Weddings... [Archive] - SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum

Viney

19-02-10, 08:20 AM

AS cheap as you want them to be mate. If you go the full sit down meal, white wedding etc, then yeah about £10k+. Mate got married for £3k. that included the rings and everything.

I know its 'her' special day, but if you love each other it shouldnt matter if it costs £3k or 10K its the sanctomony(sp?) of marrige that counts.

Triv650

19-02-10, 08:26 AM

Simple registration is pretty cheap. Not that many prefer them over white weddings.

Bri w

19-02-10, 08:30 AM

Did the Registry version last time, followed by a big bash. Preferred that to the full white ensemble the first time with a formal sit down afterwards.

Triv650

19-02-10, 08:36 AM

@ Bri

That sounds like a better mix actually :D Usually get bored at wedding sit downs afterwards, and at the beginning as well :D

Drew Carey

19-02-10, 08:39 AM

It CAN be done cheaper, we had a full sit down wedding following after church, with all the bells etc. Lily chose the dress she wanted with no comprimise, we had nice cars etc etc. In total, excluding honeymoon, we kept it below £6.5k.

We managed to save money by getting my mum who has years of flower and cake knowledge to do those. Invitations we made ourselves, as we did with the place settings and table decor etc. The main area we cut down was the venue, we managed to find a hotel not far from the church which was struggling for business and has been for some years, but one which the location and decor were nice. We paid £30 per head, for the meal, including drinks. Most hotels charge between £45 -£80 for the same package.

It can be done, but you need to look at what you guys can do yourself or get a family member to do.

TC3

19-02-10, 08:51 AM

Up to you what you want really. In our case we did the Sandaks resort combined wedding/honeymoon in St Lucia, just the misses and i and then had reception parties in both USA for her family and over here for mine. Was around 5k if i remember right but worth every penny in my eyes.

Amanda M

19-02-10, 08:54 AM

It can be done dead cheap. Ours was. We had a registry office do then a party back at our house for immediate family and close friends only. No point inviting relatives you never see. Family sorted the food and pics of the big event, my bruv chauffered us in our car and we provided the essential bit - beer and fizzy wine (lots of...) ;) My dress was made to measure and cost ~£200, the flowers were fake but gorgeous and our rings weren't dear ones. The day after we hired a pub to have a party for all our mates and a mate DJ'd for us. All in all it must have cost about a grand including the honeymoon and honest to god we had the best time in the world. It all felt dead personal and special, which is how it's meant to be. You don't have to spend a fortune at all.

:D

timwilky

19-02-10, 08:55 AM

We got wed on the cheap, registry office, 2 sets of good friends, and very good meal after at the local golf club. No family.

Only problem was when we arrived at the reg office, one of Lynne's sisters and her dad were waiting there. I had to borrow some extra money off my best man and phone the golf club for a couple of extra seats.

Everything was to a budget, we knew exactly how much we had to spend and a couple of gatecrashers nearly wrecked our day.

These days she says she wants to renew our vows. I think just for a party afterwards that she never had.

We never even had a honeymoon, picked the kids up from school and tell them mum and dad have just got married.

Daughter used to work at a local hotel/posh function suite. She is full of poo and tells me she isn't going to have less than a 30 grand wedding. Seriously who would spend so much. I would rather give my kids the money towards a house deposit than waste it on a **** up and one time frock/flowers etc.

missyburd

19-02-10, 09:17 AM

Heard of a couple who got married last year for the grand total of £400! Bought everything off ebay lol. With the right friends and family I should imagine you can get it done very cheaply :)

dizzyblonde

19-02-10, 09:22 AM

Heard of a couple who got married last year for the grand total of £400! Bought everything off ebay lol. With the right friends and family I should imagine you can get it done very cheaply :)

Thats pretty good!! However YC would still think that were far too much money:p

Quedos

19-02-10, 09:23 AM

the average wedding in scotland now coast 17.5K - as a girlie i would rather have that as a deposit.
BUT i do have my wedding planned in my head (sorry IP) To me it the quirky things that make the day
I've seen the dress (http://18thcenturycorsets.smugmug.com/Bridal-Gowns/empty/41697_XMQh8/2) i would love but at 4.5k I won't be getting it unless i win the lottery.
whenever you are shopping about try not to mention the word wedding that puts extra on straight away
Try and use friends and family if you can - that can be their gift to you. If people are wanting to buy gifts - put a list together of what you would need - my friends have have money put on gift cards to pay for suit hire/flowers/ marquee hire and holidays as they had already lived together for 5 years and didn't need anything. They did ask for nothing to be bought but people fely uncomfortable with it.
Set your budget and stick to it and don't be afraid to haggle and look around and play venues off each other.
best way is for both of you to write down what your ideal day would be then sit down together and see what you have in common. take that and then roughly price it and from that you can then work it down into your budget.

or run away and get married then have a huge party afterwards.

