# Break down of your budgets, what have you spent on what?



## Lauren25

Hi everyone :)
I'm now joining you lovely ladies as my OH asked me to marry him last Friday, the day before my 21st birthday.

We've decided to get married in July 2014 so we hav chance to save etc.

I'm just wondering what your budgets are and how much your spending on everything.

We're trying to sort a budget and a break down of how much for venue etc but we have no clue on the price of things.


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## Babydreams321

Firstly congrats honey!! :0) 

ish, ( as my spreadsheet is at home!! )

£500 stationary
£1000 photographer for the day
£1000 my dress
£500 3 x bridesmaids & one flower girl dress
£600 - hire for 6 suits
£1200 - band for all day & night
£1500 - rings
£500 - flowers
£12,000 - venue, sit down for 80 guests + a buffet for a further 80 guests in the evening, canapes etc etc
£350 - registrar
£180 - hair/trials for me & bridesmaids on the day
£300 - wedding party gifts
£120 - wedding party make up/trials
£300 - cake

= £20,000 wedding -eeeeeeek!!! It all adds up so quickly but we're lucky to have inheritance that we can dip into for a guilt-free amazing day!! :0) xxx


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## KellyMomma

Hello, this is my second wedding and i have a 13 month old baby boy and another one due end of april. The wedding is in August this year and we have a teeny tiny budget, not got everything yet so this is what we have paid for so far :

Church fees £500
No sit down meal/ wedding reception
Evening buffet for 80 ppl £1000
2 x bridesmaid dress £100
3 x b.men ties £7.50
groom waistcoast and cravat £12.50
bride dress £630
bride ring £60
bride headband £25
cake £50
flowers £80
bride hair and makeup £45
balloons £30
invitations £7.50

My mum and maid of honors husband are doing the photography and my mum is paying for the evening DJ.

If you are trying to work out a budget i would first think about what you feel is important, for example my dress was far more important as i am pregnant and need a proper fitting dress that hides bumps etc so i knew i would spend more money. I wasn't fussed about the invitations or flowers so that was a small budget. The cake is being made by a friend who is starting her own business. The ring i found in tesco direct for half the price of h.samual. The men already have 'suits' and we felt a matching tie would suffice, my fiance bought his waistcoast and cravat from tesco finest range in the sale last year. 

I haven't compromised anything, i merely have shopped around as you can always find what you want but for cheaper but doing a little research.

Good luck and congrats! xx


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## Mummabear1

My budgets not finished yet... But I have a few things:

Wedding rings set £700 - Ernest Jones, we bought these a year ago and paid monthly to help manage money

3 Bridesmaid dresses £260 - JJsHouse.com - It depends what your money availability is, but, I found I saved a fortune by ordering online. I took the girls round the bridal shops first to find the colour/style I liked and that looked right on them, then searched for similar styles online and have had made in the colour I want and sizes are all custom for half the price I would have paid in a shop.

Reception Hall - £228 - 12 noon til 11pm with access to bar. 

We're marrying in a catholic church so these fees can vary:
£90 Priest fee
£50 Registrar fee
£33.50 each for wedding licences (total £67 arranged through local registry office)
As we aren't having Hymns there was no need for an organist but they can start at £40 up depending on what you want

£25 Paige boy outfit (very.co.uk for a 12-18 month old shirt trousers and waistcoat set)

Groom and Best Man suits (Jacket and Trousers only) £110 each
£18 each for tailoring
Waistcoats £25 each - Debenhams
Cravat and Hankerchief set £25 each - Debenhams
Double cuffed white shirt £20 each

Thats it so far!


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## amjon

Dress $750
Invites $100
Flowers $500
Cake $300
Photographer $500 (I have yet to order pictures, but probably another $300, not through photographer)
Catering $700
Church $375
Pastor $200
Centerpieces/ Linens $200
Tuxes $420
I think I've got everything in there. :)


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## Erinsmummy

We have a £10,000 budget. 

Photographer is a family friend who isnt a professional yet so is £150.
My dress, no more than £500.
Bridesmaids (adults £130 each) Flower girls £50 each. So about £500.
Registra £500.
Sit down 3 course meal for 110 guests £1900.
Evening buffet for 160 guests £800
Mens suit hire... No idea yet!
Flowers.. Again no idea! 
Dj £300.
Cake £300
God knows what else!!

