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Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!

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Victoria76 Posts : 1 Registered: 2/28/10
Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 12:06 PM

Just read this article and the Bridal Association of America estimated that an average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!

Can you believe it? The article breaks down a lot of the costs and includes things like the honeymoon, engagement rings, wedding favors, etc -- still seems like a lot.

http://ezinearticles.com/?True-Cost-of-a-Wedding&id=4082025



wedding_expenses , wedding_favors , wedding_ring , virginia , costs
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MsDenuninani Posts : 3,963 Registered: 3/16/07
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 1:05 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

That's higher than I would have expected, as I thought that the average was still somewhere between 27,000-32,000, particularly in light of the recession. However, that was not including engagement/wedding bands and honeymoon, so I guess it makes sense.

As many will probably note, this varies significantly depending on where you want to get married. Getting married at a church hall in Nebraska is going to be a lot less than a hotel ballrom in New York.

But, even taken that into account, I still think that this figure inflates the average in one significant way for everyone -- average costs of weddings typically are generated by surveying vendors. But if a bride and groom are hiring vendors, then they automatically are paying more for a wedding from the get go.

In other words, if you're buying a white dress from Macy's rather than going to a bridal salon, and you're haing your Aunt Stacy make the cake instead of going to a professional baker, and you're using your ipod instead of hiring a DJ, and your cousin is taking your photographs, then your wedding is going to cost significantly less than if you were paying vendors to do all those things. But that stat would never reflect your wedding, because there are no vendors to survey. This is what bugs me most about so-called average wedding costs, and why I always take them with a grain of salt.

__________________________________________

"I'd hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, or insanity, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S. Thompson

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CheetahAngel Posts : 2,017 Registered: 11/29/08
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 1:14 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

Yup, weddings can be pricey. There are lots of ways to minimize the cost of a wedding if the couple decides to. But if a couple does indeed have the money then good for them to throw a $38,000+ wedding. It varies between couples and how much money they have. Personally I don't know how anyone can spend that much money on a wedding unless their parents are rich and helping them pay for it. Now-a-days it's hard just to live from paycheck to paycheck let alone spend so much money for just ONE DAY.

 

                           
                                          CIMG7482-1.jpg picture by CheetahAngel81

 

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wedding_ring , wedding_expenses , wedding_favors , connecticut , virginia , october_2010 , costs
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alymar Posts : 100 Registered: 3/2/10
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 4:25 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

ouch! That is more then I am making in a year!
Friendship is a wonderful base for love...
When is my wedding
Wedding Ticker from WhenIsMyWedding.com

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MrsS2010 Posts : 336 Registered: 5/25/09
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 5:00 PM Go to message in response to: alymar

I can see how that WOULD happen but only if a couple was completely relying on vendors for every single thing instead of doing things themselves. I think a lot of brides are going the DIY route nowadays not only to save money but also to add more originality to their wedding. Ugh, regardless - I would never spend that much money on one day lol.

december_2010 , wedding_favors , wedding_ring , oahu_3079 , wedding_expenses , july_2010 , virginia , costs
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VänTillBruden Posts : 353 Registered: 1/16/10
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 5:46 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

One of the PP's is totally right in saying that you have to take stats like that with a grain of salt. You can get a radically different number depending on who you poll (vendors or brides?), where you poll (the South, the Mid-West, New York metropolitan area, or Hawaii?), and what kind of businesses/brides you're polling (high end, expensive weddings that you would see on Platinum Weddings, or DIY brides who might be featured on Offbeat Bride's homepage?)

In the end, what the "average" wedding costs shouldn't matter to anyone but the people who make up those statistics. If you can afford to shell out $38,500 for a wedding, fantastic! I'm beyond thrilled for you. But does that mean that if I only pay $4,000 for my wedding, that it's any less of a wedding for it? Not a chance!

