:help:We've been together 9 years and got 3 gorgeous boys! We think its now time to get married as we've been engaged 8 years!
We can't decide where to do it, church, hotel, gardens, abroad plus we on a tight budget! But i still want it 2 be a great day as you only do it once!
We definately don't want registar office!
Can anyone give me an idea of how much their wedding cost and where they had etc, maybe this will narrow it right down, Thanks in advance :)

Does this help as a rough guide:

700 Rings
400 Ceremony
300 Flowers
120 Gift for best man & bridesmaids
200 Favours
750 Photographer
650 Videographer
100 Stationery (invitations, menus, thankyou cards etc)
450 Transport
500 Reception venue
4000 Catering
400 Entertainment
60 Wedding cake
400 Bedrooms for wedding night
90 Grooms suit hire
90 Best mans suit hire
90 Fathers suit hire
650 Wedding dress
60 Brides shoes
100 Brides veil/headress
180 Bridesmaid dresses
2600 Honeymoon

9590 Total for wedding
12890 Grand Total (inc rings & honeymoon)

(that's not our actual spending, its taken from a wedding planning website)

Thanks its helped me see how much but i think i've just changed my mind now, lol

Haha it doesn't have to be that excessive though - thats the average price for a full ceremony & wedding breakfast for 70 people, followed by evening do (inc buffet) for about 150 people.
You will find loads of people here who have managed to find much cheaper options.

You could scrap lots of elements from that list that you don't need (eg we are having everything all in one place so no fancy cars needed) and not bother with a videographer etc.

There are loads of useful websites to get great ideas
preloved - get your dress and accessories second hand? or on Ebay.

A really big saving would be, instead of having ceremony at noon then an expensive sit-down-meal for late lunch and a further evening buffet later on, get married a bit later and have just a big buffet for everyone. (that would also save on providing wine & champagne during the lunch)

Thanks for your help there are sum good ideas there, i have been lookin at beach weddings n decided if i go abroad it will be xmas time nx year (cooler for the kids) and if i do it over here about august time.
Thinkin about staying in 1 place to keep costs down i'm going to look into hotels n stuff, i think i need to get a rough idea on the guest list 1st :)

Have a look at these:

http://www.brides.com/planning/budget/

http://www.hitched.co.uk/default.aspx

http://www.youandyourwedding.co.uk/

Thanks for your help there are sum good ideas there, i have been lookin at beach weddings n decided if i go abroad it will be xmas time nx year (cooler for the kids) and if i do it over here about august time.
Thinkin about staying in 1 place to keep costs down i'm going to look into hotels n stuff, i think i need to get a rough idea on the guest list 1st :)Yep you wanna sit down & work out rough numbers cos there are hundreds of venues so the first thing to do to wittle them down is know if they are the right size or not.

I like the idea of a beach wedding at first but this is what put me off:

-You will be expected to throw a party when you get back, and so the overall cost of both things could add up to more ££ anyway.

-Friends who have been to abroad weddings have complained about how much it cost them to go - I didn't want to put any financial pressure on any of my friends to be able to afford to attend.

-OH's Nan is to old to fly abroad

But obviously there are lots of plus points also :)

There is a thread in this section about beach weddings. I had one at the end of May in Hawaii so if you need any extra info I'll be happy to advise.

I like the idea of a beach wedding at first but this is what put me off:

-You will be expected to throw a party when you get back, and so the overall cost of both things could add up to more ££ anyway.

-Friends who have been to abroad weddings have complained about how much it cost them to go - I didn't want to put any financial pressure on any of my friends to be able to afford to attend.

-OH's Nan is to old to fly abroad

But obviously there are lots of plus points also :)

Hope this doesn't sound too selfish but i want the day to be special for me and my OH and to be honest the reason i thought of goin abroad is the fact that only people close to us will be there, is that wrong?

Nothing wrong with that at all. That's exactly what we did. You can't possibly selfish on your wedding day!:)

Rather than developing this thread into another one about beach weddings, please can any further discussion about this type of wedding be picked up in the beach wedding thread. Thanks.

you have got to do what you want to do - otherwise you might regret it!! It's your day.

Hope this doesn't sound too selfish but i want the day to be special for me and my OH and to be honest the reason i thought of goin abroad is the fact that only people close to us will be there, is that wrong?No not at all!
It completely depends on your circumstances.

I was making lists of who we would invite etc, and it just ended up seeming a better idea for us to get married here but its different for everybody.

I just think that if you want to get married abroad but then want to invite about 60 people, that kinda defeats the whole point of going away!

Also, OH's sister has a 3yr old brat and for that whole side of the family the entire world revolves around him - you can't even have a conversation in peace. I couldn't bear the thought of *my wedding* becoming a whole week away revolving around brat boy... Christmas & Sunday lunches are bad enough!

Does this help as a rough guide:

700 Rings
400 Ceremony
300 Flowers
120 Gift for best man & bridesmaids
200 Favours
750 Photographer
650 Videographer
100 Stationery (invitations, menus, thankyou cards etc)
450 Transport
500 Reception venue
4000 Catering
400 Entertainment
60 Wedding cake
400 Bedrooms for wedding night
90 Grooms suit hire
90 Best mans suit hire
90 Fathers suit hire
650 Wedding dress
60 Brides shoes
100 Brides veil/headress
180 Bridesmaid dresses
2600 Honeymoon

9590 Total for wedding
12890 Grand Total (inc rings & honeymoon)

(that's not our actual spending, its taken from a wedding planning website)

OMG & to think, the whole of mine cost less than £3k although I think some of those prices are a bit wishful, my cake cost just under £60 & it wasn't even a professionally done cake, my bridesmaid dresses cost £180 EACH & the church cost £450 WITHOUT the fees of £150 for the vicar (my father in law officiated our wedding - he's a vicar!!)

Please do not advertise your services on this thread, either PM the OP or add your service to the Wedding Services Offered thread.

HI, wedding s aren't always that expensive. Mine goes like this:

Dress (for church) £280
Dress (for evening) £50
Shoes £60
Brodesmaid dress (for 2) £200 (incl shoes and acces)
Grooms suit £90
Flowers (mine, bridesmaids and botton holes) £60
Cravats (for best man ect, 5 in total) £37.50
Paige boy suite £80 (incl shoes)
Church £500
Marriage license £60
Meal (carvary for close friends) £7 p/h £150 total
Buffet (for 300 ppl) £300
Evening reception room £FREE
Cake £80
Beauty (tan, make-up, nails waxing and eyelash ext) £100
Hair (bride and bridesmaids) £100
Rings £200
Stationary £40
Transport £FREE (brother got big flash car)
Photograpy £80 (buying throw away camaras, and using my brothers)

Total: £2467.50

Happy hubby £PRICELESS!!!

So far mine is:

Dress £400
BM dresses £160 for two
Shoes £20
Suit hire (for 3) £231
Ceremony £200 (plus £60 notices)
Reception Venue £350
DJ £230
Photographer £290
Hair & Make-up (me plus BMs) £300 inc. trial
Flowers £211
Honeymoon £900 plus wedding night hotel £80
Rings £90
Stationary all homemade for about £60

Still a lot to organise but thats the main bits out of the way!

Hi, this maybe 2 nosy but u don't get if ya don't ask, lol. Where bouts are these from :)

Shoes £20
Suit hire (for 3) £231
Ceremony £200 (plus £60 notices)
Reception Venue £350
DJ £230
Flowers £211
Honeymoon £900 plus wedding night hotel £80
Rings £90
Stationary all homemade for about £60

Just wanted 2 add: We picked 6/12/09 for our wedding (if possible as its a sunday) otherwise we will change it 2 the 5th :) I'm really liking the idea of hot chocolate, xmas crackers, candles & or course santa, cud do with a sleigh n reindeers now, lol, maybe thats a bit too far:hihi:
We narrowed it down to: church bout 4 ish and carvery at a hall jus down road for evening reception, OR nearest place that does civil ceremonies is consort hotel.
colour themes- red (xmasy), gold (also xmasy) or just white wi bits of silver (pure) Its so hard to choose!
Any more ideas n suggestions very welcome, thanks

[QUOTE=Sara1312;4042401]HI, wedding s aren't always that expensive. Mine goes like this:

This is brill, don't know how you've managed it :thumbsup:

This is brill, don't know how you've managed it :thumbsup:[/QUOTE]


It took alot of shopping around but you'll find BHS are wonderful for shoes, dresses and tiaras etc. If you would like the email address for woman who is doing my cake, or make-up woman, then pm me and I'll pass them on to you. Good luck, it sounds like it's going to be a magical day.
X

Just wanted 2 add: We picked 6/12/09 for our wedding (if possible as its a sunday) otherwise we will change it 2 the 5th :) I'm really liking the idea of hot chocolate, xmas crackers, candles & or course santa, cud do with a sleigh n reindeers now, lol, maybe thats a bit too far:hihi:
We narrowed it down to: church bout 4 ish and carvery at a hall jus down road for evening reception, OR nearest place that does civil ceremonies is consort hotel.
colour themes- red (xmasy), gold (also xmasy) or just white wi bits of silver (pure) Its so hard to choose!
Any more ideas n suggestions very welcome, thanks

brayden, look at my xmas wedding thread for a few ideas, i'm getting married 5.12.08 and am going for a christmas theme too

i've got dress: £80
adults bridesmaid dresses (2) £30
childrens bridesmaid dresses (4) £50
ceremony and licence £103
reception room, welcome drinks, sit down meal, drinks on table, evening buffet, and dj £800 the lot
photos £575
rings £60
cake £85
mens suits (4) £160
favours £15
make up £20
accesories (shoes, tiara, gloves ect) £30

again a few other bits still to sort out :)

[QUOTE=honeyb35;4053198]i've got dress: £80
adults bridesmaid dresses (2) £30
childrens bridesmaid dresses (4) £50
ceremony and licence £103
reception room, welcome drinks, sit down meal, drinks on table, evening buffet, and dj £800 the lot
photos £575
rings £60
cake £85
mens suits (4) £160
favours £15
make up £20
accesories (shoes, tiara, gloves ect) £30


Thats really good prices!
The only thing i can beat on there is the photos (a friend doin em, lol)

That seems really cheapish compared to mine :help:

Maybe my OH needs to put his foot down a bit more :hihi:

That seems really cheapish compared to mine :help:

Maybe my OH needs to put his foot down a bit more :hihi:

LOL no, we simply don't have any money / savings to make it a bit more elaborate. OH thought we'd end up with a reg office and a do in the local pub, I'm just quite good at finding good deals! Luckily I'm not bothered about designer brands etc, which made the dresses and shoes easier. I know some people consider this important and thats fine, its just not me. Only thing is, I can't 'google' my dress to show people a pic!:hihi:
I've ebay'd nearly everything, or gone shopping in the sales for bargains (wedding favours are xmas crackers I bought in january :hihi:)
I'm also using a lot of people who are fairly new to the wedding business, and need experience or to boost their professional portfolios, so have good deals. I agree this can be risky but everyone I've met is lovely and far more knowledgeable than me :blush:, and I like the idea of my wedding featuring in portfolios :D

plus I've got loads of help / ideas from the forum! :thumbsup:

Looks like i should be following your steps, honeyb35. Not the fairytale ones :hihi:

Looks like i should be following your steps, honeyb35. Not the fairytale ones :hihi:

my dress is huge! (not white though, so not very princessy :hihi:) its just not a designer one though, so although brand new was a massive drop in price than some of them.
I think monsoon have some lovely dresses in, and I found one I liked in debanhams, although it can be a bit hit and miss there.
Otherwise - ebay!! get accurate measurements (i just guessed - but was lucky!) most people have to have dresses adjusted anyway, which isnt expensive, and you could always add your own features, such as buy a plainer, cheaper dress and get someone professional to add sequins, crystals or whatever

my dress is huge! (not white though, so not very princessy :hihi:) its just not a designer one though, so although brand new was a massive drop in price than some of them.
I think monsoon have some lovely dresses in, and I found one I liked in debanhams, although it can be a bit hit and miss there.
Otherwise - ebay!! get accurate measurements (i just guessed - but was lucky!) most people have to have dresses adjusted anyway, which isnt expensive, and you could always add your own features, such as buy a plainer, cheaper dress and get someone professional to add sequins, crystals or whatever

I've been having a look at styles of dresses but have decided i'm going to leave it a while before i decide to purchase one. Reason being, i'm on Weight Watchers so trying to lose as much weight as possible! Only just over 2 stone to go now :help: Once that's gone, i'll be on the search for my dress then bridesmaid dresses.

I can't really post to much about my dress etc on here cos the OH will see it but i think i know what i want....;) may cost a bit though! :help: :hihi:

Hi, this maybe 2 nosy but u don't get if ya don't ask, lol. Where bouts are these from :)

Shoes £20 New Look, I have a black lace corset on my dress and they had sme black lace court shoes in stock
Suit hire (for 3) £231Debenhams
Ceremony £200 (plus £60 notices)The Mansion in Leatherhead
Reception Venue £350Golf Club back at home (Surrey)
DJ £230 SANS Entertainment....you can find them online
Flowers £211Passions Flowers in Surrey
Honeymoon £900 plus wedding night hotel £80First Choice and Expedia
Rings £90 Argos
Stationary all homemade for about £60 Rymans and the habidashery stall in castle market


Sorry for the late reply, only just seen this!
We are getting wed back home in Surrey which is so much more expensive than Sheffield so it must be possible to match if not beat these prices up here.

HTH

Just some ideas for my wedding (only had time to think about it) i really need to start booking things now but i just hate phoning for quotes n stuff! These are some of our thoughts n ideas, mainly from forum :thumbsup:
We thinkin:
Church bout 4 ish then hall jus down the road (no cars, usin fam n friends, wish i cud persuade him to have a sleigh take bridesmaids n pageboys, lol!)
Hot choc, mulled wine n mince pies canapes
Either a xmas type carvery or pie n pies (cheapest lol)
We finally decided on champagne gold for r colour scheme but i wud like a bit or red at the reception 2
Santa to deliver pressies for kids to keep them occupied (each personalised to suit each child)
Wud love a tree with mini stockins n pressies (favour boxes) 4 everyone to pic their own favour (not sure wot i wud put in em n depends on cost) or maybe bowls of sweets or somethin in middle of tables wud prob be much cheaper
Mini xmas crackers
Lots of fairy lights (wud love candles but 2 many kids)
Ice sculpture on top table ???
flowers - reds n golds maybe some holly n mistletoe ??
Maribou shrugs ??
We thinkin bout havin either a commedian for adults as our families all like a laugh :hihi: or somethin for the kids, can't afford both :(
We weren't very keen on gettin married at church at 1st (in case i go bright red or even cry, lol) so i wud like a quote from consort hotel which isen't far i jus never get round to ringin as i think it will be way out of our budget :(
Any1 got any thoughts on these ideas or more ideas, much appreciated :D

My only thoughts on the above are to stay focused on the fact that it is your wedding and you should choose what you want for you. You seem dedicated on making your family and the children (who seem to play a big part) happy, which is admirable, but then it just becomes a Christmas party, rather than your special wedding reception.

Take a step back, be selfish (it's allowed, it's your wedding) and get the focus on you.
You can have family and children parties any time. You only have the one special day with your husband and it needs to be aimed at YOU.

Do YOU want a comedian or is it only because you want to keep your family happy? Are you doing the Santa thing simply because you think the kids will be bored and left out? It's YOUR wedding, not theirs! That's an expense you really needn't stretch to. It may be Christmas time but Christmas isn't what this day is about. It's your wedding.

Try thinking of how you can incorporate YOUR wedding into a festive spirit rather than turning your wedding into a Christmas day celebration. Get focused.

Fairy lights and candles are great and all that jazz, but as soon as you start bringing in santa and presents for other people then that's going in the wrong direction. You are the centre of attention here. What do YOU want to do on the evening of your wedding? Do YOU want a comedian or would you rather sing, dance, listen to a band, have a disco, a mixture? I just feel from the tone of your last message that you are concerned about keeping everyone happy. No need. They will want to be keeping YOU happy on your day. It's your day, not theirs.

Thanks classic rock :thumbsup: you have a point there, the trouble with me is i like to make & keep every1 happy! my oh & i wud really enjoy a commedian for a short while in between a disco of course but i have 3 boys who r my world & always my top priority, i feel that its their day 2 n want them 2 really enjoy it. I want my day 2 be a little different as i want to stand out for the day!
I think i will miss out the favours n stuff n spend a little more on my dress n accessories :)

I wouldn't do the Santa thing. It's not Christmas for them, it's a day for you. The kids will have their day on Christmas day and have to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them and it's a special day for you both. Otherwise kids will expect this at every event. It'll be good for them to appreciate not every party is for them and it will go some way to help them into adulthood (in a few years!)

I wouldn't do the Santa thing. It's not Christmas for them, it's a day for you. The kids will have their day on Christmas day and have to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them and it's a special day for you both. Otherwise kids will expect this at every event. It'll be good for them to appreciate not every party is for them and it will go some way to help them into adulthood (in a few years!)

What's wrong with the idea????

I had Pooh Bear do a guest appearance at my wedding reception, I was a bit upset that piglet couldn't make it too, but after I got over the upset, I loved every second of it!!!

We all did head shoulders knees & toes too!!!

People are still talking about it now it made the day memorable for everyone, & in more ways than one!!!