35 People Explained How Much They Spent On Their Wedding — I'm Shocked And Inspired By The Many Ways People Put Their Budgets To Use
I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good wedding! I often try not to think about the money aspect and, instead, focus on the party!
Max
But when Reddit user u/theCovertoit posed the question: "How much did you spend on your wedding?" I couldn't help but be curious! And, of course, the answers did not disappoint:
1.An inexpensive spur of the moment event:
Disney Pixar Studios
"Maybe $75! Twenty-five dollars for the license and $50 for the chapel. It was a spur of the moment thing that's lasted 40 years so far."
2.Simple and intimate:
NBC
"Maybe $500. We eloped, our friend took pictures, his mom baked our cake, and my dad got me flowers from the local grocery store. I wore a dress from Abercrombie, and we all ate a bomb ass steak dinner to celebrate. Wouldn’t change a thing!"
3.Pop-up wedding with a pricy photographer:
Starz
"Thirty-thousand dollars. We don't regret a single penny. We had a pop-up wedding that probably cost less than $1k, not including our attire. But the reception party was the best night of our lives! Our photographer was probably the biggest expense, but we have the most beautiful photos. We have since had family members pass away, and these are the last photos we had together, so worth every cent to us."
4.A classic beach elopement:
Max
"Beach elopement breakdown:
$40 marriage license
$25 beach parking fee
$50 swimsuit cover-up
$36 lipstick
$650 dinner for immediate family
$800 hotel suite for two nights."
5.A "stereotypical reddit cheapo wedding":
NBC
"We spent $5k in 2015. I had a stereotypical Reddit cheapo wedding, LOL, and it was great! I totally get why folks spend more on weddings, but I'm not a big party person, and my husband and I don't have big families. My only regret about the wedding is not spending more on a photographer; ours wasn't that good."
6.A small Jamaican get-together:
NBC
"Fifteen-thousand dollars for seven people in a remote part of Jamaica for 10 days. That included a beach house rental, car and driver rental, and airfare.We knew a family there, so we had an authentic Jamaican reception.We didn’t pay out the nose because it was remote, and we knew the family. They helped us get good deals. It was also in 2005, so that might've played a part in the cost."
7.A Vegas elopement:
Fox
"We eloped and went to Vegas. The ceremony package was only $200. Neither of us was ever interested in a traditional wedding. No regrets, great day. Celebrating our19th wedding anniversary this year!"
8."Wedding was paid off before it even happened":
Max
"In 2019, we spent a little over $35,000 on the wedding venue, food, and decor. Somewhere around $3,500 for clothes (dress, suit, accessories); $10,000 for rings, and $10,000 on our honeymoon. We paid for it on our own. We already owned our home, and we were following the Dave Ramsey program. The wedding was paid off before it even happened."
9.Someone who wishes they'd spent more:
Bravo
"About $1,500 in 2012. We only invited 25 friends and no family members. There will inevitably be someone proclaiming 'no one ever regrets a cheap wedding,' but there are a few things I really wish I had spent more money on — namely, a real photographer and better materials for making my dress. We didn't really do a real honeymoon, either, because neither of us care about traveling."
10.Someone who wishes they'd spent less:
IFC Films
"I got married 11 years ago. I was 23. I can’t recall exactly how much we spent, but it was around $50k (not including the rings), at least. We got to do all the other good stuff like take a three-week honeymoon, and we have a beautiful home, too, but if I could go back, I probably wouldn’t spend that much again. I don’t regret it or anything. It just seems so unnecessary to me now."
11.One with some iconic finessing:
TLC
"$220 for everything, including the dress, cake, and license. The most expensive part was the license. My friend got ordained online for free, my mom talked the baker and flower shop in the grocery store into giving us 50% off on a large white sheet cake, and free flowers they made into boutiques for us. And I got my dress off the sale's rack at Marshall's for $15."
12.Mostly DIY wedding with just one regret:
NBC
"About $10k. We had about 35 people in my MIL’s backyard. My mom and I did the florals ourselves from a company called Flower Moxie (highly recommend BTW). I collected vintage bud vases and table settings from thrift stores; we rented a tent and put it up ourselves with the help of our families; we put twinkle lights all over the yard; we DIY’ed where we could, and splurged on good food and a DJ. It was the best night of my life. It was so incredibly beautiful! I would absolutely do everything exactly the same…except maybe I’d spent the extra money to have the tent company put up the tent LOL."
13.Campground wedding:
E! News
"Around $3,000 in 1992 at a cheap campground venue. My mom bought wholesale flowers and made bouquets; my dress cost $130; and a friend made the cake. Most of the money went to a catered meal and a live band. A friend did the pictures for a small fee, and that’s my one regret. I should’ve splurged for a professional photographer."
14.Small B&B wedding:
MTV
"About $10k, which also included the honeymoon. It was in the downtown area of a pretty major city, but was in a B&B so it felt quite cozy. It was a brunch meal, open bar for the reception (although most people just had things like mimosas because of the timing) for about 40 people. The venue/catering was the biggest cost, followed by all of the clothing (we paid for the dresses/suits for the wedding party, and ourselves, of course). It was a lovely day. No regrets about what we spent!"
15.One with many generous contributions:
Showtime
"My parents paid, but it was about $7,000. This was in 2013. We only had real flowers for the wedding party, the ones on the tables were fake. No alcohol. My friend made a small cake and some cupcakes for us for free. The food and a couple bigger sheet cakes came from Costco. I made my own playlist, so no DJ. I got a deal on the photographer, because she's my cousin. We had a really fun wedding for 100 people, and it didn't cost a ton, but we were lucky to have family and friends who helped us."
16.The $17K wedding:
NBC
"Our wedding ended up being about $17k, and it was five years ago. Our goal was to have a wedding that was as affordable as possible, while still being large enough for our close family and friends to attend. We also wanted to make sure we had enough accommodations for those people who may have had to travel to come, without going overboard.
It was about 150 people. Getting a venue that was big enough to host those people, that would also allow us to do our own catering (which is always cheaper) was $4k. The bar/appetizers were $5k with one signature cocktail and open beer and wine for the first three hours. The food was $4k — catering from a local bbq restaurant, which left $1k for all decorations, $1k for photographer, $1k for DJ, and $1k for all wedding attire, styling, makeup, etc. for two freaking brides.
Everybody always goes on about DIY'ing weddings to save money, but we found that the stuff that really costs money is the stuff you can't DIY. Trying to host a party for 150 people with wedding prices without asking your friend circle for huge gifts of their time, and space to cook for you, or host you...that's the expensive part."
17.Mountaintop wedding:
Public Theater
"In total, with invitations, attire, flowers, food, liquor, venue, photographer, DJ, and decor, it probably came close to $10k. We got married on top of a mountain, so ski lift tickets for guests, too. The only thing we went over budget for was alcohol at the reception, because it was open bar, and people like to party. But it was fine, because everyone still talks about how much fun it was. Every single person there danced, and it was honestly one of the most fun nights of my life."
18.A Disney dream:
Disney
"We got married in 2015 and made use of a military resort at Disney World through family connections. We had a great ceremony and reception with about 40–50 guests for around $8,000. Neither of us could justify going more expensive than that."
19.A 4/20-friendly wedding:
Facebook Watch
"I think my husband and I personally spent $350. I paid $30 for a dress off Amazon; I bought a pair of Chucks for $30; my husband's total outfit was $60. We spent $25 for the marriage license and $15 for the cake topper. Nothing for the location (ceremony was in the park, reception was at a family friend's house). The rest was spent on bud and smoking accessories (cones and lighters). We packed cones for the guests we knew smoked, and passed out lighters and had a celebratory smoking circle. My in-laws paid for our cake, and we had a backyard bbq. We had a great time!"
20.The 9-minute ceremony:
New Line Cinema
"We spent less than $1,000. We went to Las Vegas and did an Elvis wedding. This included the ceremony, a limo, some pictures, a short video, and my flowers. The ceremony lasted nine minutes. We're celebrating 14 years in October."
21.Humble backyard wedding:
TLC
"Two-thousand dollars for a backyard wedding in 2007. It would have been $700 less, but we rented a big tent in case of rain. It also would have been less if I hadn’t wanted a very specific kind of cake that only one bakery in town was capable of making."
22.Elopement in Hawaii with a reception later:
NBC
"For an amazing 11-day trip to Hawaii where we eloped, we spent $16k. So, $3k for the photography and planner who helped us do this on our day, and a small cocktail reception a month later with 50 of our closest friends and family. It was great! The trip to Hawaii itself was $12k."
23.Simple sit-down dinner:
Bravo
"We spent around $10,000 in 2003. We had a sit-down dinner with 150 guests, a photographer, a DJ — the works. We only did beer and soda for the open bar, but we kicked five half-kegs. It was the best day!"
24.A silent ceremony:
ABC
"Our wedding was $15,000 in 2007. This covered the dress and tux, reception, flowers, photographer, hotel, food, liquor, gift bags for hotel guests, and little table decorations. My sister made our invites and did decorations. We didn't have music. Instead, we all played cards and board games."
25.Pandemic wedding:
NBC
"My wedding was budgeted pre-COVID. All in, it would have been £6,000. We got married at the height of the pandemic, and ended up spending less than £2,000."
26.Wedding in Reno — a family tradition:
Comedy Central
"Here's a breakdown of the costs:
$250 for the chapel
$120 to restore my grandmother’s wedding dress
$200 for the suit my husband still wears 13 years later
$200 for our pastor
$1,000 for hotels for us, pastor, and my in-laws
$100 for gluten-free cupcakes.
So, we spent maybe around $2k. We purposefully chose to go small. I wanted a courthouse wedding, but my husband wanted a BIG wedding. We compromised and invited everyone to Reno. It was symbolic as I then became the fourth generation to get married in Reno, but the first not to elope. Our kids say they plan to make Reno their wedding destinations, too."
