Wedding Blog
And here we get to the touchy subject of money.
Confession: neither Mr. Bunny nor I are good with money. We both spend on pretty much whatever we want and hope that our money will last until the end of the month. Which, fortunately, it does — most of the time.
I’ve managed to sock away a couple thousand dollars, mostly from when I lived at home with my parents and from the stimulus check I got from the government last year.
Mr. B has saved up small amounts from time to time, but emergencies — a surgery earlier this year, an untimely car accident — have used up that money. Even if his proposal hadn’t been spur-of-the-moment, he wouldn’t have had the money to buy my engagement ring for a few months. (I’m still waiting for the actual ring, though it’s been picked out and he’s put half the money down.)
So we’re relying on my family for the wedding expenses. Mama Bunny has set a budget of $5,000 — and to be honest, even if she hadn’t, that was my original goal. I didn’t think that what I envisioned should cost much more than that.
But then I looked at the beautiful pictures on the wedding blogs I love so much.
And I punched my numbers (the total, plus the numbers and goals I already have in my head) into the handy budget calculators on The Knot and WeddingWire, and here’s what I came up with:
Total: $5,000
There were some costs I was forgetting when I made this original list. We need to rent chairs for the outdoor ceremony, for one.
But $1,700 for dinner for 150 people? Was that even doable?
We’re not spending money on music for the reception (instead going with my trusty iPod and pre-made playlists). I plan to DIY as much of the decor as possible. Our venue doesn’t allow alcohol, so that’s one more cost we don’t have to worry about. Our current budget, which is only slightly different than the one above, doesn’t allow room for cake, which is just fine with me and Mr. Bunny.
So $5,000 it is — for now. I’ll have to see how it all shakes out!
Brides/wives out there… did you set a budget in the beginning and stick to it? Is it possible to have a beautiful (though simple) wedding in these times for that cost?
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We’re paying for it all ourselves and have been desperately trying to stay under a strict budget, but it’s been so hard. We’re having 130 people and are serving BBQ buffet, and we’re spending around TWICE what you have budgeted. Things just add up.
We’re having the wedding at a parent’s home, so we saving on a venue fee, but it ends up costing us in other ways, like chair/table/tent rentals, etc.
Never lose hope though! There are deals to be found and if you’re resourceful enough, you will make every dime stretch. Good luck!!!
Well - I’m working with exactly the same budget, so I hope it turns out okay!! It’s interesting though, that even using the same amount of money, different people spend the money in different areas: our flower budget is lower, our photography allotment is higher…
Good luck - I’m hoping a nice but simple wedding can be done for 5K, too!
We thankfully have a budget — otherwise things would be getting NASTY I’m sure for my wallet 
I think it’s totally doable…I see it EVERYDAY here on the Bee!
$1,700 for dinner for 150 people is doable but at $11 per person, it’s going to be sandwiches or barbeque rather than filet minon and caviar. Check out some of the corporate picnic types of caterers rather than the traditional caterers. Or consider inviting fewer people?
YES! It’s totally doable! My one piece of advice is to think about a less expensive dress. You can get some GREAT ones for a lot less than that!! Use the extra cash on the catering. What about doing a big bbq for dinner, have uncle joe fire up the grill and cook everyone hotdogs and hamburgers?!? I think that would be so fun!
This is our budget too. We are having our wedding outside at my FIL’s house. His mom and her best friend are insisting on making most of the food (they are both incredible cooks). We are only having around 70 people though. My sisters and I plan on making our own bouquets, buying flowers from our local farmers market. My grandmother used to make wedding cakes professionally so she will be making our cake. My future SIL is an incredible artist and in school studying art so she will be designing our invites.
So I think yes, 5000 dollars is totally doable, it just depends what you want to spend your money on and what is important to you. Are you going to be serving any sort of alcohol? I didn’t see that in the budget.
well let’s see… went from 10,000… to 12,000… to 15,000… and right now our expenses are looking closer to 20,000. :-/
We’re trying for a $5,000 wedding with 75 guests, and we’re only under budget because our ceremony/reception site is free. 150 guests is A LOT to feed for under $2,000. Does that include beverages, ice, dinnerware, etc??
The easiest way to make it work would be to do an appetizers only or dessert reception, or even a potluck. I can’t wait to hear what ideas you’ve come up with.
We did set a budget but I never even calculated the final cost because I knew we went over:( As long as you keep track of everything, I’m sure you can do it. Catering will be tough.. but if there’s a will, there’s a way!
We are doing our best to stay on what we think is a tight budget, but even though we are DIY-ing most things, the cost of projects adds up!! We have a 120 person guest list, and a bigger budget, and it is proving to be very difficult… I would recommend tyring to keep the number down, and that way, there will be less budget stress, and you will have more time on the day of to truly enjoy your guests’ company… I am even wishing we could get our numbers down, but with 100 family between us, we have got it pretty much as low as it will go. Good luck, and learn to say NO… that will help keep the budget in check!!
We ended up spending about $5,000 more than what we originally budgeted for, but our total number included everything - from the stamps to the STDs and invitations to our rings, the entire honeymoon, and my wedding day pedicure. So in reality, not too shabby…
A budget of $5,000 total is do-able, but remember, all of the small things (for DIY projects, etc) really add up. To keep it under cost, you’ll really need to do some research, but as Mrs. Champ said - where there’s a will, there’s a way!!
It all depends on what you want. I think if thats what you want to spend, you just make it work. Our biggest busget buster was our venue, so the amazing price you have on yours, should really help you out in the long run.
We made a lot of mistakes when it came to our budget. For one- we didnt set a budget really- we estimated how much the wedding we want would cost and decided we need to save that much. Since we are currently living at home, it seemed very doable, but once we decided to buy a home- lots of cuts have been made to our original budget. But thats probably a good thing, we are focusing more on what we really want.
The ONE thing that Mr. Bunny asked for in regard to the wedding was that we could invite everyone. Even though I would have preferred a smaller wedding, I knew I had to give him that.
Also, this is just the budget for what my parents are putting into the wedding. I’ve already spent a good bit of my own money on little things for DIY projects and decor. All my “spending money” that I usually would use for clothes or entertainment or whatever — has all gone to the wedding since December.
We are trying to stick to a budget of around ten to 12,000 most of the numbers were based on what things cost or what my sister spent two years ago. My parents are giving us $3000 and we have to come up with the rest. I took a 10% pay cut yesterday for three months. That’s really going to kill me as I was going to pay for a lot of little things as I went.
The appetizers suggestion is maybe good, but I am attempting to feed about the same number of people for twice what you budgeted with appetizers and finding it very difficult (especially when you include disposable plates, trying to figure out how to maintain food safety, etc). If you have a good friend who will handle catering for you for the cost of food and can do a lot of cooking there, it can be possible. One friend of mine got her entire church involved in helping with the wedding and they fed 250 people for $800. It all depends on what you have available.
for the food, here is my suggestion and i know it can be done for under $1,700. rent a commercial bbq(you can get them at $150 here in Canada, buy a whole lot of chicken quarters, pig or beef roasts and bbq it..then buy potatoes and bbq them and make some gigantic salads…i know it can be done for under $1000 as i’ve fed a camp of 200 like this for $700(the BBQ was donated)
A great way to stay within budget is to use Weddzilla.com and post what you need with your budget and vendors come to you! This way vendors already know what you are willing to spend and what not! Good luck!
Please please don’t forget tax and tip! In California, tax just went up to 9.5% which has really hurt my wallet. And gratuity is a high 18-20% on top of that!
I wrote about how to “calculate” (I use that term loosely) your wedding budget here:
http://shinyhappyweddings.blogspot.com/2009/05/source-heres-exercise-i-think-wedding.html
Unfortunately, that isn’t too far from my reality. I, like Soon2BeeMrsLewis, am looking at a budget that is almost twice what I originally thought I was going to spend…
Good luck!!
We did set a budget, but it had a couple of versions. I did a projected ideal budget (broken down into the amounts for each category) and then projected budgets that went over that by 2, 2.5 and 3%. I’m happy to report that we actually came in UNDER the original ideal budget–by almost 4%.
I think that you can definitely try to stick to your budget and cut corners, but make your wedding lovely. For us, the key to keeping the price manageable was keeping the guest list low. We set an absolute limit to the number of people who could be invited and then worked our budget from there. We also made a pact that even if those original people didn’t attend, we would not add to the guest list. As a result, our original list of 119 became 86, which gave us a huge price difference.
Don’t forget about the cost of the marriage license and rings! Good luck with everything.
@Donna — Which vendors are you supposed to tip? This isn’t something I’ve heard much about.
@beffielou — Good point about the marriage license! That’s a cost I keep forgetting. The cost of the rings is coming out of our own pockets and so is not included in this budget.
I’ll do a breakdown how how everything turns out — what my parents spent, what I spent, afterward!
