What Should my Wedding Cost?

Have you ever been to CostofWedding.com? It's worth a look. You just put in you zip code and it calculates how much your wedding "should" cost based on you area. Also nice, it breaks down the budget into what should cost what if you choose to look at it. All costs are on the left hand side, if you click on the different items.

The website sets itself up like this:
On average, US couples spend $20,398 for their wedding. However, the majority of couples spend between $15,299 and $25,498 while their wedding budget is typically 50% less than the amount spent. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring. Understanding average wedding cost now can help you with your wedding budget later.
I agree with the last line, for serious :).

It also has another line, similar to a disclaimer, that actually seems a little helpful:
The numbers provided on this site are simply a guide to help you better prepare for the cost of a wedding and is based on spending by other couples, not vendor prices. Spending and prices vary widely. You should expect to pay 25% to 50% more for a well-experienced professional. Investigate all options and choose products and services that best meet your needs.

Anyway! On with the numbers! (You're curious, I can tell.)

On average, couples that live in Miss Giraffe's town spend between $25,090 and $41,816 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.

or On average, couples that live in Mr. Giraffe's town spend between $22,489 and $37,481 for their wedding. This does not include cost for a honeymoon or engagement ring.

I find this especially curious because Mr. Giraffe's town is full of a lot of wealthy people with taxes way higher than my town. It's also closer to Chicago, which increases prices of things regardless. Either way, $41 grand for a wedding? Yeah, I don't think so. Take that, wedding industry! haha! My wedding, even with my ring and honeymoon, will be no where near that price. For serious. I mean, really, who are the couples with that much money? Let me know, and I promise to befriend them!

To go further, on the same side you can do a 'wedding budget estimator'. You still put in you zip, but you also choose you number of guests, and then you have a whole bunch of check boxes (broken down by category, of course) of things you need to get for you wedding. My numbers for that? A little shocking, actually.

Based on the zip code you entered for Miss Giraffe's town , the number of guests (150-200), and the items selected, the estimated wedding cost is between $31,623 and $52,706.

I know, right? That's an awful lot of money. Way more than we're spending. Word. Once again, if you guys know the couple with this kind of money, let me know. Also, keep them in mind and make sure to give them a copy of my future registry about a year from now. Thanks.

Has any one else calculated their wedding cost? Anybody else pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised?