Here's something for all you newlyweds to ponder. When I was married about 17 years ago, my parents gave me the choice of spending $ 15,000 on a wedding, or having a very small inexpensive wedding and using the bulk of the money for a downpayment on a house. We chose the latter and had a small but very nice wedding on my in-laws lawn. We paid for a Bermuda honeymoon ourselves. We have managed to parlay that downpayment into a large amount of equity in our home. If we sold it today, and paid off the mortgage, we would walk away with about $ 700,000 in cash. I think we made the right choice by not wasting all that money on an expensive wedding. Just some food for thought.

What a hoot! "X" was a struggling student willing to "settle" for a $5000 dress and beach wedding in Hawaii! LOL! <BR> <BR>I would have told my parents I was having no part of a wasteful, impersonal 500-guest affair that they couldn't afford. And yes, if your parents make $100,000, a $50,000 is out of their range unless they have old money, and you indicated that they did not. So if that makes me judgmental, so be it.

No I am not the Internet Police, I am merely an interested observer. I am helping my daughter with the planning of her wedding and I always find these wedding site and budget threads interesting so yes I read them. However, I hate it when they get off topic and turn into wars. I am genuinely interested in the cost of a disney wedding and would like to see the thread get back on pace. I don't have any thing to contribute beause I have no idea of the cost of a disney wedding though they sound nice and that is why I have been following this thread. Actually, we live outside of Charleston and my daughter is thinking of pulling up to the wedding in one of the horse drawn carriages. We are investigating having the whole thing in an old Southern Mansion but are always looking for ideas on WEDDING PLANNING not judgments on amounts spent.

Just an observer, Perhaps you would find more support and advice on wedding planning on a website for weddings, rather than travel. I don't know of any but maybe someone else has some suggestions.

My childhood dream wedding gown was on sale for $225 (had been $325). People got tears in their eyes when they saw me. And 7+ years later -- out of the blue -- someone will mention how beautiful it was. <BR> <BR>One thing you learn constantly at Fodors . . . to each his/her own. <BR>

No Bleeding heart, Smart Girl! I too paid $ 200 for my gown at a model's sample sale, it was a $ 2000 dress and it was gorgeous. IMO you have to be very rich or very stupid to spend $5000 on a dress!

$200 dress equals cheap mass-produced gown made of manmade material such as satin or maybe even nylon or polyester blend! Bought off the rack at a discount store with thousands of the same dress out there. <BR> <BR>$5000 dress equals real raw silk not off the rack, specially made to your measurements, hand-beaded and maybe one of a kind. Usually a tiemless style that can be stylish for years and the resale value is enormous! <BR> <BR>You choose, to each his own!

are you going to take your monkey?

Hey X did you ever think your parents spending the 50k on your wedding wasn't for you, but for them so they could impress their friends, co-workers and relatives?? You let them have their way, what does that say about you?? You are a Stepford Child incapable of making decisions, standing on your own two feet and cutting the apron strings with your parents! I really feel sorry for the poor guy you married! Then again, he's a lawyer now so he is probably calling all the shots and you do what you are told like a good little Stepford Wife.

Havng been divorced 3 times, I think Disney is the perfect place for a wedding. <BR> <BR>Afterall, anyone who beleives that marriages are blissful are living in <BR>FANTASY LAND!

Fashiondesigner, <BR>FYI, Satin IS made from silk. My $ 200 dress was made from peau de soie, the finest dressmaking silk and was handstitched. I agreed to model it in a fashion show for free so they sold me the $ 2000 dress for $ 200. Many large bridel shops sell sample size 8's on a regular basis for a fraction of the retail price. I suggest prospective brides look into it. <BR> <BR>So you see Fashion Designer, a $ 200 dress does not necessarily equal polyester and inferior quality. My sister chose a very simple, elegant white silk dress (not bridal gown) on sale at Saks for about that price and looked fantastic at her wedding, without spending an absurd amount of money and not looking like cinderella on top of it. (Assuming you don't want to look like cinderella, but if you did, you'd probably want your wedding at Disneyworld anyway...)

