Luxury Weddings

What is your budget?

1356

Re: What is your budget?

  • Just wanted to say - I'm right outside of NYC. Our budget is 35k. It can be done! 
    Also right outside of NYC, also with a budget of $35k.  I'm not sure whether to count myself on the "luxury" board completely, but I think our wedding will be pretty luxurious.  Beautiful view of Manhattan skyline, very formal historical venue, and I'm really stoked for the food.  We'll be hosting about 160.

    But I feel that a lot of things are still outside our price range.  It scares me that this much money is considered average in my area!  It feels like a lot to us.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    image

    "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  • @lschwar2 @katwag We probably could start a club lol I'm feeling the pain too. Our initial budget has already proved to way too conservative and it started out at 6 figures. We were by no means delusional but it all adds way quicker than you expect. We also have a massive guest list which isn't helping.
  • Our budget was about 85K than some things came up and we decided to reno the kitchen this year so we cut it too 40K. Which at home would be an average wedding when you have 150 people attending. So we decided to move it to Vegas where you get more bang for your buck than at home and do an expensive/luxury wedding, we are coming into it at about 36K for 55 people (close friends and family only). I couldn't imagine the prices in Chicago!
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • My FI parents have offered to pay and gave us a budget of $100,000. I ABOUT FELL ON THE FLOOR. I love luxurious things but I also love a good bargain. Still have a long ways to go in my planning, but I think we will actually spend around $50,000-$75,000. Our location is booked and will cost $28,000- $30,000 for 230 people including all food and sweets, open bar, cake and all linens. My dress is ordered and cost $1438 before alterations. My shoes were $60 at DSW. My veil was $2 (yes $2), thank you ebay. Why spend a fortune on something I will only wear for a couple minutes. I'm making the bridal party/mom's jewelry which cost $150 (5 bridesmaids, 3 mom's and myself). Invitation were $1000. And I still had to put them together myself. I try to save and look for deals where I can, so I can splurge on special things like flowers. FI shoes were only $20. I had to special order his vest ($120) and ties ($25 each) for the dad's/brother to fit our wedding theme. Still have $15,000 to spend before we hit 50k, with photography (videography will be a gift from my brother), flowers, band and transportation to go. I think we can do it. Fingers crossed!! :)
  • KatWAG said:
    @lschwar2 I feel your pain. We spent about 125-130k on our wedding in Chicago. Not including rings, honeymoon, etc. And I felt like plenty of vendors were outside my budget. What is your venue? Why is it mediocre?
    @KatWAG thanks for empathizing!  Our wedding is at the Fairmont in Millennium Park.  It's nice, but FI and I have been to 3 weddings at the Four Seasons and 2 at the Ritz Carlton in the past year, so just by comparison ours is going to feel much less extravagant I guess.  Where was your wedding? 
  • lschwar2 said:
    KatWAG said:
    @lschwar2 I feel your pain. We spent about 125-130k on our wedding in Chicago. Not including rings, honeymoon, etc. And I felt like plenty of vendors were outside my budget. What is your venue? Why is it mediocre?
    @KatWAG thanks for empathizing!  Our wedding is at the Fairmont in Millennium Park.  It's nice, but FI and I have been to 3 weddings at the Four Seasons and 2 at the Ritz Carlton in the past year, so just by comparison ours is going to feel much less extravagant I guess.  Where was your wedding? 

    The Four Seasons and the Ritz do put on beautiful weddings, but I am sure yours will be great. I got married at a church in Lincoln Park and had my reception at the Harold Washington Library. I had my hopes set on the Shedd but it didnt have any days except to Saturday before Easter, so we passed :(
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • KatWAG said:
    lschwar2 said:
    KatWAG said:
    @lschwar2 I feel your pain. We spent about 125-130k on our wedding in Chicago. Not including rings, honeymoon, etc. And I felt like plenty of vendors were outside my budget. What is your venue? Why is it mediocre?
    @KatWAG thanks for empathizing!  Our wedding is at the Fairmont in Millennium Park.  It's nice, but FI and I have been to 3 weddings at the Four Seasons and 2 at the Ritz Carlton in the past year, so just by comparison ours is going to feel much less extravagant I guess.  Where was your wedding? 

    The Four Seasons and the Ritz do put on beautiful weddings, but I am sure yours will be great. I got married at a church in Lincoln Park and had my reception at the Harold Washington Library. I had my hopes set on the Shedd but it didnt have any days except to Saturday before Easter, so we passed :(
    Very cool!!  I don't think I've been to any weddings that haven't been at hotels.  I bet the library was amazing!
  • $45-50k not including rings or honeymoon for 60 guests for a US destination wedding. We wanted luxury which means having a smaller guest list.
  • kara5617kara5617 member
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    edited February 2014
    lschwar2 said:
    KatWAG said:
    lschwar2 said:
    KatWAG said:
    @lschwar2 I feel your pain. We spent about 125-130k on our wedding in Chicago. Not including rings, honeymoon, etc. And I felt like plenty of vendors were outside my budget. What is your venue? Why is it mediocre?
    @KatWAG thanks for empathizing!  Our wedding is at the Fairmont in Millennium Park.  It's nice, but FI and I have been to 3 weddings at the Four Seasons and 2 at the Ritz Carlton in the past year, so just by comparison ours is going to feel much less extravagant I guess.  Where was your wedding? 

