How much is your wedding costing you?

[swojdyla]

What travel company is offering you guys free airfare for booking a certain number of people? That is AMAZING!!!

[Manda123]

A lot of Canadian companies like Sunquest and Transat offer free trips when you book a certain number of guests. The trip, mind you, is for airfare and accomodations, so I think it works quite differently from the states where it seems like people book those separately.

 

Transat offered us free trips for every 21 people to book. Right now we are at two free trips and we are using one for my little sister who is still in university and one for my FI's mom who really can't afford the trip otherwise.

 

As far as budget, i've done up an excel spreadsheet to make my estimates and keep track throughout the entire process. My estimate is $18,000. We'll see if we can do it! Part of our biggest cost is that at the resort we chose we need to pay for a private reception if more than 40 people book (which is the case for us). It's pretty pricey! We have to pay $20 a head for guests at the ceremony (12 are free), and about $60 a plate at dinner. It's adding up really quickly! All in all, the wedding ceremony + reception will probably be around $6000!

 

We've been saving since we got engaged last summer and our goal is to have it all paid for before we go. Fingers crossed!

 

Best of luck with the budgeting to all of you
 

Originally Posted by swojdyla 

What travel company is offering you guys free airfare for booking a certain number of people? That is AMAZING!!!

 

[swojdyla]

That's awesome!! God I want to live in Canada! I went 3 years without having health insurance. The thought crossed my mind many times! haha Anyways, My quote includes airfare and hotel stay but they definitely don't offer any deals like that! If anything thing I feel like they make things difficult.  They expected us to put the deposit down for all the rooms we held and it was non-refundable! So we skipped that idea. That is really so great that you can help out your family! I feel like right now it's so hard for me to get an idea of our budget because I really have no idea how many people are coming...it could be 15 or 50! lol I will just have to wait and see. But I must admit this thread is making me nervous! I was hoping to keep in around 12,000....so fingers crossed! Keep us updated on your progress!!!

[JayKay]

It seems things are much different here in Canada compared to the states.  Pretty much everything booked in Canada is a package deal with flights, accomodations, and airport transfers included.  I would be lost if I had to do it all seperatly!! 

 

We booked with Transat as they gave us the best price.  We get every 16th person free, and we are being selfish and using it for ourselves as we both are University students and paying for the entire wedding ourselves. 
 

Originally Posted by swojdyla 

What travel company is offering you guys free airfare for booking a certain number of people? That is AMAZING!!!

 

[celticgirl]

We did the same thing!! I dont think its selfish, If you divided it up between everyone coming, it wouldn't be that great of a discount!! We got 2 free, so we upgraded to the private cottages and are only paying around 700 for the both of us to go now! (the free trips were towards the standard hotel room).  I think it works out! I didnt really have anyone that told me they couldnt go because of price though, but then again I am a university student as well, plus we just bought a house and had a baby! too bad for them lol.

Originally Posted by JayKay 

It seems things are much different here in Canada compared to the states.  Pretty much everything booked in Canada is a package deal with flights, accomodations, and airport transfers included.  I would be lost if I had to do it all seperatly!! 

 

We booked with Transat as they gave us the best price.  We get every 16th person free, and we are being selfish and using it for ourselves as we both are University students and paying for the entire wedding ourselves. 
 

 

 

[SS2012]

hi ladies! i was getting a little worried about our destination budget because i thought it was getting way to high for a destination wedding! i thought it would be much cheaper, but our budget is ending up being around $10,000 which at first i thought was crazy, but now that i've read a lot of these posts i realize its quite reasonable! thanks everyone for sharing all your info

[Mandy1021]

Our budget is $12,000. My Fiance didn't realize how expensive weddings are; he somehow got in his head our budget was $7,000 (We, or at least I had suggested $10,000 in the beginning until I saw the price of photographers and realized we couldn't get a great photographer within our budget. Still have no idea where he got $7,000 from though), and I'm like 'Um no baby that would get us a photographer, and some transportation LoL." He freaked when I said $12,000 as we are also paying for it all ourselves, but I think he's come to terms with it now . I feel like while it is A LOT of money you are only generally married once, and I want to do it right. I don't want to look back and be like 'Man, why did we cheap out on that? Why does that look so crappy? We should have paid the $<xx> more to upgrade it!' I feel $12,000 is very do-able for a nice wedding depending on what it is you want and where it is you're getting married, .

[JayKay]

I guess it just makes me feel selfish for using the free trip for ourselves, but Im glad to see you have done it too!!  Our TA said most people divide it between their group, but like you, no one couldn't come because of cost. 
 

Originally Posted by celticgirl 

We did the same thing!! I dont think its selfish, If you divided it up between everyone coming, it wouldn't be that great of a discount!! We got 2 free, so we upgraded to the private cottages and are only paying around 700 for the both of us to go now! (the free trips were towards the standard hotel room).  I think it works out! I didnt really have anyone that told me they couldnt go because of price though, but then again I am a university student as well, plus we just bought a house and had a baby! too bad for them lol.

 

 

[Evgal]

I budgeted around $12k but I kept things rather simple.  I spent more on our guests (OOT bags, gifts, spa, etc.) and almost nothing on decor.

[luvmoo]

Ours is at about 13K-14K, which is higher than i wanted, however most of that is out actual flight and hotels. My FI and i are going for 2 weeks, and so the total for flight and hotel was 7600.00 , and then our wedding package with all flowers, photographer etc... was basically 5K. and then we have our OOT bags, and dress etc.. that ate the rest hahah...

ad we are having approx. 35 guests.. so really, i think it still works out to be cheaper, being that we get a honeymoon included in this price. I think we would have spent more than that, or maybe around the same amount, just for the wedding, including no honeymoon had we chosen to do an at home wedding.