Think I'd be any good as a wedding planner??

wyrdness

19-02-10, 09:34 AM

Weddings these days seem to be an industry designed to extract as much cash as possible from the couple. I really can't see the point of spending a huge amount. When we got handfasted (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handfasting) we didn't spend a great deal, even though we had a meal for 70 friends (and minimal immediate family). Mrs Wyrdness's dress was made to measure by a dressmaker in Canada. We were going to Canada anyway for a holiday, so we emailed her rough measurements and then visited the dressmaker for the final fitting. Even just flying to Canada and having the dress made to measure would work out a lot cheaper than the £5K that some companies are asking for ready made dresses.

lily

19-02-10, 09:35 AM

Matt, if you want I have the excel document at home on what we budgeted and what we actually spent!

As drew said, we had the big white wedding (ok my dress wasn't white) and it came in at 6.5k.......

one thing I would say which is what I pulled drew up on... is be tough on the guest list..... we had 80 people in total and that was with people cancelleing, however drew would sit at home and say can we add so and so and so and so..... we also went with a later sit down meal and a small token evening buffet to keep that cost down.

Some venues say you need to have an evening buffet or pay a room hire charge (go with whatever is the cheapest) just pre-warn guests if there is no evening buffet.

O and as a must.... have the day you two want! Not the one your parents want! Don't let anybody change your minds.... it is your two's day!!!!!

Edit it on the dress thing: My dress was £850.... veil £200 and head dress £150. My head dress i have worn to some other weddings we have been to..... don't buy the veil from the dress shop.... find out the one that is wanted and find it online!

Tara

19-02-10, 09:44 AM

we got married in a Hotel in the lake district with family and friends i had 7 bridesmaids and a page boy a hot buffet, dj, photographer the whole thing came to 5K first time round my wedding was a church jobbie with a 3 course meal then buffet at night that cost about 15K

it can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it, shop around for bargains, i still have my spreadsheet if you want it

454697819

19-02-10, 09:52 AM

13k... and still paying it off and we didnt pay for all of it !

oh and personally id do it all again and spend more, the best day of my life without a doubt.

Triv650

19-02-10, 10:01 AM

So long as you don't have one of those wedding planners that ensist on crystal chandeliers and gold threaded table covers. Or do they only exist in the movies :D

krhall

19-02-10, 10:02 AM

We hardly spent anything as we didn't have anything to spend...10 years later and we are renewing our vowels in Antigua, just us and that is costing much more than the first time and I have to wear a linen suit!

krhall

19-02-10, 10:04 AM

Everyone had a great time at ours, conversly a couple we know just spent £30k+ and there was a massive punch-up and the bride spent the evening in the toilet crying!

-Ralph-

19-02-10, 10:18 AM

This wedding cost about 5-6k, all in, rings, dress, honeymoon (same time as the wedding), the lot.

The wedding was during a 5 star all inclusive holiday at an Iberostar in the Dominican Republic with first class flights, paid £2400 for both of us (my mother was a travel agent, recently retired). The wedding package was all provided and arranged by the hotel and cost £600. Our DVD and photo package cost £300, which at that rate for a few hours work makes the photographer one of the richest guys in town.

Wedding day guests come for a one or two week holiday which they pay for.

We had a wedding reception in a hotel when we got back for extended family and friends which cost about £2k.

We had a beautiful, fantastic wedding which I'll never forget, and IMO I have been to weddings in the UK that were just as good, but they cost £20k.

Sandrine's dress was a end of season designer bargain, bought in the winter for £600 which the same summer would have cost £2.5k, my wife chose the one she wanted from a full page advert in one of the wedding magazines, then went on the hunt for it.

It's only stupid expensive if you do it in rip off Britain (where you can pay £6k for the bloody photographs!) and don't shop around and use your head.

Rings commissioned to order in the Birmingham jewellery quarter where you basically pay a price per gram for the materials used, plus a fee for having them made, basically almost done at cost for the same as what the high street jewellers pay, then charge you 400% margin. From memory Sandrine's ring cost 600 quid and is insured for 2.5k.

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/IMG_9830-1.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd82/colinbal4/111_1144.jpg

Littlepeahead

19-02-10, 10:19 AM

Me and Stu in our jeans, at the courthouse in the small town of Baldwinsville, Syracuse, New York State. We made the maximum donation allowed to the Baldwinsville County Sheriff for her time (which goes to charity) and that was $75.

It was spur of the moment as we were out there visiting an old friend who'd emigrated to the USA, he was our witness. It was snowing, -14 degrees and we said our very brief vows outside on the bank of the river.

We told everyone, including our parents, a few weeks after we got back and didn't bother with a party.