    The Four Seasons and the Ritz do put on beautiful weddings, but I am sure yours will be great. I got married at a church in Lincoln Park and had my reception at the Harold Washington Library. I had my hopes set on the Shedd but it didnt have any days except to Saturday before Easter, so we passed :(
    Very cool!!  I don't think I've been to any weddings that haven't been at hotels.  I bet the library was amazing!
    I love finding other downtown Chicago brides! We're getting married at the Swissotel. The Shedd was one of my dream locations... But between the cost and lack of availability, I knew there was no chance. :(
  • @kmullis Yay, more Chicago brides! Are you have your reception on the top floor ball gown? IMHO, it is one of the best views in the city! When are you getting married?

    I also looked at the Field Museum. It was 20k just to rent the space (which was the most expensive I found). I didnt need a dinosaur in my pictures that badly.

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • @lschwar2 We went to a wedding at the Fairmont last summer and it was really nicely done. We stayed for the night too and were impressed. My fiancé is in hospitality so for him to be impressed is good :-) 

    I think that's a great location and you shouldn't compare it to any other hotels. I've also been to weddings at the very high end hotels where the brides didn't have a good taste level and they ended up coming off really tack despite the price tag.
  • Not a chicago bride, but recently at Chicago wedding (and it's my fav city).  Reception was at the Allerton hotel---views were pretty good there too. 
  • @jells2dot0 I need more Scottsdale help! I am going with some girlfriends in April. Any suggestion for day spas? I have a house in DC Ranch so we will be mostly in North Scottsdale but i am willing to drive a bit farther for a great place. Any ideas?

    PS. Have you tried the Henry yet? Camelback and 44th. I was there 2 weeks ago and the cheddar poppers changed my life.

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I have not been to Henry. I'm stuck down here in Tucson, but good to know about the poppers! Cheese pretty much rules my life.

    I have spent some time at the Agave Spa at the Westin Kierland. That is borderline North Scottsdale (Kierland Blvd and Scottsdale Rd.) The Fairmont is also close by, as is the Four Seasons.  The Boulders has an awesome spa as well and it's a bit closer than Kierland or Fairmont. Another spa that isn't related to a resort is Dolce. That is a little closer to downtown Scottsdale, though.

    The development we live in is the same as the DC Ranch developer! It would be funny if we had similar homes!

     







  • @KatWAG YES!! The top floor reception area is what sold us on the venue.. It's gorgeous and the perfect size for how many guests we wanted! August 23rd... Still 6 months away, so I feel like I have plenty of time. :)

    Very excited to find you and @lschwar2!
  • @alm&mdm is also a chicago bride. We should get together for drinks!
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • I am curious - what do you all consider a luxury wedding ? I am in Orlando, Florida and although I am getting nice things and vendors, I wouldn't consider my wedding a platinum wedding or even luxury, our budget is around 50K and that jumps up to 65K if i include my engagement ring.
  • I am curious - what do you all consider a luxury wedding ? I am in Orlando, Florida and although I am getting nice things and vendors, I wouldn't consider my wedding a platinum wedding or even luxury, our budget is around 50K and that jumps up to 65K if i include my engagement ring.


    The problem with all of us listing how much we spent, it that location and number of people invited are a huge variables.

     Luxury (to me) is when no expense is spared for guest comfort. It doesnt matter if you have 15 guests or 500. Its designer dresses, top self liquor, multiple courses for dinner, tons of flowers, etc

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • KatWAG said:
    I am curious - what do you all consider a luxury wedding ? I am in Orlando, Florida and although I am getting nice things and vendors, I wouldn't consider my wedding a platinum wedding or even luxury, our budget is around 50K and that jumps up to 65K if i include my engagement ring.


    The problem with all of us listing how much we spent, it that location and number of people invited are a huge variables.

     Luxury (to me) is when no expense is spared for guest comfort. It doesnt matter if you have 15 guests or 500. Its designer dresses, top self liquor, multiple courses for dinner, tons of flowers, etc

    THIS. I know I made sure my guests were as comfortable and well taken care of as possible- top shelf bar, martini bar, full multiple course meal, extensive cocktail hour, various forms of entertainment, paid parking, day after brunch, etc. I don't know if I'd lump in flowers or dress, but that certainly does make sense to an extent. I know I didn't have "ton" of flowers, but for anyone who knows me, that makes sense. I'm allergic to most flowers, my ceremony and reception sites didn't need much in the way of extra decor, and I'm just not a very "girly girl" I made sure that the arrangements I did have were of top quality.

