How Much Does a Wedding Really Cost? 12 Budget Items to Tally Up Immediately
Alright guys let's get candid. Weddings are expensive. Oftentimes I see couples get engaged and live on cloud nine up until they get smacked in the face with the reality of how much their dream wedding is going to cost. We don’t often openly discuss how much a wedding really costs. Why is this such a taboo topic? WE NEED TO START TALKING ABOUT THIS. Especially since according to The Knot, about 45% of engaged couples go over their original budget. I’m writing this blog so that doesn’t become you.
Since sticker shock is not fun, I'm going to take you through the steps to figure out what your dream wedding would actually cost you. The purpose of this isn't to make you upset, quite the opposite! It's to help you understand what's realistically in your budget and make sure your expectations align with the cash you have to spend. It is SO important to figure this out at the beginning of your planning process so you can make adjustments before you're in too deep.
Here is an exercise so you can figure out where your expectations lie, and how much they’re going to cost you:
David and Patrick are getting married in Massachusetts and inviting 150 guests to their wedding. How much will their wedding cost? (I promise this will be way more fun than an SAT question) …
To be blunt, you can invite 150 people to your wedding and either spend $10,000 or $200,000+++. It completely depends on your expectations for your wedding experience.
Food and Beverage
Let's start with what is usually the highest ticket item in your budget, food and booze. This can cost you anywhere from $50-$200+ per person. If you decide to invite 150 people to your wedding, no matter which way you shake it, you're going to have to feed them. If you're down for a food truck and a cash bar, you might be able to get away with spending roughly $50 per person bare minimum.
If you have in mind an open bar for six hours with top shelf liquor, passed hors d’oeuvres, seated dinner with premium entrée options, wine service at the dinner table, dessert buffet, beautiful wedding cake, late night snack…depending on the caterer you’re looking at upwards of $200 per person (plus service fees, possible equipment fees, possible required gratuity and tax). Yeah, it’s a lot.
Figure out which side of the spectrum you land on, then you’ll know where your budget realistically puts you. If budget wise you think you're somewhere in the middle of $50 - $200 per person, there are compromises you can make to still have an awesome spread for your guests. For example, there are many ways to reduce the cost of alcohol at your wedding. You can also reduce the cost of food by working with your caterer on a cost-effective menu, reduce the number of hors d’oeuvres, cut the cheese station (ha), serve chicken instead of steak, opt out of doing a cake, etc.!
Let’s take a look at our example. It’s important for David and Patrick to host a full bar for their 150 guests, and they’d like to splurge on a nice caterer with excellent service. They’re looking forward to the fancy hors d’oeuvres, but don’t need a super gourmet entrée option and they’re opting out of having a cake. They decide to throw in tiny tacos for a late-night bite cause why the hell not. So, let’s hold $27,000 in their budget for food and beverage.
2. Venue
The next part of your budget that's going to cost you a good amount of money is your venue. A very common misconception is that a backyard wedding can be cheaper than having your wedding at a wedding venue. This is not always true (yes, underlined, bolded, italicized!)
To have a wedding for 150 people in your own backyard you will have to literally recreate everything that a venue would already have. For example, restrooms, shelter (i.e. a tent), tables, chairs, linens of some kind, flatware, plates, napkins, glassware, electricity, permits, ovens (you get the point). Not to mention any post-event damage control you might have to do like paying for a cleaning service or landscaping (most yards can’t handle a 150-person stampede).
To recreate a venue big enough for 150 guests with everything you’d need in your backyard, you could be looking at between $7,000 - $20,000+ depending on the quality, size and look of the tent and rentals. I’ve seen this number go up to the $75,000-$100,000 range if you build an actual tent-like structure with flooring and AC…
A venue that already comes with all the goodies mentioned above can produce a venue rental fee anywhere from $2,000 - $15,000+. Obviously, that’s a huge range, but count on the most Pinterest-worthy wedding venues to be in the $9,000-$15,000 range.
To know if you’re getting a good deal on your venue, take a hard look at what’s actually included for that fee, other than just being able to walk in the door. A venue with a long list of included rental and décor items is worth the extra cost if it will save you money elsewhere.
David and Patrick are looking for a vineyard venue with views that are to die for. Their dream venue charges $12,000 for Saturday nights during peak season and includes almost all of the rentals they will need (chairs, linens, tables, glassware, flatware, etc.), however if they get married on a Friday night the rental fee is only $8,000. They decide the cost-savings is worth the money, so let’s hold $8,000 for their venue rental.
