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New Hampshire
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New here... budgeting?

purplepaisleypurplepaisley member
First Comment
in New Hampshire
Hellooo everyone! I'm just recently engaged, and this wedding planning stuff is really foreign to me. I've been researching to get an idea of how much things cost, but there are just SO many things to consider.

So my question: Is a 10K budget unreasonable for a "typical" 125 person wedding?

By typical i mean having a fairly nice venue, DJ, photographer and all of that stuff

Any help is appreciated!
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Re: New here... budgeting?

  • purplepaisleypurplepaisley member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Also, can anyone help with the abbreviations? FI, FMIL etc. 
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  • FireDancer04FireDancer04 member
    Fifth Anniversary 1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Welcome and congrats.

    A $10,000 budget is do able for 125 guest list. You just have shop around and set your priorities. The ladies over here are great to bounce ideas off of and get recommendations on vendors.

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  • ericandheatherericandheather
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Just wanted to say welcome and congrats!!
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  • dhdaydreamdhdaydream
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congrats on your engagement! The ladies here are great, so don't be shy!

    I think that what Firedancer said is right on.  It is do-able, but you may need to shop around to find vendors that will work for you.  Good luck and Happy planning!
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  • cg-pm52111cg-pm52111
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    It's doable.  And I'm living proof.  It takes reaserch and you need to pick your priorities.  If you have that kind of budget, you're going to spend the bulk of it on food and the venue.  Then you need to cut costs everywhere else.  You need to be willing to say no to things that might be nice, but aren't really necessary (chair covers, programs, uplighting, floral centerpices, etc.)  Enlisting the help of talented family and friends can also pay off.

    Good luck and happy planning!
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  • soon2bmrs.m-losoon2bmrs.m-lo
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011

    Congratulations & welcome!  :)

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  • Brodie and ChevelleBrodie and Chevelle member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Congratulations and welcome!! I think 10,000 is VERY doable. We are doing about 18,000 for 200 people. Just prioritize and make sure you know what you're willing to spend more money on. It'll all work out!!
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  • JuJuBee1977JuJuBee1977 member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011

    Hello,
    $10k is definitely doable.  Prioritize and keep your budget tight.

    Welcome to the boards

    Jules

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  • mariegramariegra member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Yes, it is 'do-able', but you'll have to resist the temptations that will come with planning a wedding.  The first thing I would recommend is to find a venue that is close to where you live--because in our case, transportation was a HUGE expense and P-I-T-A.  You won't want to spend a huge amount on your dress--there's some beautiful dresses out there under $800, so don't let them start showing you dresses that cost over a thousand, etc.  You may have to live without things like uplighting and chair covers, as previous post indicated--but you can do this.  Your venue will be about 50% of your cost.  Some venues offer packages that roll in the cake, flowers, limo, etc., which can be economical.  Look for a DJ on the lower end of the price range.  Shop around for photographers---you'll probably get sticker shock---I know we did.  If their prices start around $2k+....shop around.  You can find good photographers that are around the $1k-$1.2k range.  You'll probably want to skip video---those are even more expensive that photographers.  Flowers are expensive too---so consider using seasonal flowers.  Flowers such as orchids, roses, and cala lilly are very expensive---so think about others that you can use, or limit the ones above.  Not sure where you're planning your wedding in NH, but there are several of us on here who have priced different vendors across the regions of the state---so if you have an interest in getting some feedback on vendor pricing in any particular area...just ask.  The NH Knotties on here are very helpful.  Good luck with your planning.
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  • purplepaisleypurplepaisley member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks everyone! It's nice to know that other people have done it too. The budget isn't set in stone, but now I know it's possible. 
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  • dls.1215dls.1215 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We planned on a wedding around 125 people and stayed would have stayed within that budget.  Due to a higher than normal number of people that didn't come (we had a LOT of out of town family) we ended up with less than 100 so we were well under that budget.  And we splurged on a few things and cut out others just like the others said.  Once you have your budget, sit down and focus on what things are important to you.  (ie: we were very focused on photography and splurged on that...knowing we had to go cheaper in some places to make it all work)  Also if you have the time/motivation you can do a lot of things yourself (invitations, other paper products etc) which can save a lot of money. And like Firedancer said we are all here to bounce ideas off of and everyone is super helpful!  It is definitely doable!  
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  • chica7484chica7484
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Definitely doable. There are a lot of great vendors that would work with that budget! My bit of advice would be to use The Knot's budget planning tool. It will tell you approximately what you should budget for each part of the wedding you plan on having. Welcome!
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