Wedding price breakdown estimates

Have you tried weddingsonline.ie? Mind you, I find this site more helpful as the people on it aren't obsessed with their weddings and you get men on it too!

First of all, your location is important. There are massive differences between Dublin and the West of Ireland, for example. You'll price hotels for meal, booze and afters per person. Some hotels will offer an overall package for this, some will let you pick and choose. Comparing will be a pain in the ass. In the current economic climate, you should be able to seriously bargain! Be careful of the hotel you pick as well, as there are far too many in the country and there will be closures next year. Mine is about €55 per person, but that is extremely reasonable, expect to hear from up to 100.

If it's a popular date e.g. June bank holiday weekend, get on the ball for a photographer and band fairly lively as they could be booked out. Get recommendations from friends, parents, work colleagues, inspect their albums, go to see the band play (gatecrashing weddings is the usual for this). Photos: 2k Band: probably the same.

If you get these big things sorted, you'll be flying. The dress etc isn't as pressing as the church, hotel, photos and band.

Overall, you can spend as much as you like. I'm having 250ish and am doing it for 20k and am fairly happy with that.

Good luck!

Well I am slowly but surely becoming a master at weddings as I do photography and have started in weddings. I am a year married now so still kinda fresh.

Rough list for you in no order
kitting out bridal party
Brides dress circa 1k (average, mine cost 1,600)
Bridesmaids circa 250 each if bought in bridal shop
I bought mine on ebay shop 60ish each
Flower girls circa 150 each if bridal
I bought mine Tommys in Blanch 45 each
Groom & groomsmen average around 120 each
Pageboys if any bought on ebay for around 40 each can be rented at around 80ish
jewlery for bride 3 - 500
same for bms did this cheap with sterling silver in argos around 120 altogether
hair accessories for girls again around 100 altogether
shoes for bride vary from 50 - a few hundred depends on taste
shoes for bms can be bought by bms or bride again varies
shoes for fg bought in debenhams around 30 each

flowers
bridal bouqet around 120(ish) I made mine myself
bm bouqets around 60 each
fg I bought fg wands for 12 each on ebay basket around 30 in florists
buttonholes florist around 4 each i bought again on ebay foam not silk as silk look very fake for i think 1.50 each, i bought 100
church depending on taste if just displays not pew ends around 200 maybe more pew ends can be just bows


hotel
this varies hugely on where you are and what you want, I have checked out tonnes and I know in Dublin you can get 50 a head up to 160 prob more a head also. Decide if you want wine on tables and toast, I had both as in the whole scheme of things they didnt add too much extra onto my budget, maybe a grand but then I didnt have a very tight budget. Decide if you are paying for rooms for parents or bridal parties, I didnt some do.

Travel
If you are getting a car look at around 500 as standard, but also take into account you may want to arrange travel for bms and gms, at one wedding I ended up taking the brides mother in my car as they had never even thought of how she would get from the house to the church.
Also you may want to arrange a bus for guests leaving the reception, this can be arranged as a pay by you or a pay as they board.

Services
Photography varies hugely on what you want and package from 650 - 5k
Videography same as above from around 1k upwards
church music again comes to taste around 300 or so
band as with above varies can be 1500 to around 3k
church yes it is a service generally people give priest around 300
hair how many do you need usually around 50 each
make up beautician around 30 each make up artist could be up to around 80 each
tan 50 each
nails 50 each

HONEYMOON whatever you like

All prices can be negotiable these days there is always room for movement (well ot in my case though;))

Hope this helps and O hope I havent forgotten anything - lesson to learn here is make ebay your best pal