How Much Does The Average Wedding Cost
Getting married is pretty expensive these days. Even the average American wedding costs a lot of money! Read on and find out how much does an average wedding cost these days.
Typical Cost Of An Average Wedding
The cost of an average wedding these days ranges from $25,000 to $30,000.
Included In The Price Of Our Average Wedding Estimate
The price includes almost everything there is to get for the wedding such as the ceremony fees, location fees, wedding cake, flowers, foods and drinks, DJ or live band, wedding photography and videography, wedding attires, wedding favors, and transportation.
How Much Do Weddings Cost Per Wedding Essential?
Here is a detailed list of how much you have to spend on each wedding essential from ProfessorsHouse.com depending on your budget:
| Food | 40% |
| Reception | 7% |
| Attire | 10% |
| Flowers | 8% |
| Photography/Videography | 12% |
| Music | 8% |
| Invitations | 4% |
| Favors | 3% |
| Rings | 5% |
| Ceremony | 3% |
Following this budget distribution can very well guide you into your wedding expenses. Whether your budget is $20,000 or $30,000, you can be certain that everything will be covered. However, take note that the lower your budget is, the lower your budget for each of the item is. This means that you must watch your choices in terms of quality and design to make sure you won’t go over your set wedding budget. This tells you that you cannot choose the same wedding dress for a $20,000 and $30,000 wedding. Somehow, your dress for a $20,00 wedding must be cheaper. However, you can make other adjustments on the percentage distribution to personalize this wedding budget guide.
Consider These Factors
Number of guests. The size of the wedding greatly affects the overall cost of the event. The more your guests are, the higher the expenses can become. Let's take the foods for example. A plate is usually priced $40. If you have 100 guests for the wedding, the budget for the food alone is $4,000. This is without mentioning yet that the more guests you have, the more you have to spend on the favors, decorations, and the like.
Geography. Your geographical location can very well tell how much does it cost to get married. Big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York can have a different price definition for the cost of an average wedding. With the high cost of living in big cities, the cost of nearly everything there is higher as compared to smaller towns and cities.
Quality of your choices. The choice of wedding decors and accessories can greatly affect the price of an average wedding. If we take a look at the wedding centerpieces alone, the cost can be very different. If you choose fresh flowers over silk, the price difference can be seen right away. The same is true for the wedding dress. Some brides spend thousands of dollars on the dress alone but there are wedding dresses that can be purchased cheaply as well.
Additional Costs
Additional costs fall on invitations for the wedding. This can also be true for ceremony programs, guest book, reply cards, reception menus, save the date cards, table cards, and thank you cards.
A wedding planner or consultant can also add up to your wedding expenses. The price of a full service can be a couple thousand of dollars.
Pampering services for the bride and groom can be an added cost as well. This includes gym memberships, facial service, hair service, makeup service, manicure and pedicure, massage, and the like. The price can go higher if you include not only the couple but as well as their parents, bridesmaids, and other important guests for the occasion.
Gratuities may mean 15 to 20 percent of the total cost of a specific service. Even the wedding venue can charge for it. Other people to think about service charges are the wedding planner, the caterers, the photographer, and the like.
My Wedding Reception Planning lists down the average cost of everything that a wedding entails to help you calculate the cost of your wedding. The details here include the number of guests, attire and accessories, entertainment, decorations, gifts, favors, and so much more.
Use the wedding cost calculator from ProjectWedding.com and YourWeddingCompany.com to help you plan your wedding and stay on your budget. This wedding cost estimator, on the other hand, will give you a near estimate of the total cost of your wedding depending on your location and the personal choices you make for your wedding.
Make a wedding checklist to help you plan every detail of your wedding. This is very important for you to personally see especially if you do not have the services of a wedding planner.
Compare prices of most of your orders for your wedding and go for the one with a good price without compromising the quality. This is true for almost everything including the food and drinks, cake, dresses, reception venue, wedding planner, and the like. The Bridal Guide has a list of cost-cutting tips to help you save more on your wedding expenses.