The FINANCIAL — If you are going to get married, setting your wedding budget is one of the very first things you should do. FINANCIAL prepared a guide for your great day.
Two couples Mako Samkharauli & Temo Karanadze and Lisa Dadiani & her Dutch husband T Jeroen de Vries had there great weddings in 2007, so we tell you how much they spent on their weddings and also some other expenses according to Georgian restaurants, Shops and event managers.
According to Georgian Event, leading Georgian company in event management, the minimal amount for the wedding depends on the amount of services. It varies from GEL 500 to 20 000 (USD 120-12 738).
“We Organize Wedding mostly for mixed couples, also for Georgians not very often 2-3 wedding ceremonies in a year, but very frequently they use events shop facilities such as tables, chairs, tents, decorations etc” – told to FINANCIAL Eka Tvauri, Events Shop Manager.
According to PR Manager of M Group Natia Cholokashvili, Wedding management is not very popular in Georgia, that is why very often couples have to organize wedding themselves.
Total budget of Mako’s & Temo’s Wedding: USD 15 000
,,Your wedding day should always be a day that you can look back on with joy, so it’s important to have unforgettable wedding,” told to FINANCIAL bride Mako Samkharauli, who got married in September 2007.
,,We were planning and organizing our wedding for 2 months . At first, we reserved restaurant. To choose good wedding reception in Tbilisi on weekends is very difficult. Then our parent discussed prices as they paid,” she added.
If the parents still wish to provide a wedding for the young couple, it is more common that the expenses are shared between both families, but guest list is prepared by couple.
Expenses of their Wedding:
Restaurant Kolkheti – 260 guests, Gel 12 000 (food Service, beverage).
Restaurant decorations Gel 350 (table for couple, Aisle carpet, ribbons, candles and ceremony flowers).
Reception music Gel 500
Photographer Gel 200
Video – Gel 200
Wedding dress USD 1700
“For me, it was very hard to choose wedding dress in Georgian shops, so I sewed it with one of the popular designer in Georgia. There are cheaper dresses, but when you are trendy, you want the best dress, and also designer makes it only for you”, Mako said.
Groom’s attire:
Shoes- Gel 700
Suit – Gel 1500
Wedding license – Gel 200
Bouquet – Gel 100 (paid by bridesmaid)
Wedding ring – USD 300 (modern ring with white gold)
Wedding Tour – Dubai (United Arab Emirates), 12 days USD 5 000 (full service, 5 star hotel, two ways air ticket)
“I don’t agree the Idea of Honeymoon in Europe, because of you have to stay in the long raw of museums and instead of rest you are tired. That’s why we choose Dubai, its nice for rest on seaside and also for shopping,” Mako said.
“Unfortunately, great wedding is a luxury pleasure”.
Liza’s & Jeroen de Vries Wedding Budget
Total Budget: USD 10 000
Georgian bride Liza and her Dutch groom Jeroen had two wedding, one in the Netherlands and second in Georgia in November, 2007
“As for the difference between the costs of weddings in Holland and Georgia, I think it is not any cheaper in Georgia than it is in Holland and maybe even more expensive,“ Jeroen de Vries told the FINANCIAL.
“We invited just 30 guests, our closest friends and our families of course. I bought my wedding dress and accessories in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, the prices for wedding dresses here are approximately 10 times higher than in Georgia,” told bride Liza Dadiani to FINANCIAL
,,We have paid for restaurant where the party was held, Interior decorator who arranged and made special flowers and decorations for wedding reception, we hired a limousine and had professional photographer. If I count make up, hair and manicure and not to forget one of the most important things: the rings which we had designed and made especially for us by a jeweler… I would say we spent all together about USD 10.000“, she said.
Wedding Expenses in Tbilisi:
Restaurants
Babilo restaurant – 1 person Gel 50 (included food service, beverage)
Old House – 1 person Gel 85 (included food service, beverage, restaurant decoration, reception music)
Wedding cake
According to Wedding Centre Zizi Wedding Cake cost starts from Gel 80
Transportation
Rent-a car Georgia – Limousines (Black, White, Silver) 4 hours USD 250-400
Wedding Centre Zizi – Limousine 1 hour from USD 50
Couple attire
Wedding dress:
Wedding Centre Zizi – Dresses made in Italy from EUR 1000, made in Georgia from USD 400, rent-a dress from Gel 150
Shop Materia
Wedding dress – Gel 8000-2000
Groom’s suit – from Gel 600
Shop Gentlemen
Groom’s suit – Gel 1000-5000
Groom’s shirt – Gel 80- 1500
Groom’s Tie – Gel 80- 250
Beauty Centre Ici Paris
Wedding make up – Gel 60
Wedding haircut – Gel 120
Wedding Centre Zizi
Wedding make-up and hair cut from Gel 100
Wedding ring
Jewelry Zarapxana – 1 gram gold from Gel 70, modern rings from GEL 250
Jewelry Diadema – 1 gram gold from Gel 40
After religious marriage ceremony the couple has to witness a signature and bring Wedding license. This document in Georgia gives several organizations, one of them is Meidani, where the Wedding License cost GEL 200. Also there is 10 minutes wedding ceremony, 10 photo shot and table with candies.
Photo & Video
According to photographer David Khizanishvili, rent a photographer cost more than Gel 100 and rent-a cameraman Gel 200-500.
Wedding tours
“The most popular directions for honeymoon are Turkey, Egypt, Dubai, Israel and some European countries”, according to Nino Kokhreidze, tourism manager of Fresh Travel.
Wedding tour in Turkey, Antalya, full package for 10 days cost USD 1400 that includes air ticket, health insurance package, 3 star hotel accommodation and transfer.
Egypt – 10 days 5 star hotel a couple USD 2500
Dubai – 8 days 4 star hotel USD 2600
Israel – 7 days 4 star hotel USD 2600
Italy, France, and Spain – 10 days, 3 star hotel, approximately USD 3600
“Very popular tour for Georgian couples is Thailand, seaside health resort Pataia”, told Kokhreidze .
According to Fresh Travel, 10 days in Thailand, full package cost USD 3400.
Singapore and the island of Bally 7 days in 5 star hotel cost USD 4400
“Comparison with other Wedding expanses wedding tour is cheaper” – told to FINANCIAL Eliso Todua, Travel Club tour operator.
“When the couple comes in our agency, we ask them which they prefer a rest or cognitive tour. The most popular tour is in Istanbul, as the bride puts out her bouquet the couple can go in wedding tour and it’s very romantic“, she added.
According to Travel Club, a tour in Istanbul 7 days, full package plus Wedding Favors from agency cost GEL 4400.
France, Paris 8 days full package plus excursions cost EUR 2200.
Egypt 7 days full package and excursions cost USD 3000.
The Island of Bally – 2 weeks approximately USD 5000.
Remember this budget is an estimate and every wedding will have a different total of expenses. The Culture and tradition of both the bride and groom play a big role in terms of a list of wedding expenses and a list to help prepare for wedding day.
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