<3
In Columbus check out Caterer’s Three… I think the baseline pricing is about ~11/person. I think there is also a Pasta catering company (I can’t remember the name) that that is right around that price point.
We set a budget when we originally started planning and halfway through decided that we wanted to down scale our wedding as much as possible to buy a house. I applaud your candidness about your budget!
We also have a budget of $5000 and 164 people on the guest list. Instead of catering, we’re doing a dessert reception and making most of it ourselves. I’m also altering my mom’s dress to save money (plus it’s gorgeous and I am way to indecisive to pick one on my own). Our venue is my grandparent’s huge lawn, so I’m hoping I will be able to really customize the details with the money we’re saving. Yay! 41 days to go …
With more than a hundred guests you probably won’t be able to get away with just nipping your spending here and there. You’ll probably have a much less stressed planning process if you just take one or two of the normally big expenses and make a big change (like not having alcohol…you’re on the right track!). The things people loved most about our wedding were actually sweet personal touches that had little or no associated cash cost to us, like our music collection and our vows. It is very possible to have a wedding on 5K, if you get creative and stay focused on what’s really important to you and Mr. Bunny.
I suppose it depends on if your caterer has already added the gratuity to your package, but mine did not so I have to add that. That was the big one that I hadn’t planned on. Then there’s the florist, officiant, musicians, and on-site venue coordinator (not sure if you have one of those either). Good thing is the consensus is no tipping the photographer.
Lucky for you, you won’t have a DJ or bartender to tip, so that will save you a bundle!
I might have overstated how much of my budget is going toward gratuity, but the bottom line is that it will affect your budget. 
@Donna — Our musicians are family and friends who are performing as our wedding gift. We may give them a small “thank you,” but I don’t think that counts as a tip. Officiant is also a family member, so we’ll give him a “thank you,” as well. Tipping the florist, yeah we can do that. I think I remember her quote being slightly under our current budget, so we can probably fit that in. Thanks for the info!
Good luck, I think this is definitely doable as long as you manage your spending It seems that it is better to make your wedding simple and meaningful instead of aiming for complex decorations and flowers or trying to look “fancy”. Are you planning on giving any gifts to your bridal party?
Also, I think the decor and dres allocations could be less in order to free up some money for the food and/or rentals. There are many options for cheaper gowns and it sounds like you are DIY the decorations out of your own pocket.
Good luck Miss Bunny, we all know that budget is the sore topic for all brides. I just have to note that rentals are probably the biggest sticker shock of my planning experience, and that’s something you need to anticipate for (especially since you’re having 100+ guests, those individual chairs add up!).
Our goal is $6,000 for 130 people. After hunting for the perfect reception place with reasonable cost, we came to terms that it wasn’t going to happen in the small city we live in.
So we went to the suburbs/country and it was a HUGE difference. We found a small Country Club that allowed public parties. We went from $60 a head in the city, to $39 a head in the country!
We are DIYing a lot of elements (invitations, STD, favors) and calling in favors from our family and friends (DJ, cake, etc).
I think keeping it simple is the key to a chic and inexpensive wedding. You can do it!
@missbunny, you are a woman with a plan! i’m sure you can pull this off for $5k and can’t wait to hear all about how you do it!
Very true! Where I live it would cost you about $450 for rental and delivery of chairs alone. The things I learned when planning an at home wedding….
Luckily for me, Mr. Y is great with numbers. Early on in the process, he set a budget for us according to some guidelines he found in the Bridal Bargains book. Having a plan definitely helps!
Maybe you can tweak some of the other areas to give you more wiggle room with the meal allowance.
you are never going to get dinner for 150 people for $1700. That’s only like $10 a person. Appetizers alone are usually a couple bucks per person for each appetizer.
I recommend trying for lunch instead. Or just 3-4 apps per person. But dinner is probably not going to happen for that much unless you find a really cheap caterer.
@Andie — I’m glad I already have a caterer booked or I would be totally devastated by your comment. Stick around to find out what I decided to do … 
I should move out there! I’m trying to figure out how to do a wedding for 250 under $30k! Why, oh why, does weddingbee tempt me with such great ideas! The wishlist just keeps getting bigger. ^_^
I just want to say how happy I am to see a budget bride here on Weddingbee! Thanks in advance for sharing your experience with us! I’m really confident that you’ll find ways to make it work!
