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What Does a Wedding Cost?"What does a wedding cost?" an innocent young voice asks me over the phone. As a professional wedding florist, I've heard this query from many young brides as they struggle to set a budget. Many are overwhelmed right from the beginning. If you truly want to set and stay within a budget (realistically), you need to do some heavy duty planning and researching.
Number One Mistake - to begin buying before you begin planningYou can't tell me there isn't a bride out there that just as soon as the engagement is announced she isn't itching to get out there and look for bridal gowns. And bridesmaid dresses. And flowers. And caterers. And . . . well, you get the point! Although it isn't really very romantic, the very first thing this couple needs to do is sit down and try to hammer out a cost effective budget. If parents (or someone else) is involved in helping with the financial end - they need to be included. Talking this out before you write one single check makes you much more conscious of how you shop. Why look at $3,500 designer dresses if you can only afford $900? That seems harsh, but no couple should start out a new marriage struggling under the burden of paying off a massive debt from their wedding day.
Budget CalculatorThere are a lot of great sites out there with advice on setting budgets. Check out the Wedding Budget Calculator by eHitched - Planning Made Easy. There are a lot of good tips and practical advice packed into this site. Later, when someone asks you "How much does a wedding cost?" you will have a smile on your face 'cause you know you shopped for bargains!
Average Wedding CostsThe statics below were published in one of my florist trade magazines. 
Now while you are recovering from sticker shock, let me remind you. This is averaged figures of floral costs. From the very high end costs (you know, those endless shows showing a bride saying "I won't go a dime over $70,000 for my catering bill!") down to reality in Everytown, U.S.A. You know what? Your final cost is going to be lower - because you are already shopping and looking how to cut costs just by being here on this website.
Cheap Wedding Ceremony and ReceptionThink a cheap ceremony and reception will look tacky? Far from it. We saved a great deal of money on my daughter's wedding cost by shopping carefully. See some pictures from her wedding. (Sorry, Tracy, for calling your wedding cheap!) 
This gorgeous, mind-blowing Cinderella wedding gown cost over $1,800. Uh . . . originally. I bought it off of E-bay for $238.00 plus shipping. How's that for shaving down a major wedding cost? Now I didn't find it overnight. There was a lot of e-mailing back and forth between my house and Michigan before she settled on a dress. But when I saw it - I knew instantly she would love it. It fit like a dream - except for the length. (I also lucked out that Grandma altered the hem). She and Daniel had the wedding at this breathtaking bed and breakfast in Alton, Illinois.
See Jim and Sandy's lovely establishment at
The Beall Mansion
for a vacation or wedding you'll always treasure. I cannot say enough good things about how we were treated when arranging the wedding. Included in the rental was a honeymoon night in the room that Tracy dressed in! See the massive four poster feather bed pictured below.)
Want to know what is special about her? She charges only for her time and turns the film over at the end of the evening. You own your negative and reprint rights to all the photos. (See her site at 123smile.net By the way - both of those lovely girls on her front page are my daughters! Other photographers aren't happy because Sharon sells her services this way. But it is good for any bride in our area! So check around - see if you know any good local photographers who are willing to give more for less. They may not be the ones with the big impressive studios - but they sure pack a punch when it comes to savings!
Save on the Rehearsal Hall - Is Alcohol Necessary?Now, I will say we saved a lot of money on the reception hall because we did use the banquet center of our church. (Note: alcohol is not an option at most churches - so if this is important to you look elsewhere to hold your reception.)
Check out Local Restaurants - Even If they Don't Advertise Catering!Now - because we weren't locked into a specific caterer because of the hall - we were able to look around. Know who we chose? A local "fast food" Italian Restaurant (Fazoli's in Alton, Illinois) that Daniel and Tracy had had their first date at! Sitting down with the manager, we were shocked that they offered to cater for around $5.50 a plate (excluding drinks and salads)! Everywhere else was averaging $9.00 or more a plate. Since we were allowed to buy our own soda, tea and coffee - you can imagine how we saved on the wedding cost of food! This manager brought the food into our hall - COOKED IT THERE! and served it piping hot! The guests were raving about the huge meal and wonderful taste. My point is to find out how much a wedding costs everywhere else doesn't mean YOUR wedding has to cost that much! Bargains are to be had in the least expected places if you only look around. We shopped (again) on E-bay for the bridemaid's dresses. We spent a little over $5,000 for this wedding (including bridal gown, bridesmaids, tuxes, $1500 for Beall Mansion, $1000 for feeding 175 guests, $1000 for over 800 pictures and negatives, and probably some other expenses I can't remember off the top of my head. The point is we shopped, bargained, traded services and did a lot of the labor ourselves - especially the flower arrangements and decorations! I sold a lot of this stuff later and recouped some of my costs. I want you to be able to look your fiance in the eye and say "How much does a wedding cost? Well, Baby . . . you're gonna love me!"
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