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just started planning and freaking out!

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mas

Rough_Rock
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Oct 2, 2005
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Hi all -- I have just started planning our wedding and I am overwhelmed by all the information!! I am trying to set a budget to start, so was wondering if I could get some basic help from you all on costs. Do you know rough $ range costs for:


Invitations (per invite)
A sit down dinner (per person)
Bar costs (per person)
Cake (per slice)
Rough costs for DJ vs band? (I''m assuming a band is more expensive -- sorry if that sounds dumb -- I''m new at all this...)


Also -- are there any wedding planning websites that you have found especially useful?

thanks for the help.
 
Hi Mas!

I'm right there with you, planning a wedding in March of '07. The problem with estimating wedding costs is that different places charge different amounts for different things. Do you live in a big city? I assure you that if I decide to get married here (Los Angeles, CA), I'd probably pay much more for the same wedding than Jane Doe in Youngstown, OH.

A site that's been helpful for me is www.theknot.com. Also, to keep your costs down, consider DIY projects. An example would be flowers. Wholesale flower marts (and places like Costco!) sell flowers for much less...and you can create bouquets and centerpieces yourself!
 
Hi Ebree -- I live in Chicago and would love to get married downtown, so I have a feeling I''m in for some sticker shock...
 
i was also going to suggest theknot.com
u plug im the figure you want to spend and it does the rest for you. if you end up spending more in one area than what''s suggested for your budget, it recalculates it for you. pretty useful.
 
www.weddingchannel.com

is another good site.

What we did first was set a budget for the wedding. Then you plug the info into the "budget calculator" (on either the knot or wedding channel--you''ll get roughly the same numbers) and it will tell you how much to spend for each item. From there, I found vendors that would match my very small budget (okay, $10K for ONE DAY shouldn''t be considered small but of course, it IS small). In Chicago, I would imagine you will not have the cheapest vendors but at least in such a huge city you''ll be able to find a lot of variety of prices.

Good luck!! How many months/years until the wedding?
 
www.theknot.com has some great tools for budget and checklisting, and lots of helpful articles. I have found their checklist to be a godsend.
 
It all depends on where you live. I live in Pensacola so my estimates might be super low compared to actual costs in Chicago. But seriously, don't freak out. Do you have a lot of time or are you under a time constraint?
 
Like Ebree said. prices vary A LOT.. but I''ll give you ranges for my area..(Buffalo, NY) which are probably significantly less than Chicago..

Reception per head is anywhere between$25-$70 a person.. plus tax and service fees. and some places will also charge a room or building rental..


Invitations - Mine are about $3 per from mygatsby.com. I have seen them as low as $1.. or maybe less, and as high as $6 or $7.. keep in mind when looking at prices that they don''t usually include the extras.. response cards, envelopes.. so you have to add all that stuff in. Mine are $3 including all that

Bar costs.. I actually added that in to the reception per head estimates.. but bar alone is usually between $15-$25 a person..

Cake per slice - any where between $2-$4

DJ - $400- $600... I''m not sure about bands.. I''ve never priced them
 
Hi ladies -- thanks for the website referrals -- I am going to check them out. And MelissaSue thanks for the estimated costs -- very helpful!

We are trying to get married in the next 6 to 8 months, which is adding to the stress. Once I get the church and location booked, I know I''ll feel better.

If anyone has additional thoughts on how to start planning, please keep the ideas coming!
 
Here are my prices for my wedding:

Catering: about 15-20 dollars a person for buffet (maybe 25-30 for sit down? I'm not sure)

DJ: 100 dollars an hour

Cake: about 2 dollars per slice

Bar costs: For 2 kegs (hosted) and 4 cases of wine (hosted) with a cash liqour bar and champagne toast (hosted), 600 dollars. This includes everything that the bar entails (including two bartenders).

Invitations: I'm doing my own, so about 50 cents per person? If I ordered some, I think it would've cost me about 2 to 3 dollars a person.


I demanded at least one year for my planning, so I had a lot of time to shop around for good deals. The only vendors I am dealing with are: Davids Bridal, Men's Wearhouse, photographer, caterer, reception site manager, baker, and officiant.
 
Can I ask where you live? The reason I'm wondering is the costs people have posted are WAY WAY WAY less than mine (and I live in Southern California). Although I don't remember the exact numbers, by the time we were done it was around:

Catering/Florist: $110/person for a buffet and all the flowers for the ceremony and reception

Drinks/Bar: Delux open bar and upgraded wine $24/person

Cake: $8.50/slice (this price includes a special anniversary cake which will be sent to us on our one year anniversary (we also had fondant and LOTS of handmade seashells))

Invitations/Thank You's: No clue. My mom and I made folders for them which ended up costing about $1.25/folder (we had to buy the cutting supplies and everything). Our wedding invitations can be found on this site, our bridal shower invites were these, and our rehearsal dinner invites were these.

Also, we had invitations to be in our wedding party, thank you's for the wedding party, thank you's for the gifts....The list goes on and on.

As for our DJ, the cost was $650 for 4 hours, but he is a good friend of my brother's so that was the discounted price.
 
Like I said, I live in Pensacola, so my prices are probably a lot less than bigger cities. I believe the original poster said she lives in Chicago? One of my bridesmaids lives in Chicago and is from Chicago, and her sister is getting married there. I wonder how much stuff is costing her? I think I'll ask when I talk to her next.
 
Hey there researcher! You''re from San Diego, right? May I ask where you got married and which wedding sites you liked? I''m not engaged yet, but I informally went around to a couple sites around the holidays and so far I liked The Prado and the Thursday Club (I''ve only seen the second one in pics though). I''m looking for a really beautiful site that''s not a hotel or country club, and it''s been rather hard to find ones that aren''t insanely expensive. Luckily we''re going to have the wedding on a Sunday afternoon which should keep costs down a bit. Thanks so much for your help!
 
Date: 1/15/2006 7:36:43 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey there researcher! You''re from San Diego, right? May I ask where you got married and which wedding sites you liked? I''m not engaged yet, but I informally went around to a couple sites around the holidays and so far I liked The Prado and the Thursday Club (I''ve only seen the second one in pics though). I''m looking for a really beautiful site that''s not a hotel or country club, and it''s been rather hard to find ones that aren''t insanely expensive. Luckily we''re going to have the wedding on a Sunday afternoon which should keep costs down a bit. Thanks so much for your help!
Click to expand...

I actually got married at a church in Palos Verdes Estates in L.A., but my dad, in addition to being a marriage and family counselor, is an ordained minister here in San Diego. So, I do have an ENTIRE spreadsheets of sites, their contacts, costs, etc. with his comments about what''s good/bad. If you''re interested in it PM me with your email and I''ll pass it along!
 
Hey mas, I know it's totally overwhelming and I hate to make it worse for you but if you're planning to get married in the city of Chicago, I would take the numbers that Melissa Sue and aphisiglovessae gave you for food, drinks and music and multiply them by 3 or 4! I know it's totally scary but it's the price you pay for a big city wedding. I'm in NYC which is probably a bit more costly than Chicago but I think you get what I'm saying. Of course, everything is negotiable so don't fret too much when you hear vendors giving you really high prices at first--you can talk them down.

The first thing you need to do is pick a date and make sure your church and reception site are both available. It helps if you can be flexible with the date in order to coordinate with the church and reception site. Once you have those things set, the rest seems to fall into place. If you truly want to get married in the summer, you should probably get on it quickly as it's pretty much peak season--especially in a place like Chicago where weather plays such a huge role (I'm bucking the trend and having a February wedding in NY and praying to the weather gods daily!).

I agree with the other girls who recommended the Knot and Wedding Channel. They are great places to get ideas, especially for local resources. And of course, I think this site is the best for getting advice and support! It's truly an all-consuming process and it really helps to have people in the same boat as you. I'm down to the last weeks before mine so I'm slightly frazzled but don't worry, we're all here for you!!!
 
Date: 1/16/2006 5:00:01 PM
Author: researcher

Date: 1/15/2006 7:36:43 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey there researcher! You''re from San Diego, right? May I ask where you got married and which wedding sites you liked? I''m not engaged yet, but I informally went around to a couple sites around the holidays and so far I liked The Prado and the Thursday Club (I''ve only seen the second one in pics though). I''m looking for a really beautiful site that''s not a hotel or country club, and it''s been rather hard to find ones that aren''t insanely expensive. Luckily we''re going to have the wedding on a Sunday afternoon which should keep costs down a bit. Thanks so much for your help!
Click to expand...

