, then go on a great honeymoon and have a party/reception when you get back.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. If Nessa and I had it to do over again, we've both said it would be Vegas, baby.

Mr_Creepy · March 2nd, 2005, 16:11

[ QUOTE ]
Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips.
Organist 100+
DJ's vary $500 - $1000
A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000
Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers
If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner.

good luck & congrats

[/ QUOTE ]

WOW some big items left out of there - like Wedding dress, flowers, band (PLEASE don't do a DJ ! we got a GREAT band for $900) and most of all - the PHOTOGRAPHER. Yeah you can put out those little disposable cameras but you need a photographer for the wedding dress shots or your wife will never forgive you!

Your food quote seems high to me, but maybe you are including open bar with well drinks which DOUBLES the cost. Depends on how many people you invite of course, but we spent $2500 on food.

Our wedding cost about 9k. We got 3k from her folks, and recovered about 2k in cash presents.

If I may make one suggestion? Stan implied it in his post. The wedding day is only one day in your married life and probably the LEAST important. I know that bridal planners, tux renters, cake makers, etc have all built it up to be the bride's big day, but really - it isn't.

The day of the birth of your first child is HUGE compared to the wedding, really!

kellwolf · March 2nd, 2005, 17:58

[ QUOTE ]
the PHOTOGRAPHER. Yeah you can put out those little disposable cameras but you need a photographer for the wedding dress shots or your wife will never forgive you!

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on the photographer. The guy we had was okay, but we hardly ever even look at the wedding pictures he took. When one of our best friends got married, her photographer SUCKED. Dude was too busy smoking a cigarette outside, and he missed the tossing of the boquet, the first dance, and the bride dancing with her father. Plus, the pics we took with our $200 digital Fuji came out better than the ones he took on his $1K+ Canon.

Doug Taylor · March 2nd, 2005, 20:12

[ QUOTE ]
Can't forget to have the polkas! Its great watching drunk polish relatives trying to polka.

[/ QUOTE ]

Zigge Zagge Zigge Zagge, HOI HOI HOI!

February 28th, 2005, 16:52	#1
JohnGalt Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 702	Paying for your wedding? Can someone tell me how much did you guys pay for your weddings, how may people you had and how long the party was, and how good was the building in which the ceremony performed? I am currently searching, part time (no date set yet), for a place to do the weding and at what cost the rent would come and the food for 100+ people.

February 28th, 2005, 16:58	#2
EatSleepFly Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: ?? Posts: 4,600	Re: Paying for your wedding? Why not just get your "employee" to take care of all that?

February 28th, 2005, 17:00	#3
JohnGalt Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 702	Re: Paying for your wedding? lol. If you re-read my last post I said, sometime during the relationship, you have to integrate the nice-guy routine.

February 28th, 2005, 17:02	#4
EatSleepFly Old Skool Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: ?? Posts: 4,600	Re: Paying for your wedding? Just giving you a hard time. Congrats on getting married.

February 28th, 2005, 17:47	#5
Bandit_Driver Old Skool Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: DTW Posts: 1,674	Re: Paying for your wedding? Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips. Organist 100+ DJ's vary $500 - $1000 A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000 Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner. good luck & congrats

February 28th, 2005, 17:51	#6
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,734 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Paying for your wedding? I'll rent you my backyard for $500, but there's going to have to be a keg for every 50 people, you have to have someone clean up and the first person that drops a cigarrette butt into my bouganvillas is getting his ass whipped! Deal?

February 28th, 2005, 17:52	#7
JohnGalt Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 702	Re: Paying for your wedding? Deal, as long as you have mice no bigger then my head.

