Now, before we get into numbers, I need to make a huge disclaimer. I don't think these numbers necessarily reflect the average cost of the type of wedding that we had. I begged, borrowed, and nearly stole to get things to be as cheap as possible and I got really lucky with some of the deals I got, like my wedding dress. These prices reflect contracts I made in early 2008 and the prices for everything are likely to be higher now (perhaps much higher), especially for creative services like photography, videography, and hair/makeup. I also got discounts on a few things in exchange for free publicity via this blog.
Finally, Kyle and I skimped on a lot of things to make room in our budget for others. We didn't have a cake, we didn't have real flowers, we didn't have a rehearsal dinner, and the bride wore flip flops. So, before you look at our final number and say "I can do that!", remember that there's a lot of hard work and compromise that doesn't show up on this list.
So, without further ado, here are the final numbers for our Disney wedding:
All costs include tax and gratuity.
- Bride’s Ring: $1500.00
- Groom’s Ring: $1260.00
- Wedding Pavilion for Ceremony: $2662.50
- Officiant: $300.00
- Pre-Reception at Whitehall Room for 55 guests: $2950.05
- Reception at Grand Floridian for 55 guests: $4082.31
- DJ for Reception: $1500.00
- Photography (digital files, no prints): $1950.00
- Videography (digital files, no editing): $546.35
- 142 Homemade Invitations w/ postage: $640.00
- Wedding Newsletter #1 w/ postage: $18.00
- Wedding Newsletter #2 w/ postage: $18.00
- Bridal Party Newsletter w/ postage: $10.00
- Guest Information Packets w/ postage: $245.00
- Programs for 55 guests: $7.00
- Wedding Dress: $265.00
- Bride Shoes: $5.00
- Bride Earrings: $8.00
- Veil: $10.00
- Hair/Makeup Trial: $100.00
- Wedding Day Hair/Makeup: $140.00
- Groom Tux and Shoes w/ delivery to Pop Century: $130.00
- Wraps for 5 Bridesmaids: $10.00
- Ties for 11 Groomsmen/Bridesmen: $85.00
- Flowers for Wedding Party: $150.00
- Flower Girl Basket: $4.00
- Baby Bridesmaid Wand: $6.00
- Reception Centerpieces for 6 tables: $93.00
- Placecards and Table Numbers w/ holders for 6 tables: $10.00
- Guestbook: $28.00
- 5 Bridesmaid Gifts: $50.00
- 11 Groomsman/Bridesman Gifts: $25.00
- Parent Gifts: $130.00
- Activity bags for kids at reception: $20.00
- Flight to Florida for Planning Session/Week-long Honeymoon: $461.00
- Hotel for Planning Session/Week-long Honeymoon: $602.00
- Estimated food/extras for Planning Session/Week-long Honeymoon: $400.00
- Flight to Florida for Wedding Week: $650.00
- Hotel for Wedding Week: $519.72
- Estimated food/extras for Wedding Week: $200.00
- Bridal Minnie Ears: $20.00
- Groom Mickey Ears: $20.00
- Thank You Cards: $40.00
- Two At-Home Reception Books: $56.00
Total: $21,926.93
Oh, busted! I ended up going about $2000.00 over. I could make excuses here about how the rings shouldn't count (or at least my ring) because that wasn't part of the wedding planning and how I included the honeymoon costs, which were $1,463, and arguably that shouldn't have been included either. So, if I cheat and take off the things that were Kyle's responsibility (ring and honeymoon), then really I end up with a budget just under $19,000. But, you guys are smarter than that and you know that Kyle's money and my money isn't coming from two different places. It's all one big pot and that pot took a $22,000.00 hit when we decided to have a Disney wedding.
That being said, we both agree that it was the best $22,000.00 we've ever spent. In fact, there are a couple of additional things we would have splurged for, looking back, because it was such an amazing experience and we'll never be able to do it again. I won't tell you to break your budget if you really, really want your Disney wedding, because that's irresponsible. I'll just tell you that we aren't sorry at all that we broke ours. It was definitely worth it!
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4 comments:
Thanks for sharing! I think you guys had an amazing wedding for what you paid!
Thank you for putting your budget out there--it's very helpful. You did an amazing job with the money you had!
Thank you for being so honest and for allowing us to see your budget and how much you spent. I know money is always a touchy subject especially when you don't have a lot of it, but I seriously appreciate the inside look since we need to be as thrifty as you guys were. Congrats on having a dream wedding without going into serious debt!
Thanks! It's so helpful seeing real numbers from real weddings.
You did good on your budget!
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