So a wedding for under £50, and I have never regretted doing it that way at all.

kellyjo

19-02-10, 10:35 AM

My wedding was the two of us, our ten month old daughter and 4 guests at Kendal Registry Office, followed by a pizza! With so few of us it was very intimate and emotional., a very special day, and cheap.

Shame he turned out to be such a w***er!!! :-(

martianskippy

19-02-10, 10:47 AM

...they don't work out cheap do they

:smt103

Should have thought about it before you popped the question, shouldn't you ? ;) ;) ;)

Seriously speaking though, you're lucky you're not from a traditional Polish family, where a small wedding would be 60+ guests, with all the trimmings and an additional after party day when you invite the family members staying over + other peops who did not make it to the main guest list.. In the part of Poland I come from, you are also supposed to provide 2-3 different types of cake which is distributed amongst neighbours, at work (yours and your parents) etc.
I could go on , and on, and on about all the slightly weird (and expensive) traditions we do but I don't want you thinking that Poles are even weirder than you already think we are ;)

One thing to take into consideration is that it is believed that the brides family should pay for all the food, invitations, etc, whereas the groom is responsible for the transport, the band and most importantly - the booze (which can actually cost quite a lot at a Polish wedding - ask Jambo) ;)

consider yourself lucky sir :D

Graciepants

19-02-10, 10:48 AM

my parents set up wedding funds for me and my sister when we were born (its very old fashioned in an incredibly adorable way) which i just found out about as my sister got engaged on christmas eve.
my parents are gonna foot the entire bill, and its probably gonna end up being atleast £10k as they want to get married this august (they are insane) and last minute bookings are 5k and above for receptions, which i think is ridiculous as his parents havent offered to pay for anything what so ever, and hes 34 and not paying anything!
most places are around £50ph for food too!

lily

19-02-10, 10:51 AM

could always try this site http://www.whirlwindweddings.com/

RichT

19-02-10, 10:56 AM

I feel your pain (or should that be anguish) Matt. Kerry and I got engaged just before Christmas and have been to a couple of wedding shows since. Some of the costs are simply stupid.

We won't have a huge budget either, but then we don't want a "show", just something nice that we'll treasure. Seems to be the best thing to aim for in our opinion.

cuffy

19-02-10, 11:27 AM

You should try divorce mate, even more expensive :-s

Tiger 55

19-02-10, 11:31 AM

We had a beautiful, fantastic wedding which I'll never forget...
If your single don't get married...
Ahem. Anyway, since we were in Las Vegas on holiday, we thought we'd get a pink Cadillac to the Graceland Wedding Chapel and have an Elvis wedding. Including rings bought at a casino, flowers, photos, video, Reverend Lovejoy and dinner at Denny's there was change from £300.

If you're not there on holiday of course you'll need to add flights and accommodation, bringing the price up to about what you're thinking of spending on a cake. ;-)

Messie

19-02-10, 11:37 AM

I'm in the middle of planning my daughter's wedding. Luckily she wants the unusual rather than the expensive.
We've found beautiful dresses in the sales and hats as well! We're hiring the grand room in the Town Hall for 2 hours, which includes the ceremony and it'll be champagne for all there then back to my for a garden party (that's goingto be the expensive but - I've got to get the garden landscaped). Food and flowers all done by friends.
The next day loads of us are packing our tents to stay in a field in the lake district for a 'festival' pagan type of event. The field is on a farm belonging to the groom's family.

I'm paying for most of it - her father disappeared years ago, pratt!

amnesia

19-02-10, 11:50 AM

Wedding organisation is a real pain if you want it to be 'your' day. BUT it is worth it.

We found that all the venues we looked at said the same thing "Come to us for you perfect day, tailored to your requirements - providing you have it the way we tell you to have it." All the venues we looked at first stipulated their caterers, their DJ's, their menus, their everything.

We ended up basically hiring a converted barn for the ceremony and a sailing club for the evening because we had complete control and choice of everything but the weather.

Total cost was about £13k but we pushed the boat out in lots of ways...

Suit hire - £750
Mini-moon - £300 (few days in York)
Honeymoon - £5k (3 weeks in china)
Dress - under £1k by quite a lot
Photographs - £250 (by two friends...got over 300 photos. 200 printed at 9x7, the rest at 5x7)
Ceremony venue - under £2k (sit down meal for 50, table wine, champagne, 8 b+b rooms)
Evening venue - (£350 + £800 buffet + £200 DJ + £500 band - we decorated it ourselves)
Cake - £350 + £250 for toppers - but they were amazing and worth every penny)
Rings - about £750 (Claires was custom made white gold, mine was cheap Platinum!)

Thats just a few of the outgoings. Add to that invites, table place cards, ballons, gifts, disposable cameras, thank you cards...the list goes on and on!

Biker Biggles

19-02-10, 12:09 PM

19-02-10, 12:20 PM

Anne and I were married in her home town - Falmouth, Cornwall - 23 years ago. We had about 70 guests I think. Of them, we are still in touch with about 15 - 20 tops I'd say. Time moves on, and your friends change. We have moved home five times since then, lived in four different places, and it's very hard to keep up with everyone.

If we were getting married again, I would do low cost, invite only a handful of people who have stuck with us through some really good times and some really difficult times, and too bad if anyone's upset by their own unrealistic expectations.

muffles

19-02-10, 12:39 PM

I can't remember/don't know all the details but the cost was about $20k - just over £10k at the time - split between us and the wife's parents. Plus £2-3k for honeymoon (paid by us), IIRC. Was an evening Saturday wedding with about 80 ish people, I think?

Best get saving Matt!

Mej

19-02-10, 12:50 PM

i have been engaged for a while now, and i wanna get married but the cost does seem pretty high, would like to do it in the US, Orlando maybe.

i would hope to do it for less than 10K not inc honey moon, which hoefully will be a little road trip and bora bora. we will see.

imo its more of the womens day as it is usually the kind of thing they dream off when they are little, i would be happy with anything really.

fastdruid

19-02-10, 01:08 PM

Its not cheap, I don't even know how much ours cost (her parents both organized most and paid) but we spent 1k on the rings, £500 on suits and £2.5k on the honeymoon (VIP tickets to the Catalunya GP + a weeks holiday, car hire etc).

For those that know it we had the wedding at the Arrow Mill, on a Sunday[1]. ;)

http://www.fastdruid.co.uk/albums/OfficialWeddingPhotos/thumbs/640x480DSC_0242.JPG

It was the best party I've ever been to though.

Druid

[1] Although my wife upset some bloke who offered her a ride round the car park on the back of his bike when she said out that she'd rather ride it and that was her bike over there... :)

wyrdness

19-02-10, 01:22 PM

fastdruid

19-02-10, 01:38 PM

That's funny, you don't look Druish :D

Lol, nothing to do with druids or anything related, its a nickname from Uni that I kept on using.

Druid

Alpinestarhero

19-02-10, 03:29 PM

Thanks guys for the replies :) I just want it to be a special day, some place where it lends itself to good pictures and good memories, somewhere we can go back to and relive the day we got married

FD....a wedding with a honda V4 included....well, my dads NC looks pretty tidy ;):D great idea!

amnesia - thats what we're finding aswell. We want lots of variety of food, english and cypriot. But not everywhere wants to cater for that :( When my sister got married in cyprus, she had a small ceremony out on the hotel lawn, then after pictures and drinks we went to a local restraunt...amazing food, really really wonderful time. She had a big party back in the UK :D

Maybe we should think outside the box a little :)

Mej

19-02-10, 03:31 PM

amnesia - thats what we're finding aswell. We want lots of variety of food, english and cypriot. But not everywhere wants to cater for that :( When my sister got married in cyprus, she had a small ceremony out on the hotel lawn, then after pictures and drinks we went to a local restraunt...amazing food, really really wonderful time. She had a big party back in the UK

thats kind of my plan, small ceremony abroad, and a party when we get bk.

Alpinestarhero

19-02-10, 03:41 PM

thats kind of my plan, small ceremony abroad, and a party when we get bk.

It worked out great...everyone paid for their own flight and hotel, we all got a 10 day holiday, and everything was really nice. And no akward moments having to talk to family members you havn't seen for years :lol:

rpwoodman

19-02-10, 03:45 PM

I (we) got married in a big church in London, followed by the reception in a livery hall. It cost a bit (all paid for by ourselves) but we thought it worth every penny, and we still get people saying how nice a wedding it was.

That was the first one. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weddings I had were a little different. Only kidding... :-)

But I've been to others that were done on a tight budget and had a great time - if the people mean something to you, you'll enjoy their day.

barwel1992

19-02-10, 03:55 PM

my cousin's cost £15k :smt103 and was way over the top, why not get a vegas wedding :D

fastdruid

19-02-10, 03:57 PM

FD....a wedding with a honda V4 included....well, my dads NC looks pretty tidy ;):D great idea!

This is where we held ours
http://first4gear.com/bikemeets/arrowmill.html

We rode to (and the next day from) the wedding, we wanted to do big (750) and little (400) V4's but I hadn't managed to finish rebuilding the VFR so took the TDM I had at the time which was way too scabby to be in the pictures, that's why there is only the one. Oh and a helicopter.

Er and a plane.

Oh and some swans and cygnets.
http://www.fastdruid.co.uk/albums/OfficialWeddingPhotos/thumbs/640x480DSC_0217.JPG
None of which we arranged, they just turned up

Druid