February 28th, 2005, 23:27	#8
Kristie Big Chief's Woman Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 17,682 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Paying for your wedding? Nope, no mice here! but we do have 3 cats (they keep the critters away)!! heck, we'll even get some friends to valet the cars! haha.. we have a guestroom that has already been dubbed "honeymoon suite 69" from another after wedding party we've hosted in the past. ok.. our was approx $6,000 for the wedding/reception itself (everything inclusive) including: the chapel, photographer, videographer, flowers, music, minister, 4 course food/drink (including 2 free drinks for everyone), reception area decor & dance floor. it was a 20 minute ceremony with rat pack music (you can bring your own CD), 4 hr reception. my dress, i found for $300, $75 for doug's tux, hair at the salon for us 3 girls was $150, napkins, invitations and on and on... we paid $150 for elvis to appear and play 3 songs, do pictures & autographs for a good hr or longer. people still talk about our reception to this day!! we paid $500 for 4 hrs worth of DJ/MC's.. They'd done so many weddings at the resort that we had no problems at all with anything...they did a great job of interacting with our crowd of 60 people. all in all, We paid about $7,000-$8,000 total for 60 people, had it paid off in 6 months....Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas was THE best money we've EVER spent.. we saved most of our $$ for our 2 honeymoons...a weekend in Frankfurt, Germany & an Alaska Cruise at our 1 year anniversary. Can't beat having 2 official honeymoons! I'm still pretty tickled on how much $$ we saved just so WE could have some fun!

March 1st, 2005, 11:06	#9
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,734 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Paying for your wedding? Tell him about our idea about giving everyone a disposable camera and how 'good' it worked!

March 1st, 2005, 19:41	#10
Kristie Big Chief's Woman Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 17,682 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Paying for your wedding? uhh yeah.. don't use disposable cameras! we had a few that disappeared with the "we'll send it in the mail" - never got them... and the rest either didn't turn out (too bright, too low light, too grainy) or were photos of the bathroom or people's tongues or just some really wacky stuff!! just let your photographer do the work!

March 1st, 2005, 19:44	#11
Mr_Creepy Old Skool Join Date: May 2003 Location: In the O-zone Posts: 5,807	Re: Paying for your wedding? We did the disposable camera deal. It worked great! Most of the pictures we treasure were from the disposables. Now mind you, we had someone collect the cameras as the party was ending! Most of them had pictures left on them so we used them on our honeymoon as well. Ah ... back in the days of starving pilot wages ... Glad those memories are just that - memories!

March 1st, 2005, 19:46	#12
Kristie Big Chief's Woman Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 17,682 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Paying for your wedding? well, i'm glad yours worked!! ours just SUCKED! all that money spent for the camera's and developing and we had so little to save! I tend to wonder if it's the type of camera or the expiration date or what it is that makes the camera's either good or bad!

March 1st, 2005, 22:39	#13
kellwolf Old Skool Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 13,208	Re: Paying for your wedding? Never give disposable cameras to a bunch of drunk ex and current Disney employees at a wedding reception. Most of the pictures Wal-Mart will refuse to develop.....

March 1st, 2005, 23:22	#14
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,734 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Paying for your wedding? I'm shocked the 'good people' at Wal Mart didn't turn you into Powell at the FCC!

March 2nd, 2005, 00:53	#15
ajf005 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Louisiana Posts: 132	Re: Paying for your wedding? Yo dont worry about it, doesn't the bride's father pick the the bill for that? I hope my wife's dad does when that awful day comes. Just kidding

March 2nd, 2005, 08:27	#16
Mr_Creepy Old Skool Join Date: May 2003 Location: In the O-zone Posts: 5,807	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Never give disposable cameras to a bunch of drunk ex and current Disney employees at a wedding reception. Most of the pictures Wal-Mart will refuse to develop..... [/ QUOTE ] Well it helped that our reception was in a church fellowship hall I guess - and the "champagne" was non-alcoholic. That was kind of a downer actually, as I was hoping to have some drinks. I suppose that is why we got all the cameras back!

March 2nd, 2005, 08:46	#17
MQAAord Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: The Looney Bin Posts: 8,791	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Well it helped that our reception was in a church fellowship hall I guess - and the "champagne" was non-alcoholic. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, our wedding & reception in Wisconsin were non-alcoholic. Any gathering that took place on church premesis (dinner was in the church hall) had to be 'dry'. Not too big a deal, as it was a small family-only thing, but it would have been nice to have a bottle of champagne with dinner. Oh well! We had a nice chilled bottle of bubbly for the hotle room at least! Now the Chicago reception was another story......... Full open bar, paid for by us. Imagine 100 of your closest airline friends given free reign of an open bar for an evening.........

