Budgeting

Your budget should be how much you two can save and want to spend. Some people can spend less than 5k for a small wedding and some can still spend 50k. It all dependes on how much you want to budget for things like venue (Park with a permit or fancy venue) How much is a photographer in your area (around here they range from 2k-8k).

No one else’s budget will determine how much you can afford to spend. One person may spend $2k on a 50 guest wedding while another may spend $50k. You have to base your wedding on your budget, not your budget on your wedding.

Agree with others.


You also have to remember that there are certain costs that are not dependent on the number of guests such as your dress/attire, photography, officiant, DJ/music.
I think discussing with your partner what you guys can and willing to realistically spend on a wedding is the best way to figure out your personal budget. Then looking at the average cost of each item (catering, venue, DJ, photographer, etc) will also help with figuring out what kind of wedding you can have.

So many factors go into how much you spend in your wedding. I agree with Caytlyn, you have to see how much you can afford and then start looking venues etc.

As the other ladies have said, it is all about what you can afford. No two budgets will be the same.

It depends on a few things: 1) what you can afford, 2) what you are willing to pay, 3) the "vibe" of the wedding you want. 50 people at a fancy, all-inclusive venue is very different from a 50-person Sunday brunch wedding at the local VFW hall. I think some things are relatively consistent (photography, food costs per person) whereas others can vary dramatically (venue, dress). Perhaps a way to think about it: if I'm inviting 50 people, what's the maximum per person I would be willing to spend. $50? $100? $500? For me, I wouldn't spend more than $200/person and I'd like to keep it as far under $150/person as possible. Then calculate from there, see how feasible it is in your area, and adjust accordingly.

Agree with everyone else but wanted to add that you're in the microwedding size range so definitely look for microwedding packages which tend to be less expensive than the traditional route.

Yes the advice to only spend what you can afford is super important, but I think your question is getting at if you afford to spend $10/20/30K how do you figure out where you can expect to be in that range?
Start by estimating costs of vendors that do not depend on guest count ($2k photographer, $1K DJ, $1k-$3K florist, $500 cake, $1K+ on-site hair/makeup, $1-3K dress+ alterations) Consider if you don’t want/need any of those. Then look into catering costs in your area per person, and that will give a range for your 30-50 guests (likely $60/person is ok first guess, which gives $****).
If you want to use traditional wedding vendors, you will likely hit $10k+ regardless of the final guest count or how small of a venue. Hope that helps!

As everyone has said, it depends enormously on what you can afford and how you want your wedding to be. Start by thinking about what kind of wedding you want amd who is going to be there. Do you want a backyard wedding, a church wedding, a wedding at a fancy venue? What time of day? Will there be alcohol? What will you eat? What will you wear?


You can start to figure out how much it will cost from there and adjust as needed. People will push you to go all out, but I think it is important to remember what aspects are most important to you and your partner. Don't splurge on an expensive DJ if you don't want dancing. Don't pay for a big fancy cake if you hate cake. You get the idea.

Also, budgets vary wildly depending on where you get married.

We live in the NYC metro area, DH is *from* NYC, and we got married in NYC.

Our budget was large for an 80 person wedding, considering the "average" cost of an American wedding, but was on the lower end for an NYC wedding.

The "cost calculator" under "Planning Tools" will help you figure out what the average prices are in your area, which can help you set a budget.

I love what the PPs had to say here about this. i recently had a convo with my engaged friend about this. she asked me what's a good budget? and i told her you know it really depends on what you want and what you're comfortable paying. so ask yourself "would i be happy without this? would i be happy with this? am i ok with spending this for that?" no one can tell you what is a good amount because everyone has different comfort levels