Budget

We initially set our budget for $16K, but we already blew that out of the water so here's our new expected budget for 28 adults (including ourselves) and 3 children (ages 1, 5, and 7).

Accommodations for a week for everyone - $14,000

Welcome dinner 1st night - included in accommodations

Breakfast every morning for all guests - included in accommodations

Dress/Tux - $2000 (including alterations)

Wedding & Reception (chapel, cake, & bouquet/boutenniere incl.) - $6000

Fireworks show - $2400

Musicians - $800

Photographer - $2500

Pastor/Officiant - $650

Hair/Makeup (Bride & MOH) - $500

Airfare (U.S to France, London, Amsterdam and back)- $3500

Rings - $3000

Invites & STD's - $300

Wedding Favors/OOT gifts - $200

Transportation (Train, Taxi, Car, etc) - $500

Honeymoon accommodations - $1500

Total = Just under $38K for everything (haven't thought about AHR but will do backyard bbq)

Am I forgetting anything??

In the begining, I was really good about keeping a spreadsheet of all the items I purchased for the wedding. Needless to say, I got lazy and never kept up with it. So I'm sure I spent way more....but here is the acounting of the big stuff. Here's the damage:

Maye Cortinas (bus rental for Pub Crawl, vases, flower arrangemnts for ceremony, sparklers, Trio, Screen/projector, DJ Ricardo, Fun & Motivation rentals, firedancers, etc.) : $4,843.30

Photographer (Juan Carlos Tapia) : $5200

Videographer (Sam Perches) : $1800

AA Flowers : $780.00

Dreams bill (Welcome dinner/ceremony/reception for 87 adults) : $6090

Total: $18,713.30

Wow I'm so jealous of some of u budgets make my little $6K look like chopped liver ..lol

Just kidding but I have to live after we come back....I would love to have a big wedding just couldnt afford it thats why we choose to do it this way instead of paying $15k or more.

We are also traveling with 3 kids...

Wow.....you guys are princesses. Our budget is really low compaired. Here's what I got so far:

Invites/STD: $200.00

Dress: $300.00 (no alterations yet)

Groom Attire: $60.00

Travel: $2000.00 (including honeymoon)

Photographer: Free (Friend of the family - but a professional)

Destination Reception: $300.00

OOT Bags: $350 for 20

At Home Reception: $500.00 (BBQ style)

DJ for AHR: $300.00 (Got a deal, we are friends with a local radio station DJ)

Total: $4010.00

Man I feel so cheap now!

ahhh this is the unavoidable! my FI and I have been doing a good job putting our expenses in excel. here's what we've got so far:

- roundtrip airfare from San Francisco to Cancun for 11 people (me, FI, my parents, and his parents, sister, hubby and 3 kids): $3,960

- roundtrip airfare from TX to Cancun for my sister, hubby, and my niece: $1,432

- me and FI's 1 week stay at Moon Palace Cancun and also deposit for our group rate: $2,600

- personalized monograms: $30

- photography (7 hours) and TTD in Cenote and beach in Riviera Maya: $7,500

- engagement photography: $500

- bodouir photography: $900

- my Rivini couture wedding gown: $6,000

- my Vera Wang veils - $550

- my TTD dress: $700

- my dress rehearsal dress custom designed by Monique Lhuillier: $2,300

- flower girl's dress: $120

- STD cards and evelopes: $130

- wedding website: $60 for a year

- FI's tux: FREE (promo special with purchase of my gown)

TOTAL SPENT SO FAR: $26,782

what i haven't included: alterations, postage for cards, invitations, wedding program fees at the resort, honeymoon (Tahiti and Bora Bora).

how are we getting by? both of our parents gave us $20,000 to help pay for the wedding. we've already exhausted the $20,000 so the rest of the cost we'll have to pay for ourselves.

i still think this is way cheaper than if we were to do our wedding at home. our choice was the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay for a cliffside wedding. that would have made our wedding total close to $100,000 with all the details we want. we wouldn't have settled less for a wedding location at home. it was either the ritz or a mansion/chateu in napa valley.

having a DW will allow me to have all the details without paying the price i would pay here. PLUS we'll get to have a 1-week vacation with our loved ones while at it!

memories are priceless =)

Even though my wedding is far away. I thought i'd post my current budget, but things could change later on by costing less or more.

Our guest list is only 14 people

Rings: $2,000

Dress: Free (my aunt is making it for me for my wedding present)

Grooms Attire: $160

Music: Free (if FI's dad can get the band he knows in order) Otherwise it'll be an MP3 player set up to speakers.

Invites/STD's: $50

We have our budget set at $8-10,000 so hopefully we won't go over that.

Here is what we're working with right now, but it is still fairly fluid:

travel and accomodations for FYI and I (one week at Majestic; honeymoon week at the Excellence): $6,100

Wedding package with resort: $1,750

Private Dinner after ceremony: approx $2,500 (depending on # of guests)

Renting Parrot Bar for private reception after dinner: $600

Sound system rental: $300

Flowers: $900

My dress: $2,000

His clothes: $900 approx? (I have NO idea how much men's wedding attire costs??)

My bridesmaids dresses: $800

Subsidizing portion of trip for certain VIP guests (e.g. parents, best friend): $4,000

Photography: $1,700 (this is just the cost of her trip - her services themselves are free!)

Invitations: $650

Favours: $600

Okay I'm not even adding this up! lol Wayyy too much money being spent here, I think I need to do some corner cutting! And that's not even including our bands, which together will cost $4,000.

Wow! I have to find a paper bag to breathe into now... lol

I don't even want to think about it...

AHR- $7,000-including liquor and food

Photographer- $2,000 (friend)

Cakes- $700

Dress- $375 (steal)

Wedding in Mexico- $2,000

Favors- $500

My FI and I's trip to Mexico- $5,300

D.J. AHR- $500

Accessories-$500

My Ring-$15,000

Gosh...we still have to buy Wedding Bands, Invitations, FI outfit, my shoes...yada yada yada...so much for my dad's budget...

Great Budget info and spreadsheet layout!