Love me when I least deserve it, because that is when I need it the most. (Swedish proverb)

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BrighterThanSun... Posts : 854 Registered: 10/17/08
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 13, 2010 6:31 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

I hope that couples don't look at that number and think that, that is a standard that their wedding should be compared to.

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MsDenuninani Posts : 3,963 Registered: 3/16/07
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 14, 2010 12:30 PM Go to message in response to: BrighterThanSun...

BrighterThanSunshine, that's what worries me when I see "average" wedding costs quoted all over the place. People look at that, and then think that's how much they need to have to get married.

And it's just a big self-fulfilling prohecy, because they save 30-40K for a wedding (or get money from their parents), under the idea that that's how much they "need".

And who does this benefit? The Vendors -- who are the people being quoted in the first place.

__________________________________________

"I'd hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, or insanity, but they've always worked for me." Hunter S. Thompson

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FmF Posts : 106 Registered: 8/19/09
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 17, 2010 6:39 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

Wow, I wish I had half of that for my wedding!


Future Mrs. Fransen

 "From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls that are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being."
--Unknown

california , wedding_expenses , costs , virginia , wedding_favors , august_2010 , wedding_ring
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AngeArmani Posts : 56 Registered: 3/29/09
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 21, 2010 8:39 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

heh, brings back a lot of memories

 

All the best,

Angela Armani.

My very own personal blog! It's all about cake toppers! weird huh?

http://ultimateweddingtopperguide.blogspot.com/

Please do! I'm interested in your thoughts!Laughing

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hljanes Posts : 57 Registered: 12/31/09
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Apr 29, 2010 12:00 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

Our budget is just under that, not including honeymoon or engagement ring, but including everything else. FH's parents are giving some, which will enable us to put some money toward honeymoon. We're far from wealthy, but we do pretty well and we're fortunate enough to not be suffering in the economy. About half our budget is the reception, which is being catered with an open bar, in a venue that doesn't allow us to bring in outside food or liquor. We're having the wedding in Baltimore City, and unfortunately, our venue is on the lower end, price-wise, and I've looked at a lot of places in the area.

We aren't doing anything ourselves - neither of us has time in our schedule to do that, and all of my family lives several hours away so there's not a lot of help available. It's costing us extra, sure, but I think it'll be worth it in the end.

And for the record, I'd love to find a good photographer at $2300.

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Rylan Posts : 23 Registered: 1/12/09
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: May 24, 2010 12:22 AM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

My husband and I had a very personalized wedding, but we never got to submit our wedding cost to those that compile the stats. This is probably because most parts of our wedding were done by us or by friends that we hired. All told, ours ran around $5000.

My sister had an absolutely gorgeous, but simple, wedding for less than $1000 (it may have been less than $500).

The least expensive wedding I know of cost $26. (This was done back when marriage licences in Texas only cost $26.)

None of these weddings are included in the "average cost of a wedding" statistics. As stated by prior posters, take the stats with a large grain of salt.

---------------------www.brides.com---------------------


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AprilJo10 Posts : 10 Registered: 3/4/10
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: May 24, 2010 1:16 PM Go to message in response to: Rylan

It very much depends on what part of the country you are in. We just started looking for venues and already had to move up our anticipated budget. With around 150 guests (FH has a huge family), we'll need $9,000 minimum just to feed them. And that's at a very reasonable venue. Many venues I looked at were ranging between $60 and $70 per guest (food and cake only), up to $150 per guest (wedding package including linens, champagne toast, place cards, etc.).

To keep it at $5,000 in our area, and still invite everyone we want at our wedding, we would need to rent a VFW and order pizza.

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JenniferWillson Posts : 2,083 Registered: 9/12/12
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Sep 19, 2012 4:06 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

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swichwang34 Posts : 1,473 Registered: 9/13/12
Re: Average wedding costs a whopping $38,500!
Posted: Dec 6, 2012 7:27 PM Go to message in response to: Victoria76

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