The national average wedding cost is more than $30,000.
The average cost of a wedding in America is $33,391, according to The Knot.
More than half of couples go into debt to pay for their wedding— so how much are couples actually spending on their wedding?
We talked to seven former brides to see how much they spent on their wedding, and the majority spent less than the national average.
Modern-day weddings have a notorious reputation for being pricey. On average, Americans spend roughly $33,391 on their weddings, according to The Knot's 2017 Real Weddings Study.
But that doesn't mean they can afford it. More than 74% of couples will go into debt for wedding costs, reports Student Loan Hero.
But, of course, how much you spend on your wedding depends on several factors, such as where you live, what season you're getting married in, what type of wedding you have (big or small), and what details are important to you.
So, Business Insider talked to seven former brides who shared their wedding budget details. They shared their original budget, how much their wedding actually cost, and a breakdown of main wedding category expenses, from the dress to food and bar costs to photography. Note that the total wedding cost for each wedding includes other expenses beyond what is listed.
Whether they spent half the national average on a rural farm in Minnesota or roughly four times the average in a dreamy New York City wedding, there was one thing they all had in common: the money was worth the memories.
Ashley and her wife spent $10,000 for a country club wedding in Andover, Massachusetts, with 110 guests.
Ashley, who married at age 25, told Business Insider she was very lucky to have talented friends and family pitch in for her wedding day, which helped keep her budget below her original estimation.
"The bulk of our budget was focused on the place and the food," she said. "We loved the garden we used for our ceremony and the terrace attached to our reception space that allowed for an indoor/outdoor experience."
The venue, Andover Country Club, was the most cost-effective venue she and her wife looked at, she said. The venue provided a coordinator in the package, so they didn't need to allocate funds to pay for it. They also used a relative for a DJ at a discount.
"Overall, we wanted a classy, fun experience that wouldn't be impossible to pull off!" she said.
Beth and Matthew Hebert's destination wedding at a diner in Chicago, Illinois, with 36 guests cost $12,125.
Beth Hebert and her husband were paying for their wedding on their own, so they settled on a budget of $10,000 for entire wedding weekend festivities. Based in Houston, they decided to have an out-of-town wedding in Chicago — you'd think a destination wedding would be hard to pull off on a small budget, but they managed to come in under budget for personal out-of-pocket expenses.
They also had a bit of help as someone unexpectedly picked up their $2,300 bar bill as a wedding gift — had that not happened, they would have gone slightly over budget. Their venue at the Little Goat Diner was free as long as they met the $1,000 minimum, and it included a wedding coordinator in the venue fee.
"We are such foodies that we knew [that] even with a smaller budget, the food and beverage options had to be amazing — which is why we went with a brunch option," Beth told Business Insider. "It hadn't been done in our friend group, and Girl & the Goat is iconic to the Chicago food scene so everyone was excited to have that food."
She also wanted live music and found an acoustic guitarist, but wasn't willing to splurge on an expensive dress and getting her makeup done.
Anna and her husband's 195-person wedding in rural Minnesota cost $15,406.
Anna and her husband exchanging vows.
Anna originally set a $10,000 budget for her ceremony on her parent's farm in rural Minnesota and reception at a reception hall, but after amended the number to $15,000 after she realized it was unrealistic.
"Photography was a significant part of the budget as that's the part of the wedding that lasts forever and we wanted to find a photographer that fit us and our wedding," Anna, who was 25 when she married, told Business Insider. "Food was also important and, while we were constrained by budget there and had a basic meat and potatoes buffet, the cheap caterer we found was actually really good."
"Being in a rural area helped keep some of the costs down, but there were certainly other little ways we did so," she added. For example, she purchased her wedding dress at a bridal consignment store and family members helped with day-of coordination, so they didn't need to hire a wedding planner.
The budget was her biggest concern when planning her wedding, as she and her husband paid for 70% to 80% of it on their own, with her parents covering catering, ceremony seating, and a back-up tent, and the groom's parents covering the rehearsal dinner.
"It's hard to say a single day is ever really worth $15,000, but I'd absolutely do it again with a similar budget and, while it was a large chunk of change, we save enough and have no debt so it didn't set us back too much," she said.