27.Intimate garden wedding:
DreamWorks Animation
"We spent around $12k for a small, intimate, garden-themed wedding with 40 guests. I found my wedding dress on clearance, and we did all of the decorations and floral arrangements on our own. The biggest expense was the venue, followed by catering/bar."
28.Golden Corral wedding:
Fox
"The marriage license was $85. Then $15 to change my last name on my driver's license. I got a free wedding dress from a gift card on Amazon, and my husband bought his suit for under $50. Our rings were about $40 together, and we went out to eat at Golden Corral, where we paid $40 for our meals.
In total, we spent approximately $250–$260 dollars. We were absolutely happy with our wedding, considering we're introverts and had our close family there. Plus, we're not really materialistic, either. It was just as beautiful as any other wedding. My mom bought us a cake, and my husband's dad and stepmom paid for the court house which was about $60 dollars."
29.Simple hotel wedding:
Hallmark
"Our hotel wedding lunch and dinner both cost $4k. That was in 2019. The lunch was for 55. Dinner for nine. We stayed at a nice hotel for three nights for my late husband and I, and my parents, and that was $1k. So $5k, excluding the cost of our wedding rings, engagement ring, and honeymoon. My wedding dress was $200, and my husband’s suit was $1.5k, I think. The photographer and videographer were $1.5k.
I think we got really lucky because we held our wedding lunch at a nice hotel with lunch buffet service, so basically, we paid for the whole lunch service from 12–3 p.m. There were no special decorations since the restaurant decor was already fantastic. Then, dinner at a steakhouse in the Hilton was just for our close family with wagyu steaks, wines, and champagne. We never wanted a big wedding to begin with, so we were very happy with this."
30.41 years of marriage after a $30 wedding:
PBS
"Just 30 bucks! It was supposed to be $40, but we were so broke, plus we had to go to the emergency room before the wedding, so the guy took pity on us, and only charged us $30. It’s not about the wedding itself…it’s about the marriage and the love that’s between the two of you. We’ve been happily married for over 41 years now, and we're still in love."
31.DIY wedding with multiple contributors:
Netflix
"Probably about $7K total. But we had some help with DIY stuff. We had it in Sedona, outdoors, along Oak Creek for a party of 50 guests. It included a delicious dinner menu and service. Our total covered the price of my dress, my husband’s tux, decor, and our photographer. My husband made the cake. Decorations were dead flowers we collected, my tea cup collection, and moss. My friend brought their computer and played a playlist we created, and used the sound system supplied by the venue. My mom did my hair and makeup. My mother-in-law paid for our hotel for two nights. Lots of people helped us in the things listed above, so I know that if we had to pay for those things (cake, makeup, DJ, hotel, etc.), it would have cost much more."
32.Low budget, but also lucked out:
Roku
"Maybe, like, $600 in 2017. We had a backyard wedding with 20 guests, where we ordered food from a casual family-owned Greek restaurant. They gave us a discount for paying in cash. We set up and cleaned up everything ourselves.
Dress: $17 at TJ Maxx
Food: $250 and we froze leftovers
Tables and chairs: $150
Alcohol: $150
License: $50
Flowers: free
Photographer: free
Tent: gifted to us
Plus, every time we went back to that restaurant, they would throw in free sides for years. Bonus!"
33.Food truck festivities:
A24
"We spent $20k. We had it at an outdoor park, on the water, with a covered pavilion in my hometown. Since my parents live in that town, the venue was only $1k, compared to the usual cost of $5k. The dress and alterations were about $2k. We had three food trucks (BBQ/seafood, pizza, and Mexican) feed guests, and at the end of it all, it only cost about $2k total. My friend owns a liquor store, and I was able to get all the booze for $1,200 and mixers from BJ's for $600. I got my flowers from Whole Foods — they were beautiful and only cost $800. I didn’t do a wedding cake, instead I made a donut board for $300. Our DJ, photographer, and photo booth came in around $4K.
What cost the most was just the rental equipment for tables and chairs at around $3k. I bought all decorations — mostly homemade things and table cloths, nice looking plastic cutlery, cups, and plates for $2k. We spent $2k on a few days of wedding coordinators and bartenders. We preferred to have a massive party and had around 200 people altogether. At the end, I had about $3k leftover ($17k spent in total) and decided to get party buses for everyone."
34.A whopping $100K wedding:
ABC
"Approximately $100K a few months ago. We had a destination wedding with 148 people. We had also opted to pay for our giant wedding party’s (22 people) outfits and hair/makeup, which added up. We debated having our wedding stateside, but that still would’ve cost upwards of $40–$50K, and it wouldn’t have been our dream wedding. So, we just said fuck it and made it a whole weekend affair. Loved it, worth every penny."
35.Lastly, party before the pandemic:
New Line Cinema
"A total of $14k. We had a destination wedding in Mexico for about 50–60 people. My husband wanted a big party, and I wanted to elope. Ultimately, it ended up being worth it, because less than a month after, the world shut down for the pandemic, and no one could travel for two years."