     







  • I am curious - what do you all consider a luxury wedding ? I am in Orlando, Florida and although I am getting nice things and vendors, I wouldn't consider my wedding a platinum wedding or even luxury, our budget is around 50K and that jumps up to 65K if i include my engagement ring.
    I'm in Orlando too! I think it all depends on how many guests and where you have it. $50k at Disney is totally different than $50k at WPFM. Where are you looking at? I work in hospitality (Rosen grad!), PM me if you need any help or references.


    imageimage



  • I am so jealous @JCG4206.  I wanted to go to Bora Bora so much.  But our wedding is getting out of control.  Our budget was $20,000 and it looks like we are spending $23,000 or maybe even a little more if the guest list increases.
  • edited March 2014
    I am so jealous @JCG4206.  I wanted to go to Bora Bora so much.  But our wedding is getting out of control.  Our budget was $20,000 and it looks like we are spending $23,000 or maybe even a little more if the guest list increases.


    I'm not sure what type of HM budget you'll have left, but there are a lot of other islands in Tahiti that are just as awesome but a little less of a hit on the wallet. You can also look into the Cook Islands! I was just in Aitutaki this past April and it was GORGEOUS!!! I was also in Bora Bora again this past October and it was beautiful, as always, but the other islands I stayed on were also very nice and very special. I've been to almost all of the main South Pacific destinations!

    edit- spelling

     







  • KatWAG said:
    I am curious - what do you all consider a luxury wedding ? I am in Orlando, Florida and although I am getting nice things and vendors, I wouldn't consider my wedding a platinum wedding or even luxury, our budget is around 50K and that jumps up to 65K if i include my engagement ring.


    The problem with all of us listing how much we spent, it that location and number of people invited are a huge variables.

     Luxury (to me) is when no expense is spared for guest comfort. It doesnt matter if you have 15 guests or 500. Its designer dresses, top self liquor, multiple courses for dinner, tons of flowers, etc

    THIS. I know I made sure my guests were as comfortable and well taken care of as possible- top shelf bar, martini bar, full multiple course meal, extensive cocktail hour, various forms of entertainment, paid parking, day after brunch, etc. I don't know if I'd lump in flowers or dress, but that certainly does make sense to an extent. I know I didn't have "ton" of flowers, but for anyone who knows me, that makes sense. I'm allergic to most flowers, my ceremony and reception sites didn't need much in the way of extra decor, and I'm just not a very "girly girl" I made sure that the arrangements I did have were of top quality.
    Absolutely this.  We are sort of "luxury on a budget:"  I think we'll come in around $35k.  But we made sure to have top shelf open bar (and there's a wine bar there with sommelier on-site, yay!), amazing food, paid valet parking, etc.  I'm much more concerned about whether my guests have a fabulous time than whether I have Pinterest-perfect burlap decor.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    image

    "I'm not a rude bitch.  I'm ten rude bitches in a large coat."

  • I'm quite similar to the above luxury-on-a-budget.... Or as I like to call it, paying-reasonable-amounts-for-things. I don't think luxury is defined by paying way too much for things.

    We are doing 30 people, 40k. Private villa in Italy with staff, Michelin starred chef, stylist, strings and DJ.
  • Original budget was 25,000. But that's gone up once we realized that doing what we wanted (i.e. reception venue that allowed us to go to 2 a.m., the food we wanted, etc) that was amended up to $40,000. We have 250 people invited. 
    image
  • Our budget is around 130k and we are hoping to have 250 people in attendance. We are trying to make sure our guests, especially those from out of town, are well taken care of. Since all of you ladies here are having fabulous weddings, do you ever get snide comments from people in regards to how luxurious your wedding is? I am well aware that my wedding will be different from my friends and I never share  how much things are (sans the budget on here), however people seem to feel free to suggest the wedding is "too fancy". How do you even respond to that?
  • I've been getting a lot of snark lately even though no one knows my budget. But they have snide things to say about decisions we've made. I've just taken to telling people "my money, my wedding." It's kind of mean of me but I'm really frustrated and still have many months to go so I'm over being nice anymore.
  • alm&mdm said:
    I've been getting a lot of snark lately even though no one knows my budget. But they have snide things to say about decisions we've made. I've just taken to telling people "my money, my wedding." It's kind of mean of me but I'm really frustrated and still have many months to go so I'm over being nice anymore.
    This is mostly just jealousy because they realize they couldn't afford what you have. Taking the higher road is the best way to handle it. 
    image
  • alm&mdm I find it's best not to mention the price of things - luckily no one I know has asked. Having to justify your decisions to others is so rude and controlling of them! 
  • I'm really careful about not discussing costs. I don't think it's anyone's business but my fiance's and mine. We are paying for almost the entire wedding so it's really not needed to discuss. My mom knows how much my dress is because she really wanted to help pay for it and my mother in law to be knows how much our welcome bags will be because she wants to purchase them for us. But that's the exceptions.

    I just have had a couple girlfriends grill me about plans. We have another set of friends marrying like 2 weeks after us so everyone is getting curious. The last big comment was that I shouldn't have a dessert table and do favors bags because "it's too much" and "I'm trying too hard" Those comments are tough because there's a reason why we are having a sweets table and I don't want to throw a dinky favor at people. Its not out of trying too hard. I just want to be an awesome host. I grew up in Chicago but my home life was very a traditional Southern belle upbringing so proper hosting is in my blood. 
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards