Here’s the wedding budget breakdown I’ve been promising — our expected costs for the big day. The photo to the left is one of the venues we visited recently (Kuhs Farm, near St. Louis).
Happy Monday! This week I wanted to share more about our wedding plans and the budget. I posted some initial ideas a few weeks ago and, as a personal finance blogger, I’ve been obsessively totaling up what everything might cost.
We don’t expect financial help for the wedding; we’ve been together nearly seven years and have lived independently for six. With the national average wedding cost over $25,000, planning feels a bit daunting. My goal is to keep our total under $20,000 because we’d like to buy a house next year.
Money, Money, Money
Paying for the wedding ourselves is doable, but staying below $20,000 will require careful choices. We expect roughly 200–300 guests. We trimmed the original list to make the celebration more focused on family and close friends; many people were on the “might invite” list but were cut to keep things manageable.
Some might consider this budget excessive, especially in personal finance circles, but the wedding is important to me. I don’t have many close family gatherings in my past, and I want to celebrate with W’s extended family. If it’s within our means, I see value in making it meaningful and memorable.
About 150 of the guests will be W’s close family, with the remainder a mix of my family and friends. Our wedding party will be large — I have eight bridesmaids and W has nine (possibly ten) groomsmen. That contributes to the overall headcount and related costs.
One question I keep circling back to: do you invite coworkers? With so many guests possible, it’s hard to draw a line without risking hurt feelings. We’ll try to be thoughtful about that.
Because we want a large guest list but a budget under $20,000, we’ll need to find savings in several categories. Below I list our planned budget categories and estimated amounts. In a follow-up post I’ll explain specific ways we plan to save. Also, roughly 50 guests will be under 18, which helps reduce food and alcohol costs.
Our wedding budget categories:
Wedding Venue – $4,000
The $4,000 estimate covers venue rental only — not catering or rentals. We toured several places and liked Kuhs Farm, but we’re also considering W’s grandmother’s property, which is stunning. Her land is over 200 acres, with flat areas, cliffs, creeks, and plenty of parking—ideal for an outdoor wedding.
If we use the family property, the total cost will be higher than $4,000 due to rentals: the clear tent I want is $3,500, luxury portable flushable restrooms are about $1,500, tables and chairs about $1,000, plus extras such as heating/cooling rentals, linens, and other necessities. The venue we pick will host both ceremony and reception — I don’t mind having both at the same location, especially for an outdoor wedding.
Food – $6,000
We’ve contacted caterers, and many outdoor-friendly venues allow you to bring your own caterer. For food we want comforting, flavorful catering — ideally BBQ — something relaxed and communal despite a large guest count. I’ve seen great inspiration on Pinterest, and BBQ feels like a fun, personal choice.
We also want an open bar. Our caterer can supply bartenders; to save, she suggested we purchase the alcohol ourselves and follow her checklist of quantities. We also plan a dessert table from a local bakery with cakes, pies, and sweets rather than an elaborate wedding cake.
BBQ and a dessert spread fit our tastes and should keep guests happy — and hopefully keep costs reasonable.
Wedding Attire – $3,000
This category includes the wedding dress, suit, hair, makeup, and accessories. My personal limit for a dress is $2,000, though I’d prefer to spend under $1,000 if possible. I’ll begin dress shopping after we pick the venue.
For W’s suit, we like the styles on J.Crew’s wedding collection. His preference and the look align, and our plan is to spend under $1,000 on his suit as well.
Photography – $2,500
We want a quality photographer and budgeted $2,000–$3,000. There’s one photographer we love who charges $2,000 and offers the style of photos we want. We’ll also book engagement photos with the same photographer for about $500. We’re planning to do those in spring when the scenery is at its best.
We’re still undecided about a videographer. I don’t personally know many people who hired one, so I’m weighing whether it’s worth the extra cost.
Music – $500
W wants a live band but I prefer a DJ for music variety. DJs in our area start around $500 and typically include setup. If you’ve recently planned music for a wedding, I’d love to hear what you chose and how much it cost.
Miscellaneous – $4,000
This includes save-the-dates, invitations, postage, thank-you cards, the marriage license, bridal party gifts, decorations, flowers, and other incidentals. If there’s anything major I’ve overlooked, I welcome suggestions.
We’ll also provide transportation for guests staying at local hotels. A friend recently started a limo/party bus service, and we plan to use his company to make it easy for guests to travel between hotels and the venue.
How much did you spend on your wedding? Does the $25,000 average wedding cost alarm you?
If you have wedding posts on your blog, please share them below — I will read every one. And if you negotiated prices for any wedding services, tell me about your experience.