Wedding are expensive lol.


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## leash27

Congratulations on getting engaged - 2014 will be here before you know it! OH and I booked our wedding in June 2010 and we are only 3 months away from the big day now!

Our budget was £10,000 but seems to have a habit of creeping up and up lol.

Venue: £5500 - 70 people for 3 course wedding breakfast in day and 110 people with evening buffet. This also includes ceremony, drinks reception etc etc
Dress: £1200
BM Dresses: 4 x £170 each
Suit Hire: £600 for 7 suits
Flowers: £70 - we did budget £200 at first but have decided to get artificial and saved a fortune.
Rings: £850
Photographer: £1150
Cake: £150 - Made my a friend
Accessories/Shoes etc : Not sure yet but probs about £200/£300
Wedding Singer: £500
Hair & Make Up: £400
Registrar: £350

There is probably more that I have forgotten about!

x


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## KittieB

We're getting married in Sept 2013 and have a budget of £6k so we have worked out what we want to spend on everything. So far we've only booked the venue so the rest is just provisional at the moment. We're getting married in a castle by the beach and are having our reception and evening do in a devon longhouse out in the country :)

Venue hire: £450
Registrar fees: £420
Dress: £600
Accessories: £100
OH's suit: £100
3 course meal for 35 people + 3 children: £700 
Reception drinks: £100
Buffet for 70 people: £560
Rings: £600
Flowers: £200
Photography: £500
Cake: £70 (am doing it myself)
DJ: £200
Stationary: £50 (my aunty and cousin are doing for me)
Venue deco: £100
Hair and make up: £150
Bridesmaid dresses x2: £200
Page boy outfit: £50
Transport: £200


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## MummyToAmberx

3k 

use ebay for everything lol


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## hawalkden

Great thread :). I'm planning for my wedding to but very limited budget!


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## MadameJ

Ours is a budget wedding but its still coming in at £6-7 grand :wacko:

Venue/Meal/Drinks/Hotel Rooms £4000
Dress £400 
my extra's £100 
Flower girl £ 30 
Shoesx2 £ 50 
Kilt hire x2 £120 
Flowers £ 70 
Entertainment £250 
Favours £40 
Cake £150 
Decorations £70 
Invites £60 
Rings £150 
Gifts £250 
Vehicles £250 
Photography £370  
Extra's £500 
Beauty £400 

Bridesmaids and Best man are paying for there own outfits but were buying the girls shoe's as gifts and got cuff links and tie for best man. 

90% of things I am doing myself so its a very DIY wedding and ebay is my best mate :thumbup:


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## Hayley90

Eek :wacko:

£1850 dress
£6000 venue hire
£1500 (budgeted- hopefully less!) for food & caterers & drinks & service
£250 flowers
£500 rings
£500 bridesmaid dresses x5
£400 hair/beauty/makeup for me
£350 registrar and legal. 
£800-900 hotels for me & L
£0 car (yay for having a classic car in the family! Lol)
£60 decor (DIY!!)
£20 my shoes
£65-70 customising my shoes!
£2800 photographer 

Err...? Forgotten others. Oops :-(

Remembered: £20 favours (making these myself!)
£350 photo booth hire & prints 
£70 invite printing costs & paper
( for the invites, save the dates, envelopes.) 
£50 postage

= roughly £15,000

This is for a central London wedding... With no family help :-/ 

We aren't asking for gifts, we're asking for money - at this rate it'll be to pay the invoices rather than a honeymoon LOL. 

Groom & best man will be in military uniform, so they are free, everyone else will pretty much wear what they like! 

Bankrupt.com


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## BabyKiwi

This is in NZ dollars,

Catering $1500 (My parents paying for that)
Dress $300 (My Mum paying for that)
Jackets $375
Venue Hire $200 (His parents paying)
Church Hire $450 (His parents paying)
Cake (Who knows, his Stepmum is paying for that!)
Accomodation (Yet to be sorted)
Music (Yet to be sorted)
Celebrant $400 
Misc/Hair/Nails etc $300

We are both students (I'm undergrad he is postgrad) so we are very fortunate to have so much help!