March 2nd, 2005, 09:25	#18
Kristie Big Chief's Woman Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Scottsdale, Arizona Posts: 17,682 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Yo dont worry about it, doesn't the bride's father pick the the bill for that? [/ QUOTE ] I'm not sure I would consider that a guaranteed position. Not all wedding couples want the families having any say in how they plan their wedding - after all, chipping in money means they get to have some say and the day is supposed to be for you, not them.

March 2nd, 2005, 11:26	#19
ready2fly Old Skool Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: DFW Posts: 7,079	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips. Organist 100+ DJ's vary $500 - $1000 A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000 Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner. good luck & congrats [/ QUOTE ] My wife and I paid for our entire wedding (minus $2000 from the folks) and walked down the isle with a $0 balance. It's the ONLY way to go!! My advice: Save the $$$ on the wedding - elope, then go on a great honeymoon and have a party/reception when you get back.

March 2nd, 2005, 12:24	#20
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,734 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Paying for your wedding? Must not have been a Wisconsin Lutheran church because those people know how to throw a kegger! I married one, I oughta know.

March 2nd, 2005, 12:46	#21
Swen Old Skool Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,593	Re: Paying for your wedding? Can't forget to have the polkas! Its great watching drunk polish relatives trying to polka. I went to two weddings of a certain religion that didn't allow drinking or dancing. Those were the shortest receptions I had ever seen. To spice it up a little, there were some minivan bars outside.

March 2nd, 2005, 14:19	#22
kellwolf Old Skool Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 13,208	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] My advice: Save the $$$ on the wedding - elope, then go on a great honeymoon and have a party/reception when you get back. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah. If Nessa and I had it to do over again, we've both said it would be Vegas, baby.

March 2nd, 2005, 16:11	#23
Mr_Creepy Old Skool Join Date: May 2003 Location: In the O-zone Posts: 5,807	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Wedding (very nice church) $250 + tips. Organist 100+ DJ's vary $500 - $1000 A good hall with quality food including bar for 200 people $7000 - $10000 Don't forget about the reheasal dinner & flowers If you are looking to save a little cash go with the standard bar and a buffet style dinner. good luck & congrats [/ QUOTE ] WOW some big items left out of there - like Wedding dress, flowers, band (PLEASE don't do a DJ ! we got a GREAT band for $900) and most of all - the PHOTOGRAPHER. Yeah you can put out those little disposable cameras but you need a photographer for the wedding dress shots or your wife will never forgive you! Your food quote seems high to me, but maybe you are including open bar with well drinks which DOUBLES the cost. Depends on how many people you invite of course, but we spent $2500 on food. Our wedding cost about 9k. We got 3k from her folks, and recovered about 2k in cash presents. If I may make one suggestion? Stan implied it in his post. The wedding day is only one day in your married life and probably the LEAST important. I know that bridal planners, tux renters, cake makers, etc have all built it up to be the bride's big day, but really - it isn't. The day of the birth of your first child is HUGE compared to the wedding, really!

March 2nd, 2005, 17:58	#24
kellwolf Old Skool Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 13,208	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] the PHOTOGRAPHER. Yeah you can put out those little disposable cameras but you need a photographer for the wedding dress shots or your wife will never forgive you! [/ QUOTE ] Depends on the photographer. The guy we had was okay, but we hardly ever even look at the wedding pictures he took. When one of our best friends got married, her photographer SUCKED. Dude was too busy smoking a cigarette outside, and he missed the tossing of the boquet, the first dance, and the bride dancing with her father. Plus, the pics we took with our $200 digital Fuji came out better than the ones he took on his $1K+ Canon.

March 2nd, 2005, 20:12	#25
Doug Taylor Agent Smith Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: KSDL Posts: 39,734 Blog Entries: 1	Re: Paying for your wedding? [ QUOTE ] Can't forget to have the polkas! Its great watching drunk polish relatives trying to polka. [/ QUOTE ] Zigge Zagge Zigge Zagge, HOI HOI HOI!

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