The short answer is anything between a few hundred (think City Hall, you and your spouse-to-be and a bouquet) and tens of thousands. The range is huge and the costs are driven by the number of guests and your vision.

Here are some examples of typical wedding expenses:

Meal & Drinks: $100 per person ($50 food & average 5 drinks per person) = $12,500
Rings: $1,000 (not including an engagement ring)
Dress & Accessories: $1,500
Suit Rentals: $200
Licenses & Other Official Payments: $200
Photography: $1,500
Flowers: $600
Incidentals: $500
Gifts: $1,000

It doesn’t take long to get to $20,000+!

Protocol is that the bride and groom pay for their wedding party’s attire as well for accommodation for out of town guests. Not many do these days however do give nice gifts and host an extra event for out of town guests.

A honeymoon is often a rest well needed after planning a wedding ($5,000).

The best gift you can give yourselves is a well thought out budget and a plan for how to save and pay for it rather than borrowing the funds and spending months or years paying for the wedding.