Did your wedding cost more than $70/plate? - Page 2

General » General Discussion

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Did your wedding cost more than $70/plate? (Page 2 of 2)

Posted: 6/27/2024 2:42:06 PM EDT

[#1]

I do not remember what a plate cost at my first wedding's reception. It was a looong time ago.

Posted: 6/27/2024 2:43:01 PM EDT

[#2]

We used my church for free, our pastor didn't charge anything, and a relative did a cake for free. My wife did want a nice wedding dress but that was our only non-trivial expense. Even that was made by a local dress maker that gave us a really nice price.

Edited to add that the reception was just the cake. We probably spent less than $100 on the wedding not counting the dress. We put our money on a honeymoon to the Hill Country of Texas and then off to the UK and Ireland.

Posted: 6/27/2024 2:45:01 PM EDT

[#3]

Totally wedding cost? Dress, rings, tux, hall, food, honeymoon, etc was $10k, 20 years ago. If I recall this wasn’t that extravagant. In WI that open bar is a wildcard and you must have a few extra kegs as backup. Remember the bartender telling me the first keg was kicked….we didn’t even start dinner yet.

Invited 120, not sure how many showed up.

Easily over $70/plate.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:08:22 PM EDT

[#4]

Lord yes. It was around $125 per plate, in 1991. It wasn't expensive, but we had about 75 people there. It was good food a good fun.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:12:13 PM EDT

[#5]

I honestly cannot say how much our wedding cost, because to this day, my father in law will not tell me what the final bill was for the open bar.
We had 175-200 in attendance.
We had open bar from 5pm-6:30pm and two kegs of beer, with cash bar for the remainder.
My FIL decided at some point that he didn't want to carry cash in his tux so anytime he wanted to buy drinks for friends/family he'd just tell the event host "open bar again for another 30 minutes." I believe he did that 3 times.
I didn't know until the 3rd time when my buddy walks by with a tray covered in shot glasses and I asked him "Christ Andrew who are those for?" "Everybody! Bill opened the bar up again!"

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:12:59 PM EDT

[#6]

Line up Boys. Data mining thread.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:15:55 PM EDT

[#7]

I don't recall the food breakdown from 27 years ago but my FIL told me he spent $20K on the whole wedding. We had a catered dinner but the food was bought wholesale and cooked by my family and then served by a youth group we donated to for their time.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:26:49 PM EDT

[#8]

My wedding cost almost as much as the divorce. The next one, if there ever is one, will be zero guests at a courthouse, followed by a byob boat party

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:28:50 PM EDT

[#9]

$105 per plate, 20 years ago.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:28:58 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Did your first wedding reception cost more than $70/plate for invited guests?

View Quote

About $65 a plate in 2018.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:30:11 PM EDT

[#11]

$17/plate in 1996

brisket, chicken, sausage, sides, and pies made by the BBQ caterer.
The caterer’s kids did the serving.

We did it in my backyard in Texas

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:31:10 PM EDT

[#12]

Quote History

Quoted:
My wedding was thrown together in a few weeks in the back yard of a Rabbi. We had about 15 guests and a few of them we had never met before. (You need 10 Jewish men to be present) It was very informal. We had a good but not fancy cake and some snacks.

I think I gave the Rabbi a 1000 dollar honorarium (it could have been 1500)

Which means it could have been 70 a plate.

View Quote

That explains the randos at my mom's second wedding.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:32:02 PM EDT

[#13]

I don't think so... Pretty sure it was about $50/plate. We had a roast beef and a turkey carving station too.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:45:03 PM EDT

[#14]

We had about 30 people and had a backyard wedding, got bbq, and brisket for everyone, also had a jar of moonshine on every table. I think we paid a little under $3k for the whole thing. The only thing we hired out was a photographer.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:46:48 PM EDT

[#15]

I honestly can't remember.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:48:26 PM EDT

[#16]

We had KFC, the entire dinner wasn’t $70.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:50:34 PM EDT

[#17]

No, but it's been a while along with finding a place within reason

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:50:56 PM EDT

[#18]

Total for our wedding was $50 for the court.

Food was maybe $200 total for the small party.

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:53:12 PM EDT

[#19]

Courthouse doesn't server dinner

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:56:26 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Did your first wedding reception cost more than $70/plate for invited guests?

View Quote

Attached File

Posted: 6/27/2024 3:58:57 PM EDT

[#21]

My entire wedding didn't cost $70.

JP one day after work.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:04:40 PM EDT

[#22]

Married in 89.

The reception was at her parents house. Her cousins roasted a whole pig while her dad and aunt made the sides. One of her other aunts who was a professional cake decorator made the wedding cake for us.

I don't know how much it cost but it was damn good.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:12:56 PM EDT

[#23]

Probably less than $200 or $300 spent on our wedding. It's been working fine since 1990.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:13:10 PM EDT

[#24]

About $35 a plate. We had crab legs, halibut, and either steak or chicken for non seafood types, cant remember which.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:26:12 PM EDT

[#25]

My brother's (2006) was $68 a plate, at a hotel, nothing special, pretty good booze.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:45:39 PM EDT

[#26]

My entire wedding cost $5K, split it with my ex mother-in-law. It was her and her daughter's wedding. Beautiful chapel on the ocean, reception where we had our first date, she arrived in a Model T that lost it's lug nuts on the way and was late. We had a photographer and did the wedding cake tasting event. Toast was done by my now dead best friend. We had about 50 guests attending our event. It was majestic looking back.

This was 1992 and cost me a total of $2,500. I earned it all back in gifts and money at the end of the day. My parents gave us $1K in cash to start our new life.

I even came back to add my step mom at the time made my ex wife's wedding dress. It was actually gorgeous, she was gifted. Ex mom had it preserved in a box. I can honestly say after 26 years of marriage and long since divorced I wonder what it would have looked like coming out of that box. I will never know and that is OK, but think about that gift.

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:46:11 PM EDT

[#27]

Nope. Very informal for both weddings

Posted: 6/27/2024 4:52:05 PM EDT

[#28]

Don't remember exact cost/guest, but no. It was much, much cheaper. We ordered Pizza

Posted: 6/27/2024 5:33:43 PM EDT

[#29]

Pregancy test result made things move kinda quick. :)
Our reception was in a VFW. I think $14/plate. It looked like the wedding in The Deer Hunter. No joke.

23 years later, we are still together.

Posted: 6/27/2024 9:30:42 PM EDT

[#30]

We used a popular funeral caterer, figured it seemed appropriate, saying goodbye to my sanity.
So not more than $70 a plate.

Posted: 6/27/2024 9:40:41 PM EDT

[#31]

We had a traditional service up at a mountain lodge.
After the service we rolled up the smokers, tapped the kegs and let the DJ turn it up.
We had Texas style brisket and sausage with all the good side items. We fed 140 people with all beverages for about $8 a person. Way better than any plated meal I’ve had at any other wedding.

Posted: 6/27/2024 9:52:22 PM EDT

[#32]

$100 Check to the church, a frozen Sam's club cheesecake to the pastor.

My brother in law made brisket and people brought food. About 30 people were there.

Posted: 6/27/2024 9:52:59 PM EDT

[#33]

Things do add up, but I think the plates were about $8. We had about 100 in attendance. Various rental was probably $750. Alcohol was probably a bit over $500, Cake was about $250. If you throw in the rehearsal and the dress - I think it was about $3500. So honestly, if you look at it like that - $35 and it was a long time ago.

I guess it depends on how you factor in cost. If you factor in the price of the divorce (not mine), then $100/person is dirt cheap.
---
Stepson got married a couple years ago. We pitched in a little - but I figured if his wife and her mother were planning it, they controlled the budget so most of it would be their expense. I paid for the rehearsal supper. We had it at the KC building, had a local cook cater with their families lasagna recipe. 30 people - probably $750 including the keg. I paid for over 1/2 the drinks at the wedding - but that was insignificant. I think we had the same cook cater that - so the food was not oppressive. But pretty sure they dropped about $50k on pictures, flowers, etc...

Posted: 6/27/2024 9:55:39 PM EDT

[#34]

I think the court cost was $40.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:02:46 PM EDT

[#35]

Never understood the need to spend vast amounts of money on weddings.....
Pastor, some close family & small catered food to match the exact number of people.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:32:16 PM EDT

[#36]

I work in catering. Your plate cost depends on what menu items you chose. $70 is on the higher side of average, but I've seen over $200.

Does $70 per person cover include appetizers or is it just dinner?

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:42:30 PM EDT

[#37]

My "wedding" cost gas money and $200

It's fucking easy if you're just doing it for yourselves. Weddings are the sort of thing that will cost exactly as much as your ego can bear.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:49:53 PM EDT

[#38]

We got married in a very small venue, with my parents, hubby’s father and the couple that introduced us.

We went out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants. It was a chill occasion and we had a lot of fun.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:52:24 PM EDT

[#39]

I don't like waiting for a catered/cafeteria meal to be served at a wedding. A piece of cake and ice cream is all I want, desire or have patience for. The 2 pm wedding sounds like a great idea. Only close family should be hanging around for any significant amount of time.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:54:56 PM EDT

[#40]

I got married in 1997. I have no idea how much it cost.

Posted: 6/27/2024 10:58:39 PM EDT

[#41]

Mine was $58 a plate - but that included full open bar and was on a scenic dinner cruise in Florida. 2008 fyi

Was it worth it? Well im divorced so no

Posted: 6/27/2024 11:07:31 PM EDT

[#42]

Not a chance. Our reception was at our favorite Mexican joint, back in the olden days when Mexican food was cheap.
Now the bar tab...my alcoholic buddies were on their own for that!

Posted: 6/27/2024 11:55:46 PM EDT

[#43]

$20, but that was nearly 15 years ago.

Posted: 6/27/2024 11:59:25 PM EDT

[#44]

Don't know her family paid for it, I was just a bit player.

Posted: 6/28/2024 12:11:27 AM EDT

[#45]

I spent $35 for the cake, $15 for flowers, $25 for the minister, $125 for the photographer and a prof set, we made the finger food that morning, and the beer and wine was donated. The rest was a pot luck event. We got married in our living room and the reception was in the back yard. I wore one of my business suits and wife bought a dress she could wear for other special occasions. There were a 100 or so in attendance.

We have been married 46 years, have three married children that average over $500k a year each. I guess it worked out okay.