Amber Kozo and her husband's 130-guest summer wedding in Dumbo, Brooklyn, cost $16,000.
Amber Kozo and her husband.
Amber Kozo, 28, and her husband spent $13,000 of their own cash on their wedding, while their parents covered $3,000 for the cost of the bar, dress and tux, rehearsal dinner, and other little items. Kozo told Business Insider this helped them stay within their original budget to spend only $15,000 as a couple.
"It was very important to us to not go broke over this wedding," she said. "We know the NYC average wedding costs $88,000. We ambitiously tried to do the whole shebang in NYC for 130 guests under $15,000."
To keep costs down, Kozo did a lot of DIY, such as making half of the dessert and doing all the decor herself. She also used fake florals and ordered greenery in bulk from Costco. And instead of a DJ, which they couldn't find for less than $3,000 in the city, she and her husband made a Spotify playlist that included song requests from guests. They also skipped traditional catering.
"I'm really crafty and have helped a lot of girlfriends plan their wedding," she said. "I learned all the important questions to ask that drive up costs."
Kozo said they steered clear of many of these traditional wedding details because they wanted the day to reflect them as a couple.
Lauren and her husband had a 27-guest ceremony in Covington, Kentucky, and late reception in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 85 guests that cost $18,500 total.
In an effort to save money, Lauren Corso and her husband had a small wedding with their immediate family and their grandparents, followed by a reception-style party two months later. But combined, the two events cost just under $20,000, which was more than they wanted to spend.
"I think we hoped we could get married and celebrate the occasion for under $10,000…but things just got more expensive quickly," Corso, 30 at the time, told Business Insider, adding that food and drink were the most important part of their budget. "But they were incredible days and worth it to be with all of our friends and family."
They hoped to spend only $5,000 on the ceremony and dinner, but ended up spending $7,500. For the reception, they intended to spend $7,500, but ended up around $11,000.
The numbers below include the total spent for both events.
A 31-year-old bride and her husband spent $32,000 for a winter wedding with 180 guests in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Bride and groom not pictured.
A Wisconsin bride told Business Insider her wedding came in under budget because she and her husband overestimated nearly every cost for their wedding.
"We were really concerned about having some kind of surprise big expense like you often hear of due to timing or lack of planning," said the bride, who was 31 at the time of the wedding. "We also were happy to be flexible and a little unconventional in some aspects."
They cut corners on their flowers and décor budget by selecting a ballroom venue with an art deco style that didn't need a lot of dressing up and kept costs low by adding greenery and candles to the space. Aa a graphic designer, the bride designed her own invitations, and they negotiated a cash discount for the photographer, both of which saved money.
The biggest part of their budget went to food and bar, including a rehearsal dinner at a burger joint, family-style reception dinner, open bar, ice cream desserts, and pizza for a late night snack.
However, the most important part of their budget was the day-of coordinator they hired.
"My husband and I are big planners, and I do believe we thought of every detail down to the minute leading up to the day," she said. "However, day of, as the bride or groom we did not want to be bothered with a single thing. Trust in your planner is essential that they can go with the flow and think on their feet. The piece of mind was worth every penny!"
A 30-year-old bride's New York City wedding at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park with around 130 guests cost $126,248.
"I had a very generous budget, but I found it very easy to cut costs where priorities are low," a 30-year-old New York bride told Business Insider. "The key is truly having a sense of what you want and not trying to just have everything to have it!"
"The best $10,000 I spent on the entire process was for my wedding planner," she said. "She was absolutely insane and honestly, most brides say something won't go your way the day of — but everything seemed perfect to me. She and her assistant were worth more than what I paid."
Her next priority was food, resulting in a menu that would delight any food lover. While the Boathouse succeeded in this category, she also included a bunch of different add-ons, like a Peking duck station, seafood bar, donut frying station for desserts, and Korilla BBQ Korean taco food truck for late night. They also hosted a next-day Dimsum meal.
"I'm Chinese and food is a huge part of our culture," she said. "There was so much food at cocktail hour that most people thought that was the dinner."
Her third priority was her dress. "I had planned to spend around $3,000, maybe $5,000 max, but ended up with an obscenely expensive choice, but do not one bit regret it."