How Much Would It Cost

Weddings often mark a new phase of our lives and more often than not, they are celebrated in a grand manner. Quite obviously, the grandeur of the celebration reflects the amount of money spent on the occasion and involves a lot of planning and calculation. The cost of a wedding, therefore, largely depends on the style of arrangements made. Depending on whether the occasion is a casual, formal or an outdoor one, the budget of the wedding planning may fluctuate.

Average Wedding Costs

On an average, the cost of a wedding today ranges between $20,000 and $30,000 in the US. However, this is just an estimated figure and may cost much less or more, depending on the way you choose to organize it. Some little adjustments here and there can reflect a huge difference in your overall expenditure, not hampering the grandeur of the big day in any way. You may plan your budget by breaking down the total cost according to a specific percentage of amount you want to spend for each aspect. An average of 50% of the total budget can be spent on the reception while you may spend 10% each on wedding music, wedding decoration, photography and wedding gown. Rehearsal dinners, ring ceremonies and other miscellaneous arrangements can be wrapped up in 6% while stationary items may require spending 4% of the total cost. These percentages may again vary if you are opting for a less formal or a more private wedding.

Wedding Gown

Depending on whether you want a hand-made designer wedding gown or a simple one, you may prepare the budget for the dress. The price of your wedding dress also depends on the place from where you buy it. You may also want to consider exploring value for money options such as altering your mother’s gown or renting a dress.

Wedding Photography

Photography is one of the most essential parts of the wedding ceremony and involves a lot of money. You may check out the different rates offered by the wedding photographers and then hire one. You may also think of hiring a wedding photographer for the main ceremony and depend on friends and family members for capturing the other moments including the wedding reception. Alternatively, you may entirely cross the cost of hiring a photographer and assign the job completely to your friends and family.

Wedding Reception

This is the area where the bulk of your budget will go. Depending on the volume of your guest list, the amount of your overall expenditure will rise or fall. Quite obviously, the more the number of your guests and the variety of your reception menu, the more flexibility you would need to maintain in your expenditure. The venue of the wedding reception is also an important cost head in a wedding budget. Hiring a large hall or an expensive hotel suite will cost you much more than a beach wedding or arranging it at your home.

Wedding Invitation

If you are planning to make your invitation cards one of the focal points of your wedding, you must be prepared to dish out a fairly large sum of money for it. Alternatively, you may want to consider other options such as getting them from online stationers some of who offer them for free or you may opt for print-at-home stationery.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous expenditure includes the bills for wedding music, wedding flowers, wedding decoration, wedding cakes, wedding shoes and not to forget the wedding jewelry. The choice of your transportation is also be a factor that represents the grandeur of the occasion and consequently, the volume of the expenditure. To sum it up, weddings are planned and celebrated according to how a couple wants to celebrate their union and therefore, cannot be restricted to any set dollar limit. However, with an additional cost of the honeymoon that comes up soon after all the other wedding bills are raised, it is important to plan the budget and stick to it within a 10 % buffer at most. This does call for some discipline and the determination not to get tempted by myriad frills offered by service-providers and well meaning though ‘expensive’ suggestions made by friends and relatives.