Anonymous wrote:As a guest, I care about an abundance of food and alcohol. The rest is negotiable. What I despise is going to a “pretty” wedding, where the decor looks nice, but the bride scrimped on food. FEED ME!!!

So someone's wedding is all about the food you want to shove in your mouth? You don't go to a wedding for the food.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your HHI and your budget. Don’t go into debt for an extravagant party.

How much was your engagement ring?

OP here. We will be getting married in Chicago ( my hometown). We have two contenders for a reception hall. Both are more of a rustic warehouse kind of vibe.

I make $120k/yr and fiancé makes $150k + bonus. We have a little over 500k combined savings.

I’m not sure how much my engagement ring costs. It’s a 1.5-2ct round diamond with 6 prong solitaire band. Possibly 15-20k.

We are also not sure if we cover bridesmaids/groomsmen costs or if that’s on them? Our bridesmaids will either be wearing a dark green or wine color.

We are thinking maybe $30-50k budget?

You never asked what your ring costs?

If you want a 150K wedding, I don't want to talk to you. However, you didn't mention music. Music, alcohol, food - in that order.

With a combined $300k income and $500k savings, this comes down to personal preference, like how much to spend on a car. You can spend $75k or $100k if you really want—and to have a plated dinner, open bar, etc. for 150 guests, you probably need to spend at least $75k. If you have $400k leftover, that should be plenty for a down payment plus emergency fund.

Anonymous wrote:For $30-$50k you can probably do a heavy appetizer and bar. Sit down dinner would be tough. Or you could make it more fun and do a Chicago themed wedding - pizza, or hot dogs and cheesecake, or whatever. I've been to weddings where it was Red, Hot & Blue barbecue and peach pie. Serve wine and beer instead of cocktails.

For my DDs wedding we spent at least $5k on flowers, same for photographer, plus hair and make up for the bridesmaids, rental tent, tables and chairs, linens and china. Plus the dress, venue rental, catering, cake, DJ, wedding planner, etc. All in it was $90k for about 110 guests. That's the medium end but it was definitely elegant.

You can have a lovely wedding for $50k, but you'll need to decide where the spend your money.

I love the idea of a Chicago-themed wedding and the BBQ one.

Fun beats stuffy.

Local theming makes it interesting.

I have never regretted spending money on a dinner reception but I cheaped out on alcohol. My husband and I rarely drink, my family of origin rarely drinks, and we didn't want some relatives on the other side to get drunk. So we had a champagne punch at the early part of the reception and then a champagne toast. A few people slipped down the hall to get a beer from the restaurant's bar, but I was neither embarassed or annoyed by that. We saved probably the equivalent of $5K today by not having 2 hours of open bar.

It's about the fun, the meaning, and the beauty of the day. Spending almost $1K per guest seems too much to me.

OP, get a lab diamond for $2k instead of $15-20k. Then you can put that money towards an elegant wedding, which will probably be $90-$100k. Mine was $120k 7 years ago for 160 people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your HHI and your budget. Don’t go into debt for an extravagant party.

How much was your engagement ring?

OP here. We will be getting married in Chicago ( my hometown). We have two contenders for a reception hall. Both are more of a rustic warehouse kind of vibe.

I make $120k/yr and fiancé makes $150k + bonus. We have a little over 500k combined savings.

I’m not sure how much my engagement ring costs. It’s a 1.5-2ct round diamond with 6 prong solitaire band. Possibly 15-20k.

We are also not sure if we cover bridesmaids/groomsmen costs or if that’s on them? Our bridesmaids will either be wearing a dark green or wine color.

We are thinking maybe $30-50k budget?

Have you checked on prices at all? For the venues you like and for catering? Because I think $30-50k is (unfortunately) pretty low for 150 people in Chicago for a bride and groom that make what you make in the midwest. Certainly 30k is very low. And I'm not one to spend on luxury and parties, so if I think that budget is low, it's probably low.

No, you don't cover costs for bridesmaids and groomsmen. You can, and would be much appreciated, if they will struggle to afford it and you decide you have the budget for it, but it isn't traditionally done.

OP here. We are definitely underestimating how much a wedding costs. Our absolute max budget is $150k but we want to spend far less than that.

We want to do

- Open bar for entire event. Range from $18-45 per person depending on package.

- Plated seating, appetizers, late night snacks, and a dessert table. Plated seating will be $85 a head. $8 guest for dessert table, appetizers are per appetizer ranging from $1.50-5.00.

- Photo Booth. $500ish for 3 hours.

- Venue. 3 options we like range from $15-20k.

So far that’s all we thought about.

No alcohol cuts a big slice and a healthy trend.

If I have to sit through your boring ass vows, you better offer me a freaking drink.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends on your HHI and your budget. Don’t go into debt for an extravagant party.

How much was your engagement ring?

OP here. We will be getting married in Chicago ( my hometown). We have two contenders for a reception hall. Both are more of a rustic warehouse kind of vibe.

I make $120k/yr and fiancé makes $150k + bonus. We have a little over 500k combined savings.

I’m not sure how much my engagement ring costs. It’s a 1.5-2ct round diamond with 6 prong solitaire band. Possibly 15-20k.

We are also not sure if we cover bridesmaids/groomsmen costs or if that’s on them? Our bridesmaids will either be wearing a dark green or wine color.

We are thinking maybe $30-50k budget?

Have you checked on prices at all? For the venues you like and for catering? Because I think $30-50k is (unfortunately) pretty low for 150 people in Chicago for a bride and groom that make what you make in the midwest. Certainly 30k is very low. And I'm not one to spend on luxury and parties, so if I think that budget is low, it's probably low.

No, you don't cover costs for bridesmaids and groomsmen. You can, and would be much appreciated, if they will struggle to afford it and you decide you have the budget for it, but it isn't traditionally done.

OP here. We are definitely underestimating how much a wedding costs. Our absolute max budget is $150k but we want to spend far less than that.

We want to do

- Open bar for entire event. Range from $18-45 per person depending on package.

- Plated seating, appetizers, late night snacks, and a dessert table. Plated seating will be $85 a head. $8 guest for dessert table, appetizers are per appetizer ranging from $1.50-5.00.

- Photo Booth. $500ish for 3 hours.

- Venue. 3 options we like range from $15-20k.

So far that’s all we thought about.

No alcohol cuts a big slice and a healthy trend.

Anonymous wrote:My fiancé and I are trying to come up with a reasonable budget for our wedding. We will have around 150 guests. We will be having a church ceremony followed by a reception. We will be paying for the wedding and planning it. We have no idea what a wedding should cost. We want a nice elegant wedding but nothing over the top.

Unless money isn't an issue, adjust everything to fit your budget including number of guests.

Op, a wedding is like buying a car. You can buy something inexpensive or very expensive.

The two of you, already, deciding on how many people you'll have --- that's a big mistake.

Never the less, you can have a picnic in the park, a dinner at home. There would be ways to accommodate 150 people, if 150 is what's most important to you.

There is no *should* when it comes to spending for a wedding - except DO NOT spend more than you can afford. Certainly, no not borrow $

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dont get it. I have friends who spent so much on a wedding and then couldn’t afford a down payment.

Did they spend it or their parents? I'm a parent who spent nearly $100k on a wedding. My DC is working on saving for a down payment.

Parents- others skipped wedding and took the money for the house.

As a guest, I care about an abundance of food and alcohol. The rest is negotiable. What I despise is going to a “pretty” wedding, where the decor looks nice, but the bride scrimped on food. FEED ME!!!