$55,00 - 10 years ago - in DC for 130 people. Sit down dinner with open bar all night. I don't think anything was extravagant but it all adds up quickly. Does not include the $10,000 my in laws spent on a rehearsal dinner for 80 people which also included a sit down meal and open bar. Seems like a lot of money but it was a great night and we're still happily married.

I am getting married next summer in a market with very similar costs to DC. (I looked both in DC and where I am actually getting married.)

Will likely spend $60-70K on ~170 guests, not including the honeymoon which we expect to spend $10-15K on. Cost includes full open bar for duration of event (5 hours), plus food at an afterparty and hosted brunch the morning after.

2012. Mount Vernon Inn. 130 guests. About 26k.

That included everything but the rings (rental fee, happy hour food, plated steak with crab cake dinner, cake, flowers, DJ, open bar, dress, invitations, photographer, etc.). We really shopped around for our vendors. I hear that the Inn caught on that their pricing was low and they've bumped up the rates a bit since then.

About $5,000-$6,000 nine years ago at the Comus Inn in Maryland (so, not DC, but everyone stayed in DC). We had a small outdoor wedding and brunch for about 65 people. That price covered the venue and food (including a mac and cheese bar) and a tent and my dress and rings and flowers and a ketubah from Etsy and a steel drum band and a photographer/videographer and champagne and Georgetown cupcakes and cakes from Whole Foods (the last two because my amateur pastry chef friend who was going to contribute the cake was ill the week of the wedding so I told her not to worry and ran out and got cakes and cupcakes and cupcake stands the day before). It was a brilliant autumn day (cold, but we *really* lucked out weather-wise).

We took a low key and casual approach to everything, but it ended up being one of the most wonderful days -- probably *because* our approach reflected our values.

The only thing I regret is that there were a handful of people I wish we had invited. I was so focused on keeping the event small and only including people who were genuine presences in our lives that I fear I hurt a few distant family members' feelings unnecessarily.

Anonymous wrote:2005 downtown Boston (hotel), very similar to DC. We spent 20K for 95 people, 5-piece live band, open bar, etc. didn't include rehearsal dinner, but key was having it during the day 12-5 on a Saturday vs. night-time, saved about 50%

I think it's all about numbers. If you can stay under 100 it's significantly more venue options

2005 downtown Boston (hotel), very similar to DC. We spent 20K for 95 people, 5-piece live band, open bar, etc. didn't include rehearsal dinner, but key was having it during the day 12-5 on a Saturday vs. night-time, saved about 50%

Anonymous wrote:Not married in DC but I recently read a blog post that said a wedding at DAR Constitution Hall would be $75k.

Spot on. My DAR wedding was about $85k 7 years ago...

2014, 90 guests, Sequoia in Georgetown, 21K for the venue/food/booze. We spent another $7K on DJ, very minimal decor and centerpieces, dessert (cupcakes, cookies and other sweets), transportation, photographer, and officiant.

This doesn't include the rehearsal dinner (everything was paid for by us), my dress/shoes/accessories, hair/makeup/nails, my husband's suit, or rings.

about $30k in total, including bridal & groom outfits and rings.

we did 60 people at the tabard. food/venue/drink was important to us so thats were the bulk of our money went.

still married!

We got married in Columbia in large part because it was cheaper. $10k. It was my second wedding. We opted for a big inexpensively-thrown party that everyone could come to instead of a smaller, fancier affair. No regrets.

$200 K. 200 guests, multiple days..."modest" respectable Indian Hindu wedding. Baltimore Waterfront Marriott.

Anonymous wrote:For those of you who spent 80K or more, are you still married to the same person?

YES! I don't see how spending a lot on wedding correlates to a higher divorce rate.

10+ years ago at the Mayflower. About $100k. That does not include rehearsal dinner, honeymoon, or rings. And yes, still married to the same person.

For those of you who spent 80K or more, are you still married to the same person?

2010, about 140 guests, $35k. It was super basic, but space plus food plus booze adds up quickly. I tried to keep it to $20k and I could have only done that if I'd slashed our guest list in 1/2.