Woe is Me!

On my vast quest to find all that I need to know about planning my wedding, I stumbled across Real Simple magazine’s Wedding section online. One of the first sections I noticed, obviously, was the budget section. They have a breakdown for each state of what an average wedding costs today. Upon discovering this, I immediately felt the need to share this information!! It is quite eye-opening. Of course, I’ll only be sharing the TN average cost breakdown, but you can find EVERY state’s breakdown here.

AVERAGE WEDDING COST IN TENNESSEE

ATTIRE: $1,738 – $2,874
Bride accessories: $221 to $365
Groom accessories: $116 to $192
Groom suit/tux: $160 to $264
Hair/makeup service: $116 to $192
Headpiece/veil: $207 to $343
Wedding dress: $918 to $1,518

CEREMONY: $2,002 – $3,310
Ceremony accessories: $129 to $214
Ceremony decorations: $385 to $637
Ceremony location: $451 to $745
Officiate/pastor/priest: $162 to $267
Rehearsal dinner: $875 to $1,447

ENTERTAINMENT: $2,231 – $3,692
Ceremony/reception band: $1,315 to $2,176
Ceremony/reception DJ: $502 to $831
Ceremony/reception musicians: $414 to $685

FLOWERS: $1,402 – $2,320
Boutonnieres/corsages: $122 to $202
Bride bouquet: $105 to $173
Bridesmaid bouquets: $167 to $277
Ceremony flowers: $299 to $495
Flower girl flowers: $34 to $56
Reception flowers: $675 to $1,117

GIFTS AND FAVORS: $705 – $1,165
Gifts for attendant: $326 to $539
Gifts for each other: $263 to $435
Gifts for parents: $116 to $191

INVITATIONS AND STATIONERY: $663 – $1,100
Bridal shower invitations: $69 to $115
Guestbook: $34 to $56
Invitations & reply cards: $294 to $487
Personal stationery: $93 to $154
Save the date cards: $113 to $188
Thank you cards: $60 to $100

JEWELRY: $4,265 – $7,056
Engagement ring: $3,174 to $5,251
Her ring: $640 to $1,059
His ring: $451 to $746

HONEYMOON/PLANNING: $3,474 – $5,747
Honeymoon: $2,556 to $4,228
Bridal consultant/planner: $918 to $1,519

PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER: $2,421 – $4,004
Photographer: $1,402 to $2,319
Videographer: $1,019 to $1,685

RECEPTION: $10,781 – $17,836
Reception beverages/bartender: $1,528 to $2,527
Bride/groom hotel: $192 to $318
Cake: $369 to $611
Cake knife set: $30 to $49
Cake topper: $28 to $47
Reception decorations/centerpieces: $738 to $1,221
Favors: $246 to $407
Reception food service: $5,202 to $8,605
Reception location: $1,691 to $2,798
Reception rentals: $757 to $1,253

TRANSPORTATION: $667 – $1,105
Car rental: $208 to $345
Limo rental: $459 to $760

(source)

Essentially, if you were to spend the maximum mentioned in this budget breakdown, you would spend $50,209!!!!! That’s 4 times my budget. AND, if you were to spend this minimum amount of money calculated from this breakdown, you would end out spending $30,349!!! This is 2 times my budget. Woe is me and the rest of the TN population who is trying to plan a budget wedding worthy of a princess!

C.