Unless you are incredibly wealthy, when the time comes to get married you will find yourself asking the question: How much is this going to cost? Unfortunately, the days of the bride's family paying for the wedding are mostly over. As men and women are waiting until they are older to get married, the financial responsibility of the wedding has shifted from their parents to themselves. The following is a description of approximately how much the average wedding costs and what the expenses are. Keep in mind that this is an average amount, which means that you can certainly spend a great deal more, or less, depending on your income and your tastes.

Would you believe that the average wedding spends about eight hundred dollars on flowers? It shouldn't be all that surprising, as flowers add to the beauty and sentiment of your wedding. However, they are one area that you can trim your budget on, if you want to try something creative. You can find these creative suggestions online or in any bridal magazine. Just keep in mind, doing it yourself requires time and patience, two things that can be in short supply while planning your wedding.

Photography also takes a significant portion of your budget, and depending on what you choose to do you can find yourself spending anywhere from nine hundred to twenty five hundred dollars. When all is said and done, your photographs will be all that you have when your wedding is over, and you want them to be the best that they can be. Don't cut corners on the photography expense, as you may live to regret it.

Your average set of invitations, announcements and thank you notes can set you back around five hundred dollars. If you are looking to trim your budget this is an ideal place to save money. If you have a friend who has neat handwriting, consider asking him/her to address your invitations for you. It will also cost less if you choose a simple invitation compared to a more formal one.

Music is essential to every wedding as it sets the mood and provides the entertainment. You can expect to spend about $1500 on the music for your wedding. The officiant and the ceremony site will cost around $400, and transportation to the site, $450. You will want to buy your attendants gifts for their support and help, and the average cost for these gifts is about $400. A set of wedding bands averages out to $500, the rehearsal dinner around $1000. The reception can run anywhere from $5000 to $8000. The wedding dress purchase and the tuxedo rental will come to around $1500. No one ever said getting married was inexpensive!!! The average total cost of a wedding comes to around $25,000. Do keep in mind that this is just an average, you can still have a fantastic wedding for a fraction of that cost if you are savvy and do some things yourself.