I’ve read that the average cost of a wedding is around $28k nationally. Being that my fiance and I are planning to get married in the NYC area, and will be paying for our wedding ourselves, I only wish that was the case for us. The average cost in this area is about 2-3x that.

(Yes, that sound was my jaw dropping. It could’ve also been mixed in with the cackles of wedding vendors robbing me blind.)

Well, my fiance and I both really want our wedding here. It’s convenient for our families, and we don’t want to have to plan from afar. So, we’ve set our budget and it’s up to us to really stick to it. It’s been tempting, to be sure, to want to budget a little more here, and a bit more there, etc. Those things will add up though, and while we want a day that reflects the importance of our marriage, we also feel responsible to not be too crazy.

“Marry the marriage, not the wedding.”

That was advice given to us from a married couple. I hope we remember that throughout the planning process.

How were your experiences? Did you end up sticking to your budget? What were the things that put you over that you just had to have?