Newbie! costs help please!

[21p1eco]

Hi guys

I am just starting to plan our wedding so this might be a stupid question but i have no idea how much things are supposed to cost!!

What costs are involved in the ceremony itself? and what would be cheap and what would be expensive prices for venues???

Also the wedding breakfast, again what are cheap prices per head and what are expensive???

also what costs are involved with the evening reception? it seems expensive. We are on a tight budget so i need to know what would be cheapest, lol.

Thanks

 

[Pops]

:wave:

First off, congratulations!!

Weddings really can be as cheap or as expensive as you want or need them to be. A lot also depends on the area you live in and what it is you are after.

For example, a boutique hotel somewhere down South will obviously cost more than a function room in a pub or a local village hall to hire.

Civil ceremonies depend on if it is in the Registry Office or out at another venue and on the day of the week - ours cost £60 to give notice and £500 for the ceremony itself and that was on a Sunday. Church fees I am unsure about.

It's difficult to say what things are supposed to cost as they really do vary so much but I'd say never go with the first person and price you are give, shop around to compare and open yourself up to different options.

Evening wise, try cutting out the buffett or getting family and friends to make it for you like you would a party and maybe go for an Ipod plug in rather than band or disco? Or is there a local music college to you where some of the students would be grateful of the chance to play live?

I have seen some people on here have fantastic weddings on budgets and I am sure they will be happy to share their tips with you You also have a lot of time to shop around and look at lots of different options which goes in your favour!

xxx

 

[21p1eco]

thank you! it is so annoying that most venues dont tell you prices either so its hard to compare, guess i will have to start contacting them asking. weddings are sooo complicated, i just dont understand what extra costs are involved with venues and receptions.

 

[Pops]

If it helps I can tell you about ours which was in Brighton x

 

[21p1eco]

i would love to know about it! how much did you spend on fees and venues for the ceremony and reception?

aproximately how much would food be on top of that? i need a ballpark figure of what i'm aiming for when i compare costs! thanks for your help.

 

[honeybee2]

Hahah thats where that question comes in - how long is a piece of string?

Weddings costs how ever much you want them to cost- its all about prioritising and what type of wedding you'd like.

First off, maybe let us know what kind of wedding you'd like and for how many people and we can give you tips from there!! xxxx

 

[Pops]

I will PM you x

 

[booflebump]

We are 200 for the minister to come to the hotel, then 450 for the room hire for the ceremony at the hotel. I can pm you our price per head if you want xxx

 

[21p1eco]

that would be great, could you include exactly what costs are involved? for the wedding and the reception, i am getting so confused as they all add them up differently, and then there is extra costs arghhh!

 

[booflebump]

Will do, probably this afternoon

x

 

[booflebump]

Just answering your question in here hun, reception room was included for free xxx

 

[krissie1234uk]

It really does depend on what you are going for. We are doing things a bit differently in order to cut costs. We are having a church ceremony (costly roughly £600 plus cost for flowers) with organist and choir.
Then we are having a reception at a local village hall. The cost to hire this is about £300 (from 6pm on the Friday through to 12pm on the Sunday to give us time to set up and tidy up as we are doing everything ourselves). As we are doing it this way, our food and wine costs are whatever we make them. We are having a simple buffet during the day (won't cost more than £100) and then a pie supper for 90 in the evening (£2.20 a head!! including service). We then have to hire everything else ourselves (tables/chairs/tablecloths/chair covers/crockery and cutlery etc) which is quite expensive (£680 including wash up charge). We are also paying for all alcohol, which is probably our biggest expense but you can get a mobile bar from local pubs for varying costs. Someone near us does this for £25 and if they make over a certain amount of takings you get this back.
Just listed all that to give you an idea of a different way to do it. Obviously, other costs to think of are:
Dress
Grooms outfit and attendants
Bridesmaids/Flowergirls
Transport
Rings
Flowers
Invites and other stationary
Accessories (shoes, underwear, jewellery etc)
Hair and Makeup
Favours
Gifts
Photography

There are probably things I have missed off, but just to give you an idea.
The best things you could do is set your budget first, and then go from there. If you are unsure if you are getting a good deal, you can always ask on here.

 

[Timid]

One piece of advice I would give is to budget a little over what you get quoted for everything - some will come in on budget, whilst other items will increase. Make sure you have a contingency budget, around 10% if you can

Tx

 

[honeybee2]

ye deffo- VAT is a bitch! xx