Your lover made THE big request and you said yes? Now get out your calculator and, most importantly, your wallet!
Because, yes, marriage is expensive.
According to a survey conducted this spring, readers of Weddingbells and Mariage Québec magazines indicated that they would spend an average of $ 17,060 * for a wedding of around 100 guests. Stéphanie Lavoie, wedding planner at Mademoiselle M, does not hesitate to talk about an amount of $ 25,000.
Here is the detail:
- Invitation, thank you cards, menu, place cards: $ 1,000
- Room and meals: $ 8,000 (between $ 60 to $ 100 per guest)
- Cake: $ 600 ( $ 5 to $ 7 per serving)
- Centerpieces and other decorations: $ 2,000
- Gifts to guests: $ 200 (from $ 0.25 to $ 3 per person)
- Wedding dress: $ 1,700 (between $ 250 and $ 750 for rental)
- Groom’s suit: $ 700 (between $ 300 and $ 400 for rental)
- Hairdressing, makeup, manicure: $ 350
- Bridal bouquet: $ 100
- Wedding rings and engagement ring: $ 2,000 (highly variable)
- Limousine: $ 500
- Wedding ceremony: $ 265 for a civil wedding, $ 300 at the church
- Animation and music: $ 1,250
- Photographer: $ 1,200 For a professional photographer: between $ 2,000 and $ 6,000
- Honeymoon: from $ 2,000
- When Customs Influence Costs
- Interestingly, according to Weddingbells and Mariage Québec, Canadians, in general, spend on average $ 7,000 more than Quebeckers on their wedding.
Higher wages, larger families, and multiculturalism have a lot to do with it. Traditionally, English speakers have opted more for large weddings. And what about Italians or Lebanese, for example, for whom marriage without all the family, friends, neighbors, and work colleagues is practically unthinkable!
8 tips to lower your rating
The Desjardins Group Facebook community shared several tips to avoid losing your shirt. Here are a few.
- Consider the number of guests: you will reduce your expenses by decreasing the number of your guests, this is the basis.
- Shop: Jessica Humphries and her partner will be getting married at the end of June. For them, it was clear, no question of getting into debt. They, therefore, opted for an intimate wedding. They have shopped, often online, negotiated, made sometimes heartbreaking choices, but at the end of the day, they will still have a marriage that is like them and, most importantly, within their means.
- Do it yourself: make invitations, decorations, and gifts for the guests.
- Getting married “out of season”: getting married in winter and, why not, on a Sunday.
- Go to an all-inclusive: Destination weddings are also popular and relatively affordable.
- Opt for second-hand clothes: dress and suit can be rented, bought second hand or online.
- Change the traditional formula: some people ask their guests to pay for their meal as a gift.
- Seek help from friends: Do you know someone who has a nice car? Why not ask him to be your driver on this special day? Above all, do not hesitate to solicit your acquaintances who will certainly be very proud to recommend you to their suppliers or their friends.
Save money, yes, but not at any cost. Stéphanie Lavoie insists: avoid skimping on the photographer’s costs. After this day, in addition to your wedding ring and memories in your head, only your photos will remain. She even goes so far as to say that a wedding that has gone wrong can look fabulous in a photo.
Overestimated, realistic, exaggerated, surprising … how do you find these numbers?
- Including engagement ring and honeymoon.
- This is an average generally paid by consumers for their wedding.