Actual figures from our wedding last weekend. We are both around 50, and put it on ourselves:
Mesader Kiddushin (an old friend who is a rabbi and was going to be a wedding guest, anyway) – $650
Catering (good food, dairy buffet, hors d’oeuvres and great desserts for 55 – NO WEDDING CAKE (that actually cost extra, since we needed more desserts) – about $4000 with gratuities, etc. — could have done it for less.
Open bar – $150 + 40 gratuity (not big drinkers, my family)
Chuppah – borrowed – $0
Chuppah decorations – from our garden and friends’ gardens – $0
Signage – made ourselves – $10.
Ceremony in public park – permit (not strictly necessary) = $25
Reception in beautiful, new VFW hall – $375
bartender – $75.
Klezmer band – $1000 for a quartet for 2.5 hours (could have spent less, but we liked these guys) + a single clarinetist to play music before and after the ceremony.
My suit – $99 at Marshalls + $35 tailoring. I can use it as a regular business suit.
Her dress – $49 at consignment shop. She dyed it, and will use it again.
Her veil – borrowed
Her shawl (this was expensive) – $69
Champagne – $120 + we will be receiving $36 rebate.
Ketubah – I typeset it myself, had it printed at a graphics art shop — $65. We will have it adorned at a later date by a friend who is a watercolor artist – price $150 (her usual price is $300, but half is a wedding gift).
Transportation – rented a large car for 3 days to shuttle people from airport to hotel to ceremony / reception. $170 – special weekend rates.
We bought other things, such as shoes, etc., that we have now for future use. Tried to buy things we could use in the future.
Photographer – $300 to fly a professional photographer, an college friend of the bride, in for the wedding. All the rest was her (the photographer’s) wedding gift.
Flowers: 3 pots of pampas grass for decor. Cost of flowers added to our tzedekah.
Mikveh – $3 for parking at local pond.
Did I forget anything?
We could have put on a wedding for 100 for very little more – an add’l $45/person for food. The band and hall wouldn’t have cost more, and could have supported 100 people.
Some of our relatives spent a fortune coming across the country to be here — but that doesn’t count towards the total.
We drove all the travelers to and from the train and airport, so we would at least have a dedicated 90 minutes to converse with them, regardless of what happened the rest of the weekend. Made them feel welcome, too.
It was well within our budget, and I am fortunate to come from three (mother’s, father’s and stepfather’s) so that the wedding gifts paid for at least 2/3’s of our costs.
Our guests are still telling us how lovely it was.