Beware the “hidden” costs. For example, you have budgeted $650 for the dress. But, if you spend that full amount on the dress itself, you will go over with alterations, veil, shoes, undergarments, etc. Even if the dress needs minimal alterations you are most likely looking at $150. If you keep that in mind you will be okay, but it’s all of those additions that kill the budget in the end.
Hey Miss Bunny, do you have a photographer? I’m totally in love with your venue & I’m working to build a larger portfolio — I would absolutely shoot your wedding for the cost of travel/hotel. I’m guessing you’ve already got someone given your fast approaching date, but figured it was worth the offer!
Miss Bunny, I am right in your boat. I am really a 200-300 guest type of girl, but with the cost of just the basics…food and booze..I realized that I am going to have to adjust my budget. A little hint as far as the wedding rings, have you checked out IDG? They are going out of business, and I was able to purchase the Mr’s wedding band for $63 with tax out the door, and mine was a little over $90 (i have fat fingers…). That was a place where we saved money, also, shop around for your wedding dress, I went to a boutique expecting to pay more than what I could afford, and I found a BEAUTIFUL dress for under $500. Luckily, I also have a crafty friend who happens to be a graphic designer, and she re-created the invitation I wanted, that saved me well over $500. You just have to pick and choose what to spend your money on. I think you can totally do it. Also check otu Craigslist, you would be surprised how many talented photographers are looking to build their wedding portfolios and they might just cut you a deal!
I’ve got just about the same budget, US$5000 - but I’m in Singapore where costs are a little lower. I got my aunt to send over these adorable flowergirl and pageboy outfits I found on eBay for only US$20 total. There are lots of ways to cut costs, but you’ll also have to accept that there are some things you’re going to have to let go of…
Half my budget was catering, and a little less than a quarter was our wedding bands, and the rest was decor, etc. I spent US$180 on my rental gown!
I’ve got just about the same budget, US$5000 - but I’m in Singapore where costs are a little lower. I got my aunt in the States to bring over these adorable flowergirl and pageboy outfits I bought on eBay for only US$20 total (saving shipping). There are lots of ways to cut costs, but you’ll also have to accept that there are some things you’re going to have to let go of…
Half my budget was catering, and a little less than a quarter was our wedding bands, and the rest was decor, etc. I spent US$180 on my rental gown!
I had a budget of 10,000 and we went over slightly because we had a live band, otherwise we would have been under. What you should do is try to think about what is really important for you and find options. If I had gone with the first option presented I would have spent about 3 times for the same wedding. The live band was going to cost me twice what I paid but I found someone that had hired them a lot previously to talk to them for me and they gave me a 50% discount. My wedding dress when i first tried it on was at 1,400 dlls and I ordered the same dress from netbride off the internet for 500 dlls. It was a perfect fit since I had previously tried it at a boutique. Again, it’s a matter of looking to find the best deals if you’re on a budget.
You can get a dress for less than $650 and free up money for dinner! My dress was on sale for $350 and is very pretty. And hey, you only where it once!
We started with a budget of $5000-(My dad’s contribution) for $150 guests, but we are up to $8500 (not including dress, which mom payed for). I always feel like I’m $1000 short of having exactly what I want. The blogs don’t help, since that added the photobooth idea. We’re DIYing for under $200, but all the little things add up fast.
We set a budget, and assigned percentages of that to various categories. Some things went over, most things stayed under (sometimes WAY under), and overall it worked out.
(it’s the third wedding here:
http://www.weddingbee.com/2007/07/26/25000-real-wedding-budgets/ )
Wow, I am interested to hear what you are serving 150 guests for $1700. I am planing on 100 guests and the cheapest catering quote I got was $5000!
it’s possibly but stay away from wedding blogs and martha stewart magazine. You also need to think about your concept of what a wedding is. Some wedding blogs can really make a girl dream. Things add up so quickly.
Especially outdoor weddings (back-up plans and rentals)!
That budget doesn’t take in a lot of additional stuff and the prices I saw on the items that are do listed were 2-4 X more.
Sorry I didn’t mean to sound rude. I’ve just had to deal with a lot of wedding vendors and I’m tired of them all ripping people off. I haven’t met any will do dinner for $10 a person, but like other people said here maybe you could go with bbq or sandwiches or something. I think that could be done for a lot less than what most vendors charge for plated dinners or buffet dinners. Excited to see what you decide!
Miss Bunny I have so much faith in you! Being a DC girl and a c-bus bride I know what a difference location can make. With a little DiY, family and friends helping and a little looking around for good deals you won’t have a problem!