Back to the original topic . . . There is no average Disney Wedding. Disney does simple weddings for 2 or outrageous events for 2000. Disney Fairytale Weddings are advertised in all the Wedding Magazines such as Elegant Bride, Modern Bride, etc. I can see where an intimate wedding at Disney maybe appealing or if you live in the Florida area, but I would imagine if you are planning a full scale affair from out of town, it would be expensive as Disney would overcharge I'm sure for acccomodations and food. At any rate, go to the site www.whollymatrimony.com It is an authoritative spot for destination weddings and has a whole section devoted to Disney Weddings. I agree destination weddings are much more popular these days and think this is attirbutable to several factors including what someone posted earlier about people being more spread out and having to travel anyway. Also many marriages are a second or even third and these people prefer not to have a white church wedding (I wonder why?) Also the idea is that a wedding is your own personal statement and celebration. It should be unique not a cookie cutter of every other wedding.

Back to the original topic . . . There is no average Disney Wedding. Disney does simple weddings for 2 or outrageous events for 2000. Disney Fairytale Weddings are advertised in all the Wedding Magazines such as Elegant Bride, Modern Bride, etc. I can see where an intimate wedding at Disney maybe appealing or if you live in the Florida area, but I would imagine if you are planning a full scale affair from out of town, it would be expensive as Disney would overcharge I'm sure for acccomodations and food. At any rate, go to the site www.whollymatrimony.com It is an authoritative spot for destination weddings and has a whole section devoted to Disney Weddings. I agree destination weddings are much more popular these days and think this is attirbutable to several factors including what someone posted earlier about people being more spread out and having to travel anyway. Also many marriages are a second or even third and these people prefer not to have a white church wedding (I wonder why?) Also the idea is that a wedding is your own personal statement and celebration. It should be unique not a cookie cutter of every other wedding.

I just saw a news story about a couple who was celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary by asking friends and family to contribute their time and money on a habitat for humanity house. The husband was brought to tears with the way all their friends and family came from the far corners and contributed so much for the family with 5 kids who would be the beneficiaries of the house. It makes you wonder if the couples who spend horrendous amounts of money on these huge affairs will ever get that kind of perspective.

No, they never will understand that helping others is much more important than an expensive wedding.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion about wedding costs. How much should a wedding cost? Jewelers would like the prospective groom to spend two months salary on the diamond engagement ring. Should the wedding cost three months salary? Six months salary? How about twelve months salary? I know that some people would use a justice of the peace, and others spend millions, but is there a rule of thumb if you don't want to appear cheap?

Bobcat, I have never heard of a "rule of thumb" for wedding expenditures. And if there were, whose salary would you base it on? brides? grooms? parents? All three? I think you should spend what you're comfortable with. We spent a fraction of what we had available to spend, choosing to use most of our savings for a house. I've known couples to spend everything they had plus everything they could get from their parents - just on a party that lasts one day and the couple will barely remember because it goes by in a blur!

I intended to get married at WDW. I was not planning on having an extravagant affair with the expense some people on this board talk about but was planning the Disney Intimate Wedding which is for up to 12 people with one price. We were going to have parents and siblings only outdoors at the gazebo on the boardwalk. We were hoping to celebrate this special occasion with our closest family and spend 3 days at Disney with wedding on final day and after, husband and I would have some alone time on disney 4 day cruise for honeymoon. Our immediate families thought this was a great idea but the extended family was opposed. They thought we were being selfish by not inviting them. All along we were trying to make things easier (and cheaper) for everyone and not even try to get people to fly to WDW for wedding and they were still mad! We ended up having a wedding at a historic home and gardens in my parents hometown and went to WDW for honeymoon. We are happily married 3 years later, but the point is wedddings always cause a stir and you can never please everyone. have the wedding you want whether at WDW or somewhere else. That is not selfish.

Keep spending all your hard earned money at WDW! I have expensive homes to maintain in Aspen, the Swiss Alps, Paris, Hong Kong, the Caymans, Bermuda and Minnie desperately wants to redecorate everything! So all you middle -income and upper middle income people--KEEP SPENDING! You all have such pathetic lives. Meanwhile, I am LMAO all the way to the bank....

Topping for Leila!