All together how much did your wedding cost?

55,000.00. Way too much. We went all out. Try not to go overboard like me. You just really need a really good photographer and videographer and food!

Good luck!

About $5000.

Ways we saved money:

1) My step-mother made all the bouquets and table decorations.

2) No alcohol for the reception. You would be surprised how quickly that adds up. We avoided any possible complaints about that by having it at a place that refuses to allow alcohol.

3) When we decided upon where we wanted to have the reception, they gave us two prices for wedding packages over the phone. When we got their brochure, we discovered that if we just choose a regular buffet option, it was just over 1/2 the price! The wedding package was mostly higher priced due to table decorations.

4) Friend of the family is a professional DJ.

5) Diamond for the ring was my great-grandmother's

6) Dress is only being used one day. While it is a very important day, you can find inexpensive dresses that look very nice.

7) Many tuxedo places will give the groom's tux free if you have enough other men renting.

8) Rented a firehall for the rehearsal dinner. Bought a couple of three-foot subs, some chips, drinks, little stuff. (I got the firehall really cheap since I was a member, but it was inexpensive to begin with.)

It did cost us a lot more for the church since we were not members anywhere, but we had saved a lot elsewhere. Also, the day went by so fast I barely remember it. I know people who have taken out loans to pay for weddings. That's ridiculous. Remember what the day is really about-the two of you. There's no need to impress everyone else.

About $4,000. We had about 275 guests. Had the ceremony at the church where we were members so we didn't have to pay for that, rented the pavilion at the city park for the reception at about $200. Got the dress at David's Bridal on sale for about $300, had a friend make the bridesmaid dresses because they were so completely different as far as height & body type that I couldn't find dresses to fit them without major alterations. Got lucky with pictures, a friend of ours is a professional photographer so we saved a LOT of money there, but had cake, punch & hors d'oeurvres at the reception and not a full sit-down dinner. If you do an early afternoon wedding people don't expect a full meal. Also got the flowers and cake from a local supermarket and they did a fantastic job on both, $250 for flowers total including boquets, boutonneirs, and altar arrangements and they looked amazing, the cake was about $90.

The other trick with the cake is to get a smaller fancy one for pictures & cutting and then get Costco sheet cakes to supplement. They taste just as good if not better and people can't really tell, plus people don't care where it came from, they just want cake.

You can also do really nice invitations with a kit and an ink jet printer instead of getting them done professionally, that saves a lot of money. If you are really creative you can do a very nice wedding on a budget.

$2,500, which includes everything: the wedding package (including a limo, cake, photos, and champagne), my dress, his suit, our rings, the airfare to Las Vegas, and a week long stay. The wedding isn't until 10/12/07, but we're done paying for everything and have some cash saved up for spending money.

It's going to be an elegant wedding in the desert sun, too, not a cheesy Elvis wedding. The best part is we get a great vacation and no stress! I wouldn't have it any other way.

We had an amazing wedding that we planned in 6 weeks. Everyone still tells my husband and I, and our parents that it was the best wedding they ever went to. We had a huge BBQ style party as our reception, with an open bar, and awesome music. Everyone had a blast. We got married outside, on a hill top by an amazing huge stone arch. For 125 people, we spent about $3000 for everything. Less than $25 per person. That is everything...flowers, cakes, all the food, and alcohol.

First wedding was over 25K - beautiful 85 guests Six years ago. the divorce was about 8K and I lost over 200K. My second wedding 5K - 29 guests (only the people we really care about). I would have never met my husband if I didnt marry before - so I wouldnt change a thing.

Set a budget - do your research, dont meet anyone with having a price that you want to pay. This is what I learned from the first wedding.

You know what I've learned? It is all up to you on how much ridiculously amount of money you want to spend. Because seriously a wedding can be as cheap as $400-500.00. Is no joke. I see no reason to why spend 1000's and 1000's of dollars for one day. People may say "Well it's not just any day, is the Day Of Your Wedding" and that's absoloutly true, but how much of it is for looks and pride... and how much of it is becuase you and your partner have "in your hearts" that it is a special day. This can very well be the most Special $500 day as it would be if it where a $5000 day!

$1,800 total and a WHOLE LOT of time. We had 100 people at our wedding and 6 attendants on each side plus the flower girl and ring bearer. We did most everything ourselves and were exhausted once it was over but it was a perfect day that didn't give us a financial hang-over. We chose to spend more on our honeymoon and less on the wedding itself.

Congrats & good luck!

My first wedding.....

my dress, $65 on sale

shoes, $25

Rented tux for hubby, about $35

my brother was best man, wore nice jeans and a dress shirt. His GF took the pictures, I paid for film.

Told my Matron of Honor just wear a nice dress. Free

Served dinner mints and punch instead of a meal.

My mother did the flowers and a friend of hers baked the cake. Cake was less than $50.

The church was free, I was a member.

The divorce cost $1500. My dad paid for it, he said it was the best $1500 he had ever spent.

Second wedding. Spent WAY WAY more.

We got married by the JOP first, then a wedding at my parents house. JOP wedding cost us about $150 since we used same dress and suit. We got a small cake and went to McDonald's for drive through lunch then went to the city park. Had a blast. Just Hubby and me and my 2 girls.

My dress, $125

Hat (pink with a huge pink bow) $75

Hubby's suit, $350

His mother's dress, $120

Flower's my mother did again.

Pictures, my SIL did, free except for cost of film.

Cake, got it at Wal-Mart Bakery, the same lady did it for about $125.

Bride's Maids dresses and flower girl, $125 each X3.

Total cost with decorations and doo-dad's about $2500 and we thought we were extravagant. We saved our money for the honeymoon. Took a 7 day Caribbean cruise.

Let's see...I already had the dress, bought it on sale just before Easter the year before (no not a wedding gown) about $30.00 I think. The shoes I had cost about the same. The suit he wore was the one he wore to his brother's wedding 3 years prior, I couldn't tell you how much that cost since I wasn't there. The rings were the biggest expense, $1500.00 We got a ride to the JOP from our witnesses...JOP cost $30.00...Don't remember how much we spent bar hopping afterwards...

got married 12 years ago and including the honeymoon, it cost about $14k. If I could do it over, I'd have a small, intimate party at a lovely outdoor location (not in a hotel like we did) and would make sure I had a less ornate dress and comfy shoes! Ah, live and learn......