Do you ever feel like wedding budgets are some kind of insider club that everyone, except you, knows about? We hear you! Which is why we've launched our real wedding budget breakdown series. We're taking all the mystery and stigma out of wedding spending, and sharing how real couples splurged and saved on their big days. Today's couple are both 28 and from Dublin, they work in marketing and finance, and got married with a cool city wedding in the capital.
Note: While many of the images shown are from real weddings, they're not taken from the real wedding detailed in this budget breakdown.
Budget: €13-14,000
Guests: 80
Venue: A theatre space for the ceremony and reception and a restaurant for the after-party
Wedding Budget Breakdown
Venue Rental: €2,000
Catering: €5,000
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Photography: €1500
Videography: €300
Flowers: €350
Decor: €200
Rentals: €500
Props & Styling: Done by a friend as a gift
Stationery: €150
Wedding Cake: €200
DJ: Done by a friend as a gift
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Wedding Dress €900
Groom's Suit: €300
Shoes & Accessories: €100
Hair & Make-up: €150
Rings: €400
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Accommodation: €350
Gifts: €100
Miscellaneous: €1000
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Honeymoon: €3-4,000
More or less than you expected to spend?
A little more but we were underestimating the miscellaneous extras that added up!
Where did your wedding budget come from?
Mostly from savings, as well as gifts from our parents.
Biggest Splurge?
Our biggest splurge was definitely the catering! Because we used an external caterer, we had to rent all the cutlery, plates, kitchen equipment etc which added about €1,000 I'd say.
Biggest Savings?
We saved on accommodation by having a Dublin wedding - we did treat ourselves to a hotel for our wedding night though instead of going home. We also saved by not having a formal bridal party. We also chose a videographer and photographer through family and friend recommendations who were great, but just starting out. It was a bit of a gamble, but thankfully it paid off for us - they did an amazing job and it was a fraction of what we would have spent on more experienced suppliers. But this is not something I'd recommend unless you have solid recommendations like we had.
Honeymoon
We waited to go on our honeymoon until the following year and went interrailing - Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam and Berlin.
Were you happy with what you spent on your wedding?
Yes - considering the size of the wedding, we were pleased with what we ended up spending. If we could do it again, we wouldn't bother staying at a hotel with a city wedding, especially in December! It ended up being really expensive for the amount of time we spent in the room!
Any Tips or Advice?
Know what you want to do before involving other people and their opinions. If you do and don't want to do certain things, stick to your guns especially at the end of planning - that's where the money disappears!
Need more wedding budget real talk? We've got lots of tips and advice, and be sure to check out more real wedding budget breakdowns.