3. Rentals
Rentals are things like tables, chairs, linens, china, glassware, flatware, napkins, a stage for the band, dance floors, lounges, etc. Basically, anything that you need to borrow to make the event run. Your rental costs are going to depend largely on what your venue already has to provide and the number of guests you invite. If you are getting married at a venue like David and Patrick’s that already has all of the tables, chairs, linens, glassware, china, flatware and chairs included, you won't need to rent anything besides upgraded options (nicer rentals that you elect to pay extra for). I only recommend this if design is important to you. Otherwise, use the free stuff!
However, if you are recreating a venue in your backyard, you're going to need to bring in pretty much everything. Your caterer will be in charge of bringing in all of the kitchen equipment and service ware that they need. However, this will show up on the bottom line of your catering invoice, which is why catering can get so expensive very quickly.
Since Patrick and David are getting all of their rentals from the venue, and they don't want to upgrade anything, but might want to bring in a cute vintage lounge set-up, they're going to hold $1,500 for the rental line.
4. Décor
Your décor line can be $0 or literally have no limit to the budget. This entirely depends on what your venue already has to offer and what your expectations are. If your venue already has the most beautiful view and provides rentals and décor options that you would be very happy with, you may not spend more than $1,000 in extra decor items. If your venue definitely needs a little TLC to make it extra special, you could easily end up spending $5,000+ to jazz it up.
Some common items that fall under the decor category are lighting (up-lights, dance floor lights, architectural lighting, twinkle lights, etc.), draping (to dress up a tent, to hide an ugly wall, to enclose the catering kitchen, to create a backdrop etc.), any extra ceremony backdrop items, photo booth backdrops, etc. And then there are smaller items like sparklers for your sendoff moment, custom cocktail napkins, neon signs, photo booth props, favors, custom koozies, the list goes on. So, you can see here how the decor line will vastly change based on your expectations.
David and Patrick chose a venue that they were already very happy with. The views are amazing, the interior is already gorgeous and they don’t want any kitschy favors or props lying around. For their budget they will hold $2,000 either for some simple added lighting or to have on hand for small fun details that they might want to add as they go.
5. Floral
Floral is one of those sneaky places in the budget that no one ever assumes will be as expensive as it really is. If you want a magazine worthy wedding full of the most beautiful floral put together by a very seasoned and talented florist, you’re going to want to hold anywhere from $8,000-$15,000. The wide range accounts for floral varietals, lushness, quantity and varying florist fees.
You can easily spend $0 on floral by finding other substitutes to centerpieces and bouquets (books, candles, paper flowers, silk flowers, etc.)
If only a couple of floral touches are important to you like a bouquet, that will usually run you around $200-$350. You can always go to places like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods the morning of your wedding and assemble a quick and easy bouquet for a cute personal touch, it entirely depends on your expectations.
However, if you have your heart set on the lush ceremony floral arch, a beautiful floral cascading staircase installation, gorgeous bouquets or boutonnieres for the wedding party, table centerpieces to die for with candlelight (did you know your florist is usually the one who provides that pretty candlelight on the guest tables?), very lush pieces with more flowers over greenery and personal touches here and there, you could be looking at around $10,000 including labor and delivery from most florists.
You can always work with your florist to pick cheaper floral varietals and stay away from the most premium cuts of flowers (orchids, calla lilies, etc.), however fresh cut flowers are expensive. Florists are also artists; it takes time and experience to put together these gorgeous arrangements.
Patrick and David don't want to spend much of their budget on floral. They want a couple of boutonnieres for the two of them, two dog floral collars for their pups, and candlelight on the dinner tables with mostly greenery in the centerpieces. They’d like two small pedestal floral arrangements for the ceremony spot that will be repurposed inside the reception space. So, let’s hold $3,500 in their budget for floral.
6. Photography/Videography
Photography and videography pricing will vary based on portfolio, experience, market, package size and quality of the photographer and videographer you are hiring.
Photography prices can range from $1,000 all the way up to $20k+. However, most reasonably priced photographers will cost you in the range of $3,000 - $4,000 for two shooters and a decent amount of hours on site to capture the whole day. As a photographer’s skill level and experience increases, generally their pricing increases.
Videography prices also range from $1,000 on the low end, to $20k+ for a truly cinematic experience, but you will likely fall in the $3,000 range. Typically, if you can find a vendor to do both photography and videography you will be able to save money by bundling, like Geico.
Keep in mind you can always find cheaper photographers and videographers from a local University or use a friend, but there is no guarantee that you will get the same quality of service as you would if you hired a professional.
