Your wedding day - You may have been dreaming about this day for years and it’s finally happening! You’ve saved pictures from magazines, have thousand of pins saved to your Pinterest board, and can’t wait to start the planning process. You’ve thought about the music, the food, your attire, the decor, and so much more. If you haven’t already, you will likely soon have a conversation with your partner and maybe even family and friends about the B word …. BUDGET.
Your wedding day is probably the largest and most elaborate event you have planned to date. There can be a tremendous amount of details and vendors to put together to make this one day happen, and the reality is, it all has to cost something and can add up very quickly. It’s important to set a realistic budget before you start committing to the details to ensure you are comfortable later down the line and don’t end up “wedding broke”.
I've broken down what you can expect your main wedding expenses to cost in Ohio as well as some unexpected costs you may not realize factor into your overall wedding budget.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty and break down these expenses, I want you to have these conversations with your partner and anyone else contributing to your big day
What are your top 3 priorities for the wedding day (any non-negotiables)?
Knowing your priorities and any non-negotiables can help you better distribute your budget knowing you may want to spend a little more in specific areas.
Who is contributing financially and what are they covering?
As tradition has it, typically one partner is “responsible” for paying a majority of the wedding expenses, while the other partner may pay for things like the bouquet, the officiant, the rehearsal dinner, and the marriage license. Discuss with all parties financially involved what this looks like and what you are including in your overall wedding budget.
Alright, now let’s get to the breakdown:
Other sources say the average wedding budget in Ohio costs around 20,000 to 35,000 for a 100-person wedding. What does that actually mean when it comes to what that covers?
ITEM | PERCENTAGE OF BUDGET | NOTES |
Venue/ food & Beverage | 49% | Most plated meal packages start around $X/person Most buