Insane Cost of Weddings

Ok everyone I know money talks but

Please don't get upset. I just think the wedding industry is a bubble and one of these days it should pop! I understand how you get what you pay for and how you need to pay for the services. I am commenting on the inflation applied when the word wedding is involved.

I couldn't agree more Weddings are ridiculous! But if you network and know people you can save in some areas. My fiance and I don't make too much we are pretty average and our wedding have cost us $18,000. But yes guest are what's gonna cost you, so only invite those who are closet to you. P.s this app really helped.

@Brittany but people said that its not just weddings. It's any party that is large. Don't wanna pay for a large party, don't have one.

@Meeseeks Educated crowd. Maybe you should educate yourself on the protests and you won't have to deal with people thinking your comments are short sighted... just an idea.

Post like these make me feel so god damn old.

As a consumer you have the right to determine the manner in which you spend your money. You do not have the right to set the price of a product or the value of someone's time.

Yes weddings can expensive. They require a lot of work, and quality vendors deserve to be compensated appropriately.

And yes, weddings and wedding services are becoming increasingly more costly; historically prices of goods tend to rise, as do taxes, fees, and salaries.

Literally if you don't like it- don't pay for it. You have numerous options. Cut your guest list, pick a different venue/caterer/bartender, elope, buy an SUV instead, etc.

@Brittany it's not inflation. A wedding is significantly different from a birthday party given the amount of time planning, the significance of the day, the length of the day, etc.

They are not the same thing, and therefore require different attention to detail from vendors. The more attention someone gives you, the more time the spend on it. The more time they spend on it, the more it will cost.

Your birthday/anniversary comes every year. Your wedding doesn't.

People have higher expectations for a wedding.

I can guarantee the DJ for my high school prom was just told "it is a prom" and he showed up that day to work the event.

My DJ met with us several times, went over our music preferences, learned the whole timelime for the day, etc etc etc. Yes, she charged more for our wedding than she might have for a different kind of event, because she actually WORKED MORE for our wedding than a different event.

Vendors aren't just jacking up the prices for no reason. It's because people have higher expectations for a wedding, which means more work for the vendor.

I understand what the protests are about and support people's right to freedom of speech as well as their peaceful method in which they're protesting.

I was simply referencing a method of protest as it is a current event when responding to the poster above me saying "lets rebel".

You just sound like you want to pick a fight or prove you're a caring person by bashing someone on the internet.

We spent a good chunk of change on our celebration but definitely didn't feel that it was for nothing. Our guests felt pampered and taken care of by our stellar venue staff and loved the food and drink and dancing they got to partake in. For us, we wanted those folks who had celebrated our relationship to have a big "thanks!" party.

Yes definitely. Don't worry, I am spending only how much I want to spend! I did get stuck in what I call the wedding vortex but I've since recovered and have found some beautiful public parks that are oh so oh so reasonable.

They are expensive, FH is having a hard time coming to terms. But even in an expensive location, we're looking at under $15k because I did research on research and just explained my budget. People either were willing to work with it or they weren't. We didn't skimp on food though. We had our tasting 3 months ago and I'm still pining for more of their seafood bisque.

Well you can start charging your guests. I hear that's the new trend...

LOL

Thank you @LB I didn't find it funny either.

ETA: NFL players choosing to take the knee as a sign of protest is not a rebellion. They are not rebels.

They kind of do get charged, by the expectation of extravagant gifts, do you think? I really don't want my guests to bring gifts but I also don't want them to insist and give me junk

I see where you're coming from OP. Anything with "wedding" attached is way more expensive but you also have to check yourself. Pinterest can convince you that you need live dragons at your wedding but you don't. Know what is important to you- chivari chairs are never a must. However if grown adults decide the spend $ on them, that is their choice.

A public park wedding may or may not be cheaper. You will have to rent chairs, tables, linens, dishes, etc. separately, whereas at a venue those things are likely included.

Weddings are expensive because you let them be. (Edit: which is fine. if you can afford to splurge, splurge, I am a big fan of splurging.)

When I go out to dinner with my husband the bill is usually between $80-140 because of where we live and because we like good food and indulging. My wedding cost less than 10k because we figured out what was important (closest friends, open bar, good food) and what wasn't (rarely seen relatives, flowers, stationary).

Places that only do weddings know they have you by the balls, and until more people start thinking outside of the box (renting out a restaurant instead of a wedding hall for example), they can charge whatever they want because there is "no other option".

Wait, live dragons are an option!? Okay, FH budget is out the window!!

I absolutely have thought the same... say wedding and the price of something doubles. With that being said don't be afraid to barter. Be honest about your budget AND DO YOUR RESEARCH! I refused to pay more than $50/person for the reception. I thought spending more than that was unnecessary (just my opinion). It took my almost 2 months to find my reception hall because I stuck to my guns. Moral of the story, do your research lol. Good luck and best wishes!

At the end of the day a wedding is not a requirement. You can go to the court house, pay the fee and you are married. Probably less than 100 dollars to do that. We have consumers demand these weddings. No one is forcing us to do to this.