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## emzky90

Well, my wedding is so cheap compared to everyone elses! But we're not losing out on anything and i'm so pleased we've been able to do it so cheap!

Dress £50 + alterations = £150ish
Ceremony: £160
Sit down meal for family: £11 a head for 3 courses
Bridesmaids are my sisters so they've bought their own dresses.
Hair and makeup for me- £40
Hair for my mum,and bridesmaids- £80
Evening reception venue hire- £165
Flowers £135
Invites £7.00
Evening food- £100 for 80 guests, pizza and chips from takeaway yummy!
Cake- 0 mums making it.
Shoes- £30
Rings- £40 for both
Decorations £50
Cars- inlaws have a vintage spitfire and the other one is a saloon car.


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## Hayley90

im so jealous at the price everyone is paying for their food, ours is coming in at £40+ a head for a simply BBQ, let alone hire for cutlery, staff etc :( :( :(


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## jms895

About 12-13k!

£1200 Dress veil etc etc
£4000 Venue and food and meals
£600 church
£500 Cars
£1200 Video and Photos
£500 Suits
£500 Rings
£500 Bridesmaids and Page boys
£400 Table covers, table decs
£200 Invites, plans, order of service etc
£100 favours
£1500 honeymoon

HmmmI cant remember but my spreadsheet is telling me 12-13k LOL 

Eeeeeeeeek


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## xMissxZoiex

Wow some of you ladies are having expensive days! even those who say they have small budgets seems alot to me :haha: Im just a bargin hunter and we are not missing out on anything.

Our Venue Came on groupon the day before we were going to book saving up over £1000
Venue hire - £695 - DF parents paid for
The wedding breakfast for 20 - Included in venue hire
Cake - Included in venue hire
Evening buffet for 30 - included in venue hire - £7 per extra guest
Rings - DF £69 Goldsmiths - Mine £58 from weddingrings-direct.com
Cars - DF going with his step dads audi TT - Mine Wedding Beetle & bottle of bubbley £85
Entertainment - £100 (DJ)
Decor - £10
Dress - £100 My parents paying for
Registrar - £395
Photos - Family and friends doing it
Invites - £5 - Ebay
Save the dates - £3 - made myself
Place cards - £5 - Ebay
Thank you cards - £5 - Ebay
Make up - doing myself
Hair - £10 - family friend (mobile hair dresser)
Nails - £20
Cake topper - £30 hobby craft
Favour boxes - £10 for 50 on ebay
Favours (Sweeties) - £15
flowers - £130 - my grandmar paying for
Marquee - £200 - DF grandmar paying for
Wedding night room hire - £150 DF parents paying for

= £2195 wedding
minus things people are paying for us and we have
= £920.

thats everything i think :)


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## Lauren25

Thanks everyone that's a great help!!




Hayley90 said:


> im so jealous at the price everyone is paying for their food, ours is coming in at £40+ a head for a simply BBQ, let alone hire for cutlery, staff etc :( :( :(

I thought this, we've just been looking online at every venue we can find and your looking at at the very very least £40 a head just for a 3 course meal!!


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## Babydreams321

Yeah our menu choices ranged from £40-£50-£60 a head!! we chose the £40 a head but are really pleased with the food we're getting - its beautiful & each guest has wine, champagne etc with this so its not BAD value... just a lot for 80 guests!! eek!!

I think all days range depending on what you choose to do i.e. we chose a £1200 live band opposed to a £200 DJ as it was important to us... we chose a £1500 diamond wedding ring.. opposed to a £100 plain band because again i had the opinion its something im going to keep forever so wanted something beautiful!!! but then other things weve managed to get cheap..like our centre pieces are costing less £100 for 10 tables ...

There are plenty of ways to make a wedding cheap just by choosing cheaper options xx

Its all preferences, everyone will have fabulous days! as long as we're not in debt for paying for them - happy days :0) xxx 10 weeks & counting for me - eeeeeeek!!


