Cost of a Wedding

The below entry, has put things more into perspective for a wedding. At least for my case. Here's the blog entry from financecents. You can refer to his blog on www.financecents for other information.

A modern wedding can be broken down into:
1) Wedding Package - this includes wedding gowns, studio and outdoor shoots, wedding albums and wedding cars.
2) Wedding Bands - rings the couple put on each others’ fingers after saying their vows.
3) Solemnization - ceremony of saying your vows, exchanging rings and being married by a Justice of the Peace.
4) Videographer & Photographer - for your special day
4) Wedding Banquet - a wedding lunch or dinner, sometimes a buffet.
5) Honeymoon - couple’s time all alone to maybe help in Singapore’s population crisis, usually overseas.

BUDGET:
1) Wedding Package - $1,500 and below, some of us will go across the causeway to City Square Mall in Johor Bahru, just be sure to read the reviews
2) Wedding Bands - $500 and below, maybe a ring with a diamond for the lady and a normal ring for the groom
3) Solemnization - Simple affair at the Registry of Marriages costs just $26.
4) Videographer & Photographer - $200 and below, get some friends to volunteer and remember the red packets
5) Wedding Banquet - $1000 and below. A lunch buffet at home or at the venue of solemnization inviting only relatives and close friends.
6) Honeymoon - $1,000, a real romantic trip to nearby island resorts like Bali, did i just recommend Bali again ha, just be safe people.

Total Costs: About $4,000
(Since we will very likely break even from the red packets, the actual costs could be much less)

DESIRABLE:
1) Wedding Package - $3,500 and below, wedding gowns, evening gowns, an album and a big photo frame. Check out the package from La Belle Couture that me and my fiancee chose, east west fusion, latest collection fashion shows and simply beautiful gowns to choose from thereafter.
2) Wedding Bands - $2,000 and below, one might just be able to get a Destinee 10 pair of wedding bands from Lee Hwa Jewellery.
3) Solemnization - $1,500 and below, booking a beautiful little church such as the Armenian Church along Hill Street.
4) Videographer & Photographer - $3,000 and below, semi pros to pros, the photos and video should keep you happy for years to come.
5) Wedding Banquet - $500 to 1,000 a table. Weekdays are usually cheaper than Weekends, Lunches are usually cheaper than Dinners. A usual 5 Star hotel banquet will cost $900++ per table.
6) Honeymoon - $6,000, a nice trip to Japan’s most beautiful cities visiting Hello Kitty Land, Mount Fuji and Disney Sea.

Total Costs: About $16,000 excluding banquet cost
(Based on 30 tables, banquet costs will be about $35,000 and below, pray that you break even)

EXTRAVAGANT:
1) Wedding Package - $7,000 and above, fly to Hong Kong(Package by My Dream Wedding) or Taiwan complete with a Photographer.
2) Wedding Bands - $10,000 and above, custom made wedding bands with gems from Cartier
3) Solemnization - $10,000 and above, Chijmes Hall with 150-250 of your special guests
4) Wedding Banquet - $1,688++ a table gets you St Regis on a weekend
5) Videographer & Photographer - $6,000 and above, professional videographer with express edits and professional photographer with 2 cameras for the entire day
6) Honeymoon - $20,000 and above, fly Singapore Airlines Business Class to France and hop over to Monte Carlo to roll some dice, catch F1 and take to the high seas on a private yacht

Total Costs: About $53,000 excluding banquet cost
(Based on 50 tables, banquet costs will be about $100,000 and above)

There are many other miscellaneous costs like ‘wu dian jing’ for the Teochew, Suckling Pig or Roast Pork for the Hokkien, Red Packets for the brothers and sisters, tea set for tea ceremony…

So to all grooms, be more than prepared. To all brides, help your future husband for God’s sake after reading the above.

Advice: The Ultimate resource ladies and gentlemen is Singapore Brideswebsite and forum. Truly God sent.

Advice: To prospective couples, a package signed at a roadshow is usually better than when you do a walk in. So be sure to check out the dates and register.

Oh and here’s what those acronyms mean:
BTB is Bride to Be.
GDL is Guo Da Li. (Going through the chinese ceremony of Marriage)
AD is Actual Day.
MTM is Made to Measure.
WG is Wedding Gown.
EG is Evening Gown.