Does anyone regret spending so much money?

I did at first, now it is what it is. Nice things cost money is my new justification

I feel the same way very often. I'm starting to justify like @Keisha, nice things cost money.

I keep telling myself that when the day comes, I'll be so happy to see everyone I love having a good time celebrating with me. But damn, it is a lot of money!

Hopefully y'all get most of it back

@Mimi I don't need to count on making it back, I spent what I had

Lol Mimi- How? gifts???? I wasnt even close.

Nope, not at all. We had a gorgeous wedding and that shit costs lol.

@Mimi, no way would I ever come close to "getting it back" nor would I ever expect that. My wedding was for my guests to celebrate with me, not for me to make a buck off them. Gross.

Mimi, like what, charging admission???

Do you throw a party and hope to "get it back?"

How do you "get it back" off a party for your friends and family?

Do you try to get money back for thanksgiving or christmas or your moms birthday????

ETA: OP - We planned a budget within our means. We are lucky enough to have had some generous help from family members - but any party costs money - especially a wedding. We do not regret what we budgeted.

Leading into it I did a bit but now I have no regrets. Best day of our life, hands down. @mimi it wasn't even close. We got maybe 1/5 but I think that is being generous. If you took all of our wedding expenses (dress, dj, everything) and divide to get a per person payback rate, it would have been $292 and there was no way couples were paying $600 in gifts!

I am hoping she just means, youll get some cash from gifts to put back into savings.

Which I mean did happen...

I? don’t want to say I? grew up “poor,” but we definitely weren’t “well off” so we always learned to be cautious with money. Thanks to my amazing parents giving me every opportunity, I’m doing pretty damn well for myself now and we could absolutely afford the wedding we had. That being said, I? still can’t help but cringe when I? actually look at the number we spent. Oh well. What’s done is done.

Nope. If i really regret spending this money, I would have just eloped.

If I regret anything its that i wish my wedding had been smaller. I just think I coudlve cut the guest list more and had a more intimate day. I feel like we would've ended up spending the same though because i would've got a better venue.

Not even a little bit. I went through a few phases during the planning process -- super budget conscious, throwing money at things just to have them done and done well, panic about the cost, and then the moment the weekend started feeling like it was worth every penny.

I budgeted for what I am okay seeing come out of our savings. We are not getting help with anything except the cake. So, at first knowing that much will come out was a little gasping.. but I am fine now. This will be the wedding I want. I get one chance at it.

Both of our parents gave us some money, so we definitely had a decent size party. My husband and I paid for about a third of it ourselves with our parents combined covering the rest.

I do sometimes wish that I took what me and my husband spent and just planned a smaller event. But I was the first wedding (first grandchild on both sides) and everyone had these visions and I went with it. I definitely had a blast and loved the day. But I would have went smaller in hindsight and had a more intimate affair.

I think 150 is a lot of guests, and unless you and FH both have 5 siblings, you are likely including people not really close to you. People who may be in your life today, but not 5 years from now, like co-workers,. I would rethink that.

OK I'm feeling better about it. We already said no coworkers. And we both have big families I have 6 siblings and he has 7 siblings and also a God family that he's super close with that he's known his entire life, so that's majority if the list once you add in plus ones and kids. I'm excited for the day but the overall big number just freaks me out. Sticker shock at how fast things add up!

I will add that I think he could cut his list more but right now he's not willing to budge, so we've upped the budget. Which isn't a big problem, bc we can afford it. But just bc you can afford it, does it mean you should do it?

"make it back"...that's hilarious.