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## jms895

Our meal is £30 a head plus wine and then £11 at night for the buffet per person


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## KittieB

The budget list that I wrote before has now changed, I've received a quote from my venue and it's very good value. We only pay for the drinks that people have on the day, as I know a lot of people won't be drinking. 

This is what we have been quoted for our food and drinks...

Arrival drinks:

Pimms: £3.25 per person
Fruit juice: £2 per person

£18.50 per head for a 3 course meal (roast dinner!)
£11 per child for 3 course meal

Glass of house wine with the meal: £3.95 per person

Glass of sparkling wine to toast: £2.50 per person
Fruit juice: £2 per person

Tea and coffee for after: £2 per person

And our buffet is £7.95 a head :)

I've worked out it's going to cost us:

£680 for 3 course meal
£380 for drinks (ish)
£560 for evening buffet

We also don't have to pay any hire costs, so get the venue exclusively just for the food costs :)


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## xxClaire_24xx

Venue hire: £3300 ( 100 sit down 2 choice meal 4 course and 150 evening buffet) also includes honeymoon room, table decorations, canapes and champagne on arrival, chair covers, trial dinner, drink with speech, champagne fountain and 2 glasses of wine with meal
Registrar fees: £420
Dress: £400 (reduced from £3k!!) alterations £200
Accessories: £150
OH's kilts x 6 £450
Rings: £270
Flowers: £458
Photography: £585
Cake: £350
DJ: £200
Stationary: free wedding gift from bridesmaid
Hair and make up: £150
Bridesmaid dresses x2: £235
flower girls dresses x 3: 140
cars: £350
dj £225

think thats it lol


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## xxClaire_24xx

oh piper £180


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## Hayley90

Lauren25 said:


> Thanks everyone that's a great help!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Hayley90 said:
> 
> 
> im so jealous at the price everyone is paying for their food, ours is coming in at £40+ a head for a simply BBQ, let alone hire for cutlery, staff etc :( :( :(
> 
> I thought this, we've just been looking online at every venue we can find and your looking at at the very very least £40 a head just for a 3 course meal!!Click to expand...

pfffft 3 course meal in central london is £90+++ :( Not incl bloody VAT and cutlery and whatever else. Seriously considering ordering dominos!


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## Lisa84

Our wedding budget started at £12K but has now crept upto £17K :blush:

Here is a breakdown:

Venue *£6000* - for 60 guests day & 80 night. Includes wedding planner, menu tasting, room hire, drinks & canapes after ceremony, 4 course breakfast, half bottle of wine PP, Evening Buffet, DJ for night do, Rooms for the bride & groom and both sets of parents
Upgrades *around £500* e.g extra ppl and upgrade for drinks package
Photographer *£2500* Includes too much to mention but was the most important thing to me when booking suppliers
Wedding rings *£1180*
Cake *£400*
Venue Styling *£650* Chair covers, aisle runner, table decs etc
Favours *£200*
Wedding Dress *£500* - Bought in the sale :happydance: 
Accessories *£750* Shoes are making up the most of this as they are Jimmy Choo but intend to sell them afterwards.
Car *£275*
Flowers *£350*
Suits *£582* for hire of 6 suits
Bridemaid/flowergirl *£700* 3 Bridesmaid and 2 Flowergirls
Make Up *£200* for myself 3 bridesmaid and 2 mums for trial and on the day. Got a bargain because the girl doing them is still at uni :)
Hair *£200* again for the whole female wedding party
Staitionary *£200* Include everything. I have made my own invites :)
String Quartet *£520* - I wanted these as i'm not getting married in a church i wanted something for my entrance because i don't have the dum da da dum :)
Photobooth *£350*
Registrar *£387*
Toastmaster *£400*
Gift *£400* Pandora Bracklets for Bridesmaids and Watch for bestman

We are very lucky to be getting alot of help from both sets of parents or we wouldn't have been able to have half the things we have xxx


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## jms895

Wow Lisa can I be your bridesmaid LOL


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## Lisa84

Hell yh why not hahaha

I thought it would be nice to get a charm bracelet for them so i can buy them charms on their birthday's and christmases. My mum was a bridesmaid for my uncle and he did this and now she really does cherish her bracelet :) xxx


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## jms895

Thats a really sweet idea! :)


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