A wedding is the happy ending of many fairytales. Yet, in fairytales, writers leave out a very important but rather unappealing element of such a romantic event: the finances. The costs of a wedding can mount up considerably. When you start planning your wedding, you’ll probably have a lot of questions like “What does a wedding dress cost?” or “How much is an average wedding?” We are going to try to answer these questions as best as we can. Many first-time couples have no idea what to expect financially. It is often difficult to pay for a wedding and everything that comes with it in one go, as it may require quite a substantial budget. But how much is substantial? And how can you spend your money wisely?
How much does a wedding cost?
Sometimes, the prices quoted to first-time couples are far too high. Besides that, there are many things to think about and discuss. Like who is paying for the wedding – will it be you and your partner, your parents (and/or in-laws), or will you be sharing the costs? Another option is to take out a personal loan, but we will not go into that. In any case, it certainly helps to have an idea of the average prices per expense item. And so we have compiled a table showing the average costs per expense item.
Search engines like Google give a host of results on the question “how much does a wedding cost?” or similar searches, such as “what does a wedding cost?”, “costs wedding”, or “budget wedding”. How much you spend on your wedding is, of course, entirely up to you. Some people keep it small and simple while others want to have as many guests and luxury as possible on their Big Day. Regardless of how small and intimate you want your wedding to be, you want it to be perfect in every way. And top quality often comes at a top price.
Most of your budget will probably go towards renting the venue, especially if you have your heart set on a popular. After that, prices can vary greatly based on the number of guests. If you plan to have a small wedding, then the costs for a party, catering, invitations, etc. will be much lower compared to a wedding with over 200 guests. It also depends on whether you want a well-known DJ to provide the music during the party, or you choose to use your own playlist.
Spending and saving money
Hopefully, this list is not giving you cold feet, because don't worry: you don't have to add every aspect. Most importantly is that you and your partner discuss what kind of wedding you want, what aspects you want to include and what really matters to you. One way of doing this is by drawing up a list of priorities. This ensures that you spend your money on the most important things first and if there is still some budget left, you can add other elements. Still, keep in mind that there may be unforeseen costs during the planning.
We hope that this article has given you some clarity and that you are all ready to start planning your wedding.