‘Til debt do us part: looking at the price of a wedding

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The average price of a wedding in Canada is now $22,400, and that doesn’t include the honeymoon.

For some, that could be a down payment.

“That could go a far way to buying a condo, buying a home… $22,000 is a lot of money,” explains Jeff Schwartz with Consolidated Credit Counselling Services of Canada, who compiled the figures.

He’s estimating $600 for the cake, $750 for the limo… and don’t forget the $500 hair-styling services. Schwartz notes the expense can cause a lot of couples to go into unnecessary debt.

If you’re in “I do” mode, it may be time to focus on a less-expensive dream wedding.

“Create some sort of itemized, detailed list of as to what the ‘must haves’ are, the ‘like to haves’ are… and maybe the ‘C’ category where it would be nice to have this, but it is not the most important thing,” he suggests.

Schwartz adds you could get your friends and family involved; maybe a great baker could do the cake as their gift to you. The same goes for a friend who is great with a camera. “If you are not getting it from them, it is going to have to come from somewhere else and you are going to have to hire and pay.”

DIY websites can also help. But Schwartz’s overall advice?

“Make sure that you are up front and honest about what you are trying to do with respect to your marriage. Make sure you guys stand on a financially open footing when it comes to your lives together because you are starting out new. Often, these conversations can come about when you are planning a wedding.”