As part of our real weddings series, “The Cost of Tying the Knot,” we ask couples to share their real wedding costs with us. It’s part of our mission to inform our Wedding Crashers attendees of the true costs involved in marrying in the NYC region. If you’d like to be a part of the series, take our questionnaire, and we’ll be in touch! You are welcome to remain anonymous, as this couple requested.
Couple:
Bride 30
Groom 31
Wedding Date:
Saturday, Fall 2017
Wedding Location:
Cost Breakdown:
Venue/Food & Beverage $60,000
Dessert $2,000
Florist $6,000
Photographer $3,000 (10 hours coverage + additional shooter)
Ten-Piece Band $10,000
Day of Coordinator $900
Wedding dress $2,000
Rehearsal Dinner $5,000
Post-Wedding Brunch $2,000
Total cost
$81,900 not including wedding dress, rehearsal dinner or post-wedding brunch
$90,900 if you do include them
Friends first
We met in college and were friends for years before dating.
Going big
My husband and I were quite averse to having an extravagant wedding, but our families are relatively big with large circles of friends. When it was clear that our invite number was going to be around 200, we felt like we had two options: have a super tiny wedding with only immediate family and a small luncheon reception, or just go big. It took me a long time to get over how much money the wedding would cost. But I realized I was incredibly lucky to have family and friends willing to support me and my love in this way. In the end, the experience was priceless. Standing in front of everyone on our wedding day and feeling the incredible love and energy in the room was like nothing I have felt.
Our venue
We almost didn’t look at Bowery because it was more expensive than what we wanted to spend. As soon as we walked in, we were pretty sure it was the right venue. The space looked and felt exactly as we wanted it to. It was definitely on the higher end. However, when we ended up crunching the numbers, The Bowery was only slightly more expensive than the NYC DIY-type places that could hold our guest count. Once you add up the cost of bringing in a caterer, tables, chairs, linens, necessary decor, it gets pricey. We decided it would be less stressful at The Bowery because everything was included in the price.
Where we splurged
I really wanted a wedding where everyone danced the night away, so we hired a ten-piece band.
Some bands you have to book through a contractor so there are fees that make it more expensive. We worked directly with the band to keep the cost lower. Considering this is the life of the party, we felt it was worth the money and knew it would be the biggest vendor expense we had.
Also we hired a day-of wedding coordinator, Lara Mahler to take care of the details on the wedding day so we could enjoy ourselves.
Personal touches
We had bags for out of town guests with specialty NYC items.
We built our own chuppah.
Ways we saved
A friend helped us with a discount on invitations and the venue printed menus and programs at no additional cost.
We did not have a videographer. Our photographer did a video of the ceremony and the speeches as part of the package.
Our officiant was a good friend.
If we did it all again…
I might have had a videographer because I want to experience the band again.
Everything ran so smoothly. I had prepared for everything to run late and for things to go wrong and nothing did. It was amazing. I was truly present the entire weekend. It was an unforgettable experience.
