Did you know that there were around 2 million marriages in the United States in 2019? Marriage is a great way to commit to another person, merge two families, and show someone you love them.
Because marriage is such a major life event, people spend a lot of money on weddings. If you are in the beginning stages of planning your wedding, you may be wondering how much to budget.
Do you want to learn more about the average wedding cost? Keep reading to learn about the different costs associated with getting married.
Wedding Venue
One of the biggest wedding expenses to keep in mind is the cost of the wedding and reception venue. On average, your wedding venue should take up around 20% of your total wedding budget. Most people pay around $10,000-$20,000 for a wedding venue.
If you want to save money on your wedding venue, have the wedding on family property for free. This will allow you to spend your money on other parts of the wedding.
If you don’t have family members with land, you can have your wedding at a local church, beach, or outside to save money.
Wedding loans can help you get the venue of your dreams without having a large sum of money. If you want to have an extravagant venue, consider a wedding loan from Plenti.
Food and Drinks
Another major expense of tying the knot is the cost of food and drinks. You want family and friends to have a good time, so feed them delicious food. How much you spend on food and drinks will depend on the type of food you have.
If you decide to hire a caterer to serve guests a fancy meal, you can expect to pay around $50-$100 per person. On the other hand, having a cookout-style wedding dinner or a simple buffet may cost around $15-$30 per person.
Most people spend around 25% of their total wedding budget on food and drinks. How much you spend will depend on the number of people at your wedding, the catering company, and your food preferences.
Photographer
Because weddings are such a special event, most couples decide to capture the moment by hiring a wedding photographer. Once the wedding is over, all you will have are the memories and the photos.
The cost of your wedding photographer will depend on where you live, how many photos you want, and the photographer’s experience. If you have friends or family that are photographers, you may be able to get a discount.
On average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $500-$20,000 on your wedding photographer. Be sure to compare rates before choosing a photographer, and try to keep the cost around 10% or less of your total wedding budget.
Wedding Planner
Weddings are fun, but planning a wedding can be stressful. If you want to avoid the effects of stress, you should consider hiring a wedding planner.
They can help you stick to your budget, choose a venue, arrange catering, and make sure your guests have a great time. On the day of your wedding, you should be able to enjoy yourself instead of worrying about wedding logistics.
If you decide to hire a wedding planner, you will spend around $1,500. If that seems like a lot of money, don’t worry. Hiring a wedding planner can help you avoid overspending in other areas.
When budgeting for your wedding, around 3% of your total wedding budget should go towards hiring a wedding planner.
Reception Music
One of the best things about weddings is the party that happens after the reception. If you want your friends and family to have a good time, you should play music at the reception and have a dance floor.
How much music costs for your wedding will depend on your preferences. If you choose to have a live band, you may have to spend a lot of money depending on how popular the band is.
You also may need to spend a fair amount if you want to have DJ, set up a dance floor, and rent speakers. When creating your budget, try to allocate around 8% for music.
If you don’t have a large budget, you can save money by creating your own soundtrack before the wedding. While this method may save you money, it is more prone to technical difficulties.
Decorations
Another expensive part of having a wedding is the decorations. Like everything else on this list, how much money you spend on decorations will depend on your preferences, style, venue, and if you already have decorations.
If you decide to buy fresh flowers for your wedding, your costs for decorating may be more expensive. Work with your local florist for the best deal and choose flowers that are in season. Plan to spend around 8% of your total wedding budget on flowers and decor.
Attire
When planning your wedding, be sure to consider the cost of apparel. Unless you have help from family and friends, you will be responsible for paying for your wedding dress, the bridesmaid dresses, the groom’s tuxedo, and the groomsmen’s tuxedos.
Many brides also choose to have a bridal shower and a bachelorette party, meaning you will need to consider the cost of those outfits as well.
Luckily, there are different options for renting your wedding attire, so you don’t have to buy it. You also can ask your wedding party to chip in and pay for their outfits.
The average cost of a wedding dress is around $1,600, however, you can spend as much or as little as you would like. Try to keep your attire budget around 7% of the total budget.
Hair and Makeup
Every bride wants to look beautiful on her wedding day, that is why many people choose to spend money on hair and makeup. Hiring a hair and makeup artist can ensure you and your bridesmaids look beautiful for the big day.
The cost for someone to do your hair and makeup is typically around $50-$150 per person. This will depend on where you live, how many people need their hair and makeup done, and the person that you hire to do it.
Wedding Gifts
Did you know that it is a tradition to give gifts during a wedding? Most of the time, the bride and groom get a gift for each other. Getting gifts is a great way to kick off your marriage and remember the day.
How much you spend on gifts is completely up to you. You can spend $10 or $1,000. What matters most is that the gift has meaning.
In addition to the bride and groom exchanging gifts, it is also a common practice to give gifts to your wedding party. While these don’t have to be expensive gifts, it is a great way to say thank you to your party and show you care.
Some common gifts to get bridesmaids include bracelets, necklaces, and drink tumblers. For the groomsmen, consider getting them a watch, a pocketknife, or a new mug.
Invitations
Before you have your wedding, you will need to send out invitations to invite everyone. Not only are invitations a great way to figure out who is coming to your wedding, but they are also a keepsake that family members will hold onto.
The average cost of wedding invitations is around $600, but like everything else, how much you spend will depend on what you want. You can make your invitations for less than $50 if you go the DIY route, or spend thousands of dollars on designer invitations.
Wedding Cake
One of the best things about weddings is the wedding cake! The average cost of buying a wedding cake is around $400. While the average cost isn’t too high, some people spend thousands on their wedding cake.
To save money on your wedding cake, pay for a small, decorated wedding cake for you and the groom, and serve everyone else wedding cake from a sheet cake. This will cut costs, and no one will know the difference.
You can save even more money on your wedding cake if someone in your family is a cake designer. Having a family member make your cake adds a personal touch to your wedding.
Rehearsal Dinner
Most people like to have a rehearsal dinner before the wedding. The rehearsal dinner gives the wedding party a chance to practice.
While you won’t have to pay for hair and makeup for the rehearsal dinner, you will have to pay for food. Most people spend around $1,000 on a rehearsal dinner.
Are You Ready to Estimate Your Wedding Cost?
Getting married is one of the most special events in someone’s life. If you are planning on getting married soon, you know that coming up with a wedding plan is stressful. Keep these average costs in mind when determining your wedding cost.
Did you enjoy reading this article on the average cost of a wedding? If you want to learn more about wedding planning, check out the lifestyle category for more advice!