Capturing the day is extremely important to Patrick and David. However, they don't want their budget to get too unreasonable. They decide to take $4,000 and hire only a photographer and opt out of videography so they can splurge on the photographer they want. So, let's hold $4,000 in their budget for photography.
7. Hair and Makeup
Beauty is another sneaky budget item that can be unexpectedly high. If you have six bridesmaids and two mothers looking to get hair and makeup done for the day, that can easily put you at around $2,000.
Having a team of hair and makeup artists leave the salon and arrive at your getting ready location usually has a minimum spend of around $1,000 - $1,500 in order to make traveling worth the cost.
You can easily save money in two ways – only paying for one service per person (hair or makeup only) and requesting they pay for the other service/do their own. Or you can go to the salon the morning of your wedding instead of having the stylists come to you. This way you avoid the minimum spend requirement and travel fee.
It is very important to make sure that you're factoring in the cost of gratuity when making your hair and makeup budget. Oftentimes stylists will communicate beforehand if gratuity is or is not expected. Typically, gratuity is given to each stylist on the day of the wedding in cash after services are complete. Gratuity is usually left up to your discretion, but I recommend 20%-25% of the price of the total services rendered unless otherwise stated.
Pro-tip: Don’t forget to include the cost of the hair and makeup trial which oftentimes is $150-$350, plus extras like tattoo covering (only if desired, I personally love a full sleeve in a wedding dress), hair extensions, false lashes and airbrushing, all of which are usually premium add-ons.
Patrick and David want to pay for styling for David’s hair, both of their moms’ hair and makeup and David sisters’ makeup as a thank you for being so supportive. They will go to the salon the morning of the wedding, so they will hold $650 in the budget.
8. Stationery
Stationery can cost you anywhere from $100 - $10,000. It’s all about your expectations (sick of hearing me say this yet?)
First you need to identify if you are okay with a stock stationery company (companies with preset designs that you load your personal information into - think Minted, Zola, etc.) or if you want completely bespoke stationery (custom pieces created by a designer and printed by a luxury stationery company).
If stationery is not on the top of your priority list, go with the stock company or even go electronic (it’s free!) in order to have money for other things in line with your budget. When going through sites like Minted or Zola, the cost largely depends on the upgrades that you choose (double thick paper, foil details, printing on the backside, the number of pieces that you need, the amount of postage required, etc.). You can spend as little as $700 for a 150-person wedding on Minted or Zola or you can spend as much as $3,000, it really depends on what you choose.
If bespoke stationery really is your jam, then you're going to want to estimate anywhere between $10 - $100 per invitation (yeah, PER. AKA: the type you wear gloves while assembling) depending on how fancy your tastes are.
By the way, these costs typically don't include the day of stationery (think ceremony programs, menu cards, place cards, escort cards, favor tags, bar and food signage, welcome notes, welcome boxes, etc.). All of that can easily be printed/created by you, an online provider, or it can go through a bespoke stationer. Manage expectations upfront and adjust the budget accordingly.
Pro-tip: You need to budget for the cost of postage. I know we aren't typically using snail mail these days and the cost of a stamp is like what $0.47? Well, $0.47 times 180 envelopes (for the Save the Dates) times another 180 envelopes (for the Invitations) times ANOTHER 180 envelopes for the Reply Card…adds up. Depending on the weight of your invitation, you may need 2 or more stamps. Also, square envelopes require more postage. Stay rectangular to save on stamps.
Patrick and David, plan to go electronic for their save-the-date then use Minted for a simple invitation plus a few day-of pieces like table numbers and escort cards. Let’s hold $1,000 in the budget for stationery.
9. Entertainment
Okay, here’s the age-old question: DJ or band? Well, if you have a very low budget realistically you will have to settle for a DJ (not knocking DJ’s, they are awesome! They just tend to be more cost-effective).
Most wedding DJ's will average around the $2000 - $2,500 range including sound equipment, PA systems for ceremony and speeches and their services for the evening. A lot of DJ's will offer add-ons for up-lighting (those fun colorful lights that shoot up the walls), dance floor lighting or extra time required to accommodate your ceremony or extended reception. So, keep that in mind when budgeting.
Now, let's get into dance bands - you can have a five-piece dance band or a 15-piece dance band and of course it's going to change your cost. If you want an amazing six-piece dance band (guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and 2 vocalists) I would budget between $6,000- $10,000 which would include ceremony music, cocktail music, reception music, their sound equipment, a PA system for your ceremony, usually an emcee for the evening to help coordinate speeches and formalities and all of the musicians. Keep in mind this cost can skyrocket to $20,000 - $30,000 if you want the crème de la crème of wedding bands, but to be realistic, you can still get an amazing band for under $10,000.
