Breakdown of wedding costs for siblings

amother

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:53 pm

My sister is getting married soon. First wedding in the family in over ten years. I am shocked at prices of everything. I'm curious to know what people's breakdown of their wedding expenses were for a siblings wedding
Dress (gemach/rental/custom)
Shaitel
Makeup
Nails
Other

amother

Petunia

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 10:57 pm

amother OP wrote:

We rented beautiful gowns from a Gemach for under $100.
Makeup - $125 (adult daughter. Was less for teen daughter).
Hair was similar price range to makeup. Don't remember exactly. I remember Kallah was $200 and sisters were less.
Nails - approximately $30 gel manicure to last duration of Simcha
Sneakers for dancing - $20 from Shein
Wore pre-owned shoes
Hair extensions bought on Amazon
Hair accessories nominal cost on Shein

amother

Mocha

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 11:01 pm

its your choice how much money you want to spend
there are gemachs available. If youre in NY I recommend checking out Simchas Rochel Golda gemach- they have many gorgeous updated gowns and it was $160 last time I went 2 yrs ago!
Its challenging for me too bc I care about how I look but I refuse to go into debt for these things
curious to hear whether most peoples parents/in laws contribute towards their gowns/makeup/ kids outfitsetc!

amother

Papaya

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 11:02 pm

gown-$150 from a gemach plus a but more for alterations

Makeup- don't remember exactly but it was under $100 (no it was not one of the famous Insta makeup artists but she did a great job)

Sheitel-I think my sheitel macher charged about $60 to curl it and do a simple half up do and put in a nice accessory I bought on Amazon

Nails- whatever my local nail salon charges, probably about 20

amother

Mocha

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 11:04 pm

2 siblings weddings:
gown- $200 bought gown including alterations / $160 Gemach
Shaitel - $50-100 for a set for wedding
Makeup - parents paid (hated it - next time will be paying for my own for someone I choose)
Nails - I paid
Other - kids outfits - borrowed.

hope to splurge more in the future but this was at times when I couldn't afford any more

amother

Babypink

Thu, Dec 28 2023, 11:58 pm

Dress- I bought two years ago for $850 online at Neiman marcus
Sheitel- I didn’t get a new one. If you mean to set it, I think it was in the $100 range
Makeup I think was $150 range for siblings
Sheva brachos I paid $2500 for entire event for 40 people

Nails- you can find salons that are better priced. I don’t do dip and I don’t do long tips -just a regular gel manicure. Maybe $30

amother

Nemesia

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:07 am

Weddings are very expensive for guests.
For my own siblings, gowns for me and my kids.
They were small and I was able to get from gemachs.
For my husband’s last few siblings, my kids were older teens. No more cheap gemachs. Got from Gemach in Crown Heights.
Each of my daughters,
Dresses: $160 Gemach plus
Hair: $75
Makeup: $65 (only did this for upper high school and older)
Nails/eyebrow waxing: $25
Travel: $500 each (their grandparents ended up giving a lot for this
Hotel:$400 for the group (it was 3 nights)
Uber:$150 for the group to/from airport
To/from wedding
We did not participate in a Sheva Brachos and we did not do outings that cost money

We made a decision as a family that for
cousins weddings only the older girls wear gowns (if they even want to) but younger girls wear Shabbos dresses.

That being said, last year, close cousins got married and my girls did the hair, makeup, fancy dress thing again…

BH, we are grateful for simchas, but they cost a lot for guests too

amother

NeonPurple

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:12 am

Gown for myself $500
Gown for girls $150 each, 2 girls
Make-up $75
Girls hair $60 each
Wig $60
Girls floral headpiece $45 each
Plus the cost of clothing for sheva brachos & babysitting.
A siblings wedding is expensive. Bh my MIL pays for the kids gowns.

amother

Moccasin

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:40 am

My 2 younger sisters got married a year apart (about 3 and 2 years ago)

So we have family pics same time, same place, a year apart. I joke that one pic was free and one cost $1k.

Wedding 1
Dress - free from gemach (this is unusual, it was closing down)
Wig set $80.
Makeup - did myself
Kids outfits - shabbos outfits from kidichic that I already had

For reference I was 5 months pregnant but had to get the gown 2 months in advance with no way of knowing how it would fit. I was also coming straight from the country to the wedding hall so I couldn't do hair or makeup. And the kids were like ages 3 and 1 and wore suspenders

Wedding 2
I had given birth. It would be the last wedding for a while. I was feeling normal and went all out
Dress $450 rented.
Wig and makeup - I'm shocked my mother paid. I didn't expect her to but they were 100-200 each
2 kids outfits $100 each from the Jewish store
Newborn outfit borrowed

amother

Cyclamen

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:47 am

Just had a family wedding.
I wore a dress I had already but bought new shoes for about $40
My boys saved their shirts from succos so they were almost new
Hair $50
Sheital $50
Daughter who wore a gown ~$50
Travel probably $100 x2 really Bec travelled for the vort too
Didnt do makeup
I did our nails
Wedding gift and vort gift

amother

Charcoal

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 12:59 am

Gown for myself - $600 bought and I plan on wearing it to another couple of weddings.
Daughter's gown -$400- rented
Blazer for boys - rental was closing down so spent $100 in total for all.
Hair and sheitel- $85
Makeup - $200
Nails -$30
Shoes - $100
Sheva Brachos clothing for myself- $250 (didn't have anything that fit)
Siblings Sheva Brachos - We each contributed $350.

Parents did not assist with any costs but did have opinions on what the children/grandchildren should wear which is why I did not got to a Gemach (and save myself $350).
I was really upset, but after stewing a bit I decided that I paid for shalom and it was worth it.

We are really struggling financially and it was very hard.
I have another wedding coming up soon and I'm definitely able to cut costs because I already have a gown and my daughter is older so she doesn't need to match other family members which gives me more leeway. I can reuse the blazers as well.
I have also discovered cheaper makeup artists that are even more experienced than the one that I used last time.

amother

Whitesmoke

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 1:27 am

Gown $250 rental + $50 alterations
Sheitel $40 regular wash and set
Makeup $85 + $10 toward travel fee for group
Manicure $25
Toddler chasuna outfit $75 + $30 shabbos shoes (wouldn't have got otherwise)
Sheva brachos contribution $200

Elfrida

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 2:03 am

I'm clearly in the wrong circles. Everyone did their own (or each others) hair and make up, and anyone who wanted nails done paid for it themselves. The only one who had it done professionally was the kalla. Even my mother did her own.

It saved a lot of money, but I don't think that was the reason. It just didn't really occur to us to do it any other way.

amother

Gray

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 2:50 am

This is what I did (my parents paid) but you can for sure save in some areas

Gown: Bought a stunning gown for $500. Resold it to a gemach for $350 afterwards.
Makeup: Between $75-150
Sheitel Reset: Between $75-$150
Manicure: $40
Shoes: Wore something from my closet
Kids Outfits/Gowns: Between $150-$200 each
Sheva Brachos: Was planning on wearing clothing from my closet- last minute my mother treated me to two new outfits.

amother

Brunette

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 3:26 am

I bought myself something custom from Etsy for $300, my parents paid for the kids gowns.
I had my sheitel done by my regular sheitel macher- I was due for a wash anyway- $50.
My mother paid for all makeup.
I didn't bother with nails.
I paid travel for my family plus hotel rooms for the night of the simcha. ($100+$300)

amother

Hyacinth

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 4:28 am

I had a few siblings weddings close together.
I For the most part bought gowns for my self. Hard fit and couldn't find by gemachs. I was also expecting by two. Those I got from gemach $18 donation. Ones I bought were $400 and I wore a few times splus lent them out so got my money's worth and I still have them. My mother actually paid for one I believe.

Makeup/nails - my mother hired someone to come to her house the day of the wedding and everyone did their makeup and nails. Shaitel either we did on our own or my mother's neighbor did say if wedding. Depending what you wanted. My mother didn't necessarily pay for shaitel being done but if her neighbor did it she didn't mind if it was added to her bill. My daughter is only granddaughter so my mother covered her hair along with my sister's.
Daughters gown my mother got because they were insisting on ones that were more than I wanted to spend. ($350- wore to two weddings, $170- on wedding, $220- another wedding) she matched my little sister each time. Same age
Boys clothes I bought, one wedding my mother bought one suit because I wasn't planning on putting one son in a suit but I found a really cute one on a good sale and got for my older one. My mother went o get younger one size cuz it was just adorable. (on sale $30)

amother

Goldenrod

Fri, Dec 29 2023, 9:23 am

I had a sister and sister in laws wedding three months apart. Different color schemes so couldn't research.

Sisters
My dress 250 gemach (I was going to spend more but found the perfect dress at the gemach, I thought it was a rental when I went)
Shoes 60
Daughters dress 450 rental
Son's suit 70 ( he wore to both weddings)
Makeup mom paid
Wig mom paid
Nails 65

Sis in law
Dress 750 mom in law paid
Dress alterations 400
Daughters dress 200
Makeup 120
Wig 120