I actually got married at a church in Palos Verdes Estates in L.A., but my dad, in addition to being a marriage and family counselor, is an ordained minister here in San Diego. So, I do have an ENTIRE spreadsheets of sites, their contacts, costs, etc. with his comments about what''s good/bad. If you''re interested in it PM me with your email and I''ll pass it along!
Click to expand...
I just sent you a PM, researcher!
 
Date: 1/15/2006 7:36:43 PM
Author: peonygirl
Hey there researcher! You''re from San Diego, right? May I ask where you got married and which wedding sites you liked? I''m not engaged yet, but I informally went around to a couple sites around the holidays and so far I liked The Prado and the Thursday Club (I''ve only seen the second one in pics though). I''m looking for a really beautiful site that''s not a hotel or country club, and it''s been rather hard to find ones that aren''t insanely expensive. Luckily we''re going to have the wedding on a Sunday afternoon which should keep costs down a bit. Thanks so much for your help!
Click to expand...
peonygirl- I live in L.A, but am considering everywhere in between L.A & SD. We really like Temecula, as my FI and I LOVE wine. The wineries there are beautiful, and the rates aren''t bad. Just something to think about!

Mas- the gals on this board have really given you awesome info. Plug your numbers into the budget tools on theknot and weddingchannel, and you''ll come up with estimates. Of course, you''ll need to revise them a bit as you''re in a $$$$ area. I live in L.A, and had to do some "creative accounting". The costs in SCal are insane!
 
Date: 1/15/2006 3:22:53 PM
Author: researcher


Cake: $8.50/slice (this price includes a special anniversary cake which will be sent to us on our one year anniversary (we also had fondant and LOTS of handmade seashells))
Click to expand...

$8.50 a slice!?!?!? **has heart attack** That sounds like one beautiful cake though!
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Definitely recommend theknot.com and your local message board there. And breathe and remember to enjoy every step of the way, even when it gets stressful! Its worth it in the end.
 
I''m planning for a May 2007 wedding...this is what I have found so far:

Invitations (per invite) - I''m making my own...should be between $100-$150, for roughly 100 invites
A sit down dinner (per person) - anywhere between $20 -$30 pp.
Bar costs (per person) - anywhere from $4-$12 pp
Cake (per slice) - I haven''t looked into this but a friend of mine who got married over a year ago paid $150 for a simple cake that fed 100 guests
Rough costs for DJ vs band? Not doing a DJ or band but I am thinking of having my friend download songs to his iPod and just having the music piped in. Cost...close to free, hopefully.
 
I was married last year in Northwest Ohio and here is what I found:

Invites: Got them off an awesome ebay company, designed myself, cost about $150 or so for 125 invitation sets
Sit down dinner: Ranged from $17.95-$60/plate (we had a buffet and it was $16.95 a plate)
Alcohol: Per person ranged from $7/pp for bottom shelf to $25. One place we looked at charged by the bottle and it was $75/bottle regardless of the type of alcohol.
Cake: I had my cake made for $1.25 a slice. The average in the area''s bakeries was about $2.25-$4 a slice
DJ: Ranged from $495-795 in our area. I didnt research bands so not sure on that!

Another good thing to read is ''Bridal Bargains'' by Denise and Alan Fields. A friend gave it to me and it was helpful in the early stages!!!
 
Hi mas! Like the others said, prices will vary hugely depending on where you are, but comapring one big city to another... a San Francisco wedding costs approx...


Invitations (per invite)- $5/each for custom letterpress

A sit down dinner (per person) - anywhere from $50-$200pp, w/$100 being average, I would say, $50 being super cheap, almost impossible, and $200 being high end.

Bar costs (per person)- $15-25 pp

Cake (per slice) - $3-12 per slice... (yes, $12, I am serious!!!)

Rough costs for DJ vs band? DJ- around $1000+, live band, about $1000per band member, I would say (so if you have a 4 piece band, I''d estimate $4k... roughly)


some other rough estimates -
photographer- $2000-4000, $2000 being cheap and $4000 for a good photog...
flowers- $2000+ for bridal party and centerpieces...


yes the prices are astronomical.
39.gif
the average wedding is supposedly around $20k in the US, I would say it''s more like $30k in big cities.
 
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