Keep in mind again you can add on musicians if you want a brass section (sax, trumpet, trombone), but this will come at an extra cost.
Patrick and David have their eyes on an amazing 6-piece band, but want to pay extra to add a sax. They want an acoustic guitarist to sing David down the aisle to “You’re Simply the Best” (I’m not crying, YOU ARE) so let’s hold $7,000 for entertainment.
10. Transportation
If by this point you've realized that the wedding of your dreams is severely out of budget don't worry, we can save on transportation. If you know that hiring shuttle services or trolleys for your entire guests and wedding party is out of budget, specifically look for venues that are close to accommodations so that guests can arrange for their own transport or just walk. When picking a venue, make sure you understand the parking situation or ask how easy it is to grab an Uber. It is a luxury to be able to offer shuttle service to your guests to and from the wedding, but it is definitely not necessary.
If you do decide to offer a shuttle service to your guests, pricing will depend on the type of vehicle you’re expecting. A yellow school bus will cost a lot less than a luxury mini coach. I recommend budgeting at least $1,000 per shuttle. You'll likely need 3-5 shuttles depending on the passenger capacity for a guest count of 150. You'll also want a separate shuttle for the bridal party movements. Make sure the costs include all taxes, gratuities, tolls, gas, etc.
Pro-tip: Typically, you can save on transportation costs by shortening the amount of time that you need them for. If you were thinking of doing a shorter reception to save money, this will definitely result in savings on the transportation bill.
Patrick and David's venue is in a well populated area where it's super easy to grab a quick Uber. Therefore, they only want to reserve 2 trolleys to transport their wedding party to and from the reception. So, let’s hold $2,000 in their budget for transportation.
11. Wedding Planner
You may be thinking – why do I need a wedding planner if I just read this amazing blog?! Well, no matter the type of involvement you’re looking for, a wedding planner is a surefire way to guarantee your happiness, calmness and bliss on the biggest day ever.
A wedding planner is an investment to ensure your wedding planning process will be smooth and enjoyable and your wedding day will be EPIC. They will free up your time to do the things you love while you enjoy being engaged. They manage the timeline, your vision, your guests’ experience and you and your fiancé’s overall happiness. They become your venue and vendor liaison, so you don’t need to answer a single question or make any decisions on your big day.
Depending on the type of service and your desired level of involvement, a wedding planner can cost you anywhere from $2,000 - $25,000. This large range varies based on the market, the package size (day-of coordination vs. full-service planning) and how the planner charges (fixed fees vs. hourly work vs. a percentage of your total budget). Finding a planner with fixed fees will keep your costs transparent by allowing you to both ask all of the questions you need and add budget items, without it affecting your planner’s fee.
David and Patrick are enjoying wedding planning, but don’t have a ton of time to put into vetting hundreds of vendors and ultimately want to be guests at their own wedding. They decide to hire a partial planner for $6,000.
12. Contingency
Contingency is YOUR. BEST. FRIEND. PLEASE build buffer into your wedding budget. I’m begging you. Even if you figure out how much your wedding really costs, there WILL be unexpected things that come up and final details you must have that will be outside of your budget. Throw at least 3% of your entire wedding budget in a contingency line and plan on using it. If you don’t, you get a little bonus cash to take on your honeymoon – it’s a win win!
Patrick and David’s dream wedding so far is totaling $62,650. Their 3% contingency line will be about $1,800.
Rip off the Band-Aid, how much does this wedding cost?
After considering David and Patrick’s expectations, their dream wedding will cost them roughly $64,500.
Their original budget they were hoping to spend was $55,000. In order to make some cuts to stay within budget, they decide to cut their guest count from 150 to 125 (saving roughly $3,500), remove transportation (saving $2,000) and switch from a band to a DJ (saving them $4,500).
With these cuts, their new budget estimate is about $54,500. They end up under budget and more excited than ever to get married!
When you start planning your wedding it is so important to make sure that your expectations are aligned with your budget, period. If they are out of whack, there are many ways to reduce the cost of your wedding without having to compromise everything. You could eliminate line items in the budget or lower the guest count…or consider the pros and cons of eloping ;).
At the end of the day, regardless of how much the wedding really costs, do not lose sight of why you are paying for it in the first place. Marrying your best friend should be top priority, not making sure that your wedding gets published in Martha Stewart (that’s just an added bonus). Check your priorities and have fun along the way. Now go conquer planning like a bad bitch.
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