One of the most frustrating and confusing parts of wedding planning is trying to figure out how much everything costs. There are times when every detail seems to be shrouded in mystery, and before you know it you’re knee-deep in trying to guess what your budget should be, and what you’ll ultimately end up paying for everything from your wedding venue or catering to your wedding invitations and flowers.
Which is why we love hearing how much a wedding costs from the best source you can go to…the wedding planner! They are dealing with wedding vendors ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, which means they are the ultimate person to ask when it comes to figuring out how much you’re going to have to pay for what.
We recently spoke with a lovely and experienced wedding planner (who shall remain anonymous) about the prices she’s seeing everywhere from Los Angeles to Seattle. Keep in mind that the prices mentioned below are general ranges, only, and are targeted at budgets of around $50,000 and up (the budget you would typically have if you were hiring a wedding planner. Though I can vouch for these prices even for couples with a much lower budget). Couples in big cities (like Manhattan and San Francisco) can easily see catering costs well into the 200’s/pp in many cases ($100 more per person than is listed below), while wedding photographers can easily creep towards $8,000 for the creme-de-la-creme in cities like Los Angeles. This is simply meant to give you an average you can expect to pay. And even if your budget is $15,000 and not $50,000, remember that this information can definitely give you a leg up when it comes to figuring out WHERE you can save (IE: that you most likely can’t hire a wedding planner, or that you’ll need to skip the videographer, both of which I did).
Now to the good stuff! Below is a look at how much our wedding planner says you can expect to pay for the following:
Photographer:
“I like to say about 10% of budget ($50,000 budget = $5,000 for photo). It’s a red flag if you are booking a photographer for 8 hours of coverage for under $2,500. I see the average cost of a “good” photographer for 8 hours between $3,500 – $5,500. Looking for ways to save? Always ask about including engagement shoots, a second shooter, and any prints, since those are typically add-ons.”
Videographer:
“You can expect to pay the same percentage for video… about 8 – 10% of your budget. People are shocked to find that this is typically the same as the photographer. Plan to spend about $3,000 – $5,000 for a good videographer.”
Flowers:
“I am finding that a lot of the smaller, boutique florists (most of them only take one wedding a weekend or a day) have a minimum of between $3,500 – $5,000. I rarely have a client spend less than $5,000 on flowers and people are shocked to find how much this costs. The best way to break it down for people is for them to think about how much they spend when they order an arrangement – say for Mother’s Day. Think about if they spent $100 on ONE arrangement for their mom, then multiple that by how many tables they have (i.e. 100 person wedding, 10 guests per table = 10 tables). So, they have 10 tables x $100 per JUST for the reception. Add on bouquets, boutonnieres, altar flowers, chuppah rental, cocktail tables, cake flowers, escort card table, etc. It adds up quickly.”
Catering:
“I like to say that the wedding venue and food/beverage costs should be about 40 – 50% of the entire budget. Some places are $100+ per person (and go up from there depending on the city you live in), and even though an outside caterer can come in for less, you might end up paying more for labor, gratuity, etc.”
Wedding planner:
“If a wedding planner is important to you, I would plan on paying 10% of your budget.”
So overall, here’s how a $50,000 wedding budget would breakdown:
- Photographer: $5,000
- Videographer: $3,000
- Flowers: $5,000
- Catering/Venue: $25,000
- Wedding Planner: $5,000
- Entertainment (ceremony musicians, DJs, or band): $3,000
- Misc (dress, invites, etc.): $4,000
- TOTAL: $50,000
Looking for more breakdowns on how much things cost? Check out our features on Wedding Invitation Cost, Wedding Flowers Cost, Wedding Cakes Cost, Wedding Tent Cost, and Wedding Photographer Cost!
So what do you think of this budget breakdown, brides? Where are you spending the most money? Let us know in the comments section, below!
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Here’s a quick way to save money.
Cut out the wedding planner who asks you to spend over $2500 on photography. Cut out the photographer. Enlist the bridesmaids to take pictures before and after the wedding using digital cameras. Get them developed at Walmart and/or shared on social media. They’ll happily do this for free, because they are emotionally invested in the wedding. $5000? Try under $50, because they probably will pick only the nicest shots. Don’t put flowers on tables. Go to a restaurant, where they have flowers already decorating the table. Only invite immediate family to reception. Anyone else who comes along is not officially invited, and is expected to pay for their own food. Send invites by email, and get someone to make a picture saying “You are cordially invited…” Ditch the dress in favor of a nice white formal dress. Or make it yourself if you’re artsy!
Go to church, pay the priest and pay for the marriage certificate. Listen when he talks about how the marriage, not the wedding, is the important thing. Go home, and think about that. You’ll be in better shape economically, your family will be in better shape with you, and the wedding will be substantially better without all that fluff.
For cost reference:
-Maybe 30 ppl/maybe $30 at a restaurant. Would maybe be $900 actually paid for (the rest pay on their own dime). That’s assuming a nice restaurant. But we could also just go for Chinese, pay closer to $9 to fill thirty people. $270.
-Marriage license: between $10 and $115, depending on the state
-Priest: about $50 to $250
-“Photography”: Maybe $50 to Walmart to develop. Cheaper still if they used a photo printer to print it themselves.
-Amazon: Grace Karin Vintage Sleeveless V-Neck Cocktail Swing Dress (White) $38 maximum.
If all of that is ideal, we can afford flowers in the church, tastefully spaced every two rows on both sides. We haven’t even hit $1000 yet, so maybe we can go a bit crazy and have it every row.
All wedding planners that cannot cut costs should be fired immediately. We’re paying you to get the most bang for your buck. Not to hire jerks to gouge huge prices.
By the way, I did a wedding (not ordained, it was as a favor). They already got married, but they wanted a ceremony. I drove up, and spread white stones in a circle, and did a Wiccan wedding. It cost maybe $40. That was it.
Figuring out your wedding budget is no easy feat. Your wedding will likely be the biggest party you’ve ever hosted, and the priciest. To make a budget, you’ll need to tally up your savings, maintain a detailed spreadsheet so you don’t go over during the planning process, prepare for unexpected costs, as well as make meaningful cuts if you do exceed your total budget. It’s hard work, we know, but putting in the time and energy now ensures you’ll live happily ever after (wedding-debt free).
Really enjoyed this!
50k? where the 5k budget at?
I TOTALLY agree with you, Priscilla!
Hello, established wedding planner here just wanting to add info to some of the comments regarding a wedding planner’s lack of value to brides planning a wedding – this is a complete mistruth when considering the overall picture. To say that a bride would be better off turning to her DJ or photographer for wedding advice is like saying a pregnant woman should turn to a daycare provider for birthing and delivery service/advice. :-/ While DJ’s and photogs at times book more weddings than a wedding planner, it’s only because they play a very small, niche role in the wedding process, whereas a wedding planner is responsible for planning and/or contributing to every aspect and detail of planning the entire wedding and all of the intricate elements the bride will need assistance with. Many of us choose to only take on a certain number of clients per year in order to be able to give each client the individual and detailed attention they require and deserve. (This also depends on whether the planner provides complete planning, partial planning, Day of Coordination, or a mix of all three).
That being said, in addition to being an experienced wedding planner, I am also a floral designer and photographer so I am able to provide my clients vendor input from a multi faceted perspective on what they will need and how much all of the floral, design, photography, etc will truly cost. And when their style and/or budget is not a good fit for our in house services (event/floral design, photography, bridal beauty), I am able to direct them to specific vendors that will be a good match for them while ensuring those vendors give them the best value and service.
What was stated by @jdub for the cost of flowers is only a fraction of what’s needed for a wedding. The title of this article is “a look at a $50,000 wedding”, not a DIY lower budget wedding. Brides with higher wedding budgets will have more specific taste and requirement for their overall design and wedding aesthetic – and that means more flowers and decor. The weddings we work on are, on average, spending $5K-10K for flowers because adding in ceremony decor (fresh petal aisle runners, aisle lined with pedestal floral arrangements, custom wedding arch or altar/gazebo decor, pew decor) and reception decor (centerpieces, complete tablescapes, cake table, gift table, sweetheart table floral and design, etc) to the minimal bridal party flowers that @jdub listed is only a fraction of the details. It all adds up quickly in the floral category because so much time and intricate labor is involved – something the commenting dj/photogs are clearly forgetting.
So to make the statement ” To all the brides out there, if you need wedding advice talk to your photographer, your banquet manager, your DJ, and your officiant.” is completely misleading and a huge disservice in advice to brides who are already overwhelmed and need professional direction for the wedding planning process as a whole because the vendors you suggest taking wedding planning advice from are only experienced in their own small section of a weddings detail. Whereas a wedding planner (a good and experienced one) is the comparison of a large corporation’s COO vs. that same corporations mail room clerk.
@Darcy: It does! 🙂
To @jdub:
Thanks for writing in. I appreciate your feedback but I happen to totally disagree with your comments. I am that frustrated bride that started this site, and having done it for 6 years now as well as helped plan a ton of weddings, I happen to think I’m able to have an educated opinion on both sides of the fence. 🙂 While I completely agree with you that you SHOULD absolutely talk to all your vendors, this series is called “Wedding Planner Secrets” and features advice from wedding planners, who we think have an extremely valuable insight into the wedding process. Most of the ones we work with do WAY more than 10 weddings a year, too. But that doesn’t mean you should definitely have one! I didn’t. I think it’s completely up to you and your budget. And of course $50,000 will absolutely get you WAY more in Indiana than LA or NYC. We know that all too well, and is something we always stress to brides (and is something we made a point of talking about in this intro).
On a side note, it should be pointed out that your breakdown re: flower cost doesn’t include any flowers for the ceremony and reception, which are actually THE most expensive (and important) parts. And yes, you can spend way less than $5,000 on wedding flowers. You can spend $100 if you really want. It’s all about priorities and where you want to allocate your budget.
Hi!! You guys are all totally right about the entertainment!! We have no idea how this got left out. We have adjusted the budget accordingly. Thanks for your feedback! xo
Nothing about a DJ. Oh yeah, your hipster friend with an iPod can make you a playlist. This is all phooey and why those wedding planners can all take a hike.
where’s the entertainment portion?! Outside of a photographer, it’s the 2nd most important thing (so studies have shown) and you don’t have a single dollar budgeted for it.
I hope you like to sit in silence and not dance since you forgot entertainment…. lol
You totally forgot about one of THE most important aspects of ANY wedding…Entertainment! Their guests will NOT remember the flowers, the food, or what the venue looked like, but they WILL remember the Entertainment for that night. From the Ceremony to the Last Dance, your entertainer will be the one who is running the show, making sure everything goes smoothly, and depending on the planner you hired (hopefully it’s a good one because I’ve worked with many that didn’t know what they were doing and/or weren’t around when you needed them), the entertainer will be the one executing the moments in the timeline and being the MC for that evening. If you think that the Entertainment belongs in Misc. or Etc., think again, re-evaluate your event and put the entertainment at the forefront top 3 on your list, because without entertainment, your wedding is just another expensive dinner party and your guests would leave right after they ate all the free food you overpaid for.
Well,well,well. So no dancing? No DJ or no band? Love how it’s written by a planner AND the wedding planner price is way up there. Guess the planner is going to sing? LOL
You’re forgetting the provider most responsible for the flow, emotional impact, and overall success of the event through the power of the microphone & music. Their portion of the budget should also be at least 10% for quality. This wedding planner clearly made a huge oversight if they forgot to factor entertainment.
What about entertainment, either DJ or band?
Wow! I think you forgot a major part of any wedding I’ve ever attended. ENTERTAINMENT !!!
So…what are these guests doing at the wedding since they certainly won’t be dancing without a DJ or a band. What is the videographer recording? People eating in silence? Entertainment is easily responsible for a huge portion of the success of the reception and it isn’t mentioned in the budget at all?
I’ve never left a wedding saying “Wow, that was so much fun, those flowers really made the party!”
Serious red flag about the experience and expertise of this wedding planner.
If you are dumb enough to spend $5,000 on flowers, then your wedding planner is clearly not doing their job, nor is that person being at all practical.
A bridal bouquet typically only costs around $200-250.
Bouquets for the bridesmaids around $75-$100.
Boutonnieres about $15-20.
So if you have 5 ladies and 5 guys + corsages and boutonnieres for the parents + the bride and groom, you are looking at about $775-$1,000. Now obviously there will be some taxes and other fees so plan for $1200 to be uber safe.
Also, prices vary from market to market. In L.A. or New York a photographer for $5000 is probably a pretty good deal. But here in Indiana, the average price is 1/2 of that at $2500 (if you include the prints).
Articles like this are incredibly misleading.
This is the problem:
This website was created by a bride (who was frustrated). This website was not created by someone who works in the wedding industry.
To all the brides out there, if you need wedding advice talk to your photographer, your banquet manager, your DJ, and your officiant.
These are the people who do HUNDREDS of weddings. Having a wedding planner is nice, but is it necessary? Often times most wedding planners only do 6-10 weddings per year. But your photographer probably does 30+ per year. Your DJ? 40+ per year.
If you want practical advice, those are the people to talk to.
That’s one really boring wedding with no entertainment, cake or keepsakes…
Music not in a budget? Easiest way to save money? Eliminate $5000 for a wedding planner.
DJ / Band…. That is a huge missing piece.
What about music, linens, and a cake?!!! They were not mentioned in the budget at all!!!
Does the catering budget include alcohol, because I know myself, and so many brides spend huge amounts on an open bar!
We are also spending a significant amount on our live entertainment and guest transportation!