From a $10,000 celebration at a country club to a 6-figure ceremony in Central Park, here's what 7 real couples spent on their weddings

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• 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.

Original budget: $12,000

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.

Flowers and decor: $500

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (included in venue package)

Venue: $7,500

Invitations and paper goods: $300

Wedding dress: $500

Food and drinks: $1,300 (most of the catering was included in the venue package)

Photography: $0 (sister-in-law is a photographer who offered her services for free)

Music: $300

Beth and Matthew Hebert's destination wedding at a diner in Chicago, Illinois, with 36 guests cost $12,125.

Original budget: $10,000

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.

Flowers and decor: $450

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (included in venue fee)

Venue: $0 (free if they met a $1,000 minimum)

Invitations and paper goods: $350

Wedding dress: $800

Food and drinks: $6,700 (including a welcome dinner and the gifted bar bill)

Photography: $1,000

Music: $500

Anna and her husband's 195-person wedding in rural Minnesota cost $15,406.

Original budget: $15,000

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. 

Flowers and decor: $1,312

Wedding planner/coordinator: $0 (did not use)

Venue: $1,400

Invitations and paper goods: $532

Wedding dress: $589

Food and drinks: $2,995

Photography: $1,983

DJ: $925

See Also:

• A look at the life and fortune of John McCain, who has a sprawling real estate portfolio and donated $1.7 million in book sales to charity
• The cost difference between living on- and off-campus in the 48 biggest college towns in America, ranked
• The US has more million-dollar real estate markets than ever — here are 23 cities where the typical home will be $1 million by next year

SEE ALSO: The average wedding cost in America is over $30,000 — but here's where couples spend way more than that

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