We had thought about having the wedding on hsi grandparents property to save money, but once we started thinking of tables, chairs, dance floor, possibly a tent…..it was adding up to too much. Our venue is $6500 for 100 pp and includesthe ceremony, officiant, flowers (bouquets, bouts & centerpieces), buffet, wedding cake, linens, bartender & DJ. We have to bring in the alcohol. So, all we have to worry about is alcohol, groom’s cake, dress, photography, bridal party gifts, parent gifts, save-the-dates and invitations and rings. It doesn’t sound like much but I’m still estimating the whole thing will cost between $10,000 - $12,000.
Neither FI or I are savers, and I definately haven’t even thought of a budget…I guess because “savings” is pretty non-existent at this point. I don’t think we’ll have an official budget, I think we will just make a list of things we MUST have, and find the cheapest possible route.
A few costs I didn’t see on here:
Marriage license
undergarments, shoes, veil, accessories
Gifts for groomsman, bridesmaids
Any gifts for shower hostesses
Groom’s attire
Limo or transportation (though of course not required!)
Manicure/pedicure
Good luck!
Hi, Sis! Sunny Bunny here. As always, I think your budgeting makes you a champion. Not many people would have the courage or creativity to attempt a 5K wedding — and certainly not with your degree of style!
I do think it would be a good idea to expound a little on the challenges and successes you’ve had since you wrote this post. It has been about a million years, kingdoms have risen and fallen, and we’ve all learned a thing or two about penny-pinching along the way!
I think your budget sounds reasonable. My only advice from weddings I’ve attended and from what others say — guests only remember the food, music, and booze. Don’t reduce those budgets and people will have a great time. Our wedding budget is $14K but are hopefully around $11K. We initially we going to go with an ipod, have a bbq, and make it very casual. However, we wanted a DJ to MC for the evening (hello Chicken Dance! — plus he will inform people of dinner/desert/etc). We also are having our wedding catered. We nearly tripled our food budget BUT I cut back on small details that almost NO ONE will notice but me. Good luck!
Hey Miss Bunny! Someone may have already directed you to this site, but I found it pretty inspirational for my own budget wedding:
I really like the philosophy behind this whole thing. And I know you can have the wedding you want for 5K. You just have to think outside the wedding-industry box, which I think will make your wedding better anyway!
So far I’ve stuck to my pre-determined budget and am now trying to come in WAY under it do to reasons in my last post. You are amazing to pull off a $5k wedding and I can’t wait to see the results. But watch out for the hidden costs (like stamps and tips!).
Not that you’d be spending money on all of these things, but some other potential costs to consider are:
shoes
marriage license
honeymoon
nails, hair, makeup
parent gifts
MOH gifts
Best Man gift
bridesmaid gift
groomsman gift
flowergirl gifts x2
accessories
undergarments
suit
rehearsal dinner
hotel
her ring
his ring
stamps
Table number supplies
Place cards
programs
favors
We have a budget and have stuck to it so far, but we are still in the early stages of our engagement (over a year to go). Fingers crossed!
I think there are always costs that just creep up on you, however insignificant they may seem. From the blogs I’ve read and people I’ve talked to everyone has gone a BIT over budget if not more. So definitely keep an ON THE SIDE EMERGENCY stash that you know in the bad of your mind is for wedding expenses that just “creep up”.
I got SUPER detailed with the budget right from the beginning, down to the ring bearer pillow and the guestbook pens. I’m so glad I did, because I think it helped shake out some of the “unexpected costs” down the road and it’s allowing us to keep to a tight budget for what we want to do.
I actually just did a blog post this week on what I would have missed budgeting if I had just trusted TheKnot’s calculator:
http://bellsandbouquets.blogspot.com/2009/06/bloated-budget-or-bad-budget-template.html
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Mrs. Bunny, Columbus
Age and Occupation: 24, Associate Editor/Reporter
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Reporter
Engagement Date: September 23, 2008
Wedding Date: July 2009
Venue: Everal Barn, Westerville
About Me: Organized, but messy. I love art (all kinds). I don't have any secrets. I talk a lot and listen even more. I show love by baking. I'm timid by nature, but brave when it counts.
Mr. Bunny and I work at competing weekly newspapers, which makes it a little interesting trying to describe our work joys and frustrations without giving away too much before the paper comes out. In spite of that little hurdle, we've managed to build a pretty solid relationship in the short one-and-a-half years we will have been together when we tie the knot. I can't wait!
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