I paid $1500 to have a wedding at a church. Is it tax deductible?

[hapharusa]

We paid $1500 to have a wedding in a church. When asked for a receipt, I received the following, "If it's a donation to the church it can be tax deductible but if it's for the renting of the church or the hall, that's something you need to discuss with your tax accountant." We did not rent the hall or church.

[DoninGA]

Unfortunately no.  Wedding expenses are not deductible on a tax return.

If you actually gave a cash donation to the church it would be deductible as a charitable donation and reported as an itemized deduction of Form 1040 Schedule A.  Your total itemized deductions must be greater than the standard deduction for your filing status to have any tax benefit.

Standard deductions for 2016 

• Single - $6,300 add $1,550 if age 65 or older
• Married Filing Separately - $6,300 add $1,250 if age 65 or older
• Married Filing Jointly - $12,600 add $1,250 for each spouse age 65 or older
• Head of Household - $9,300 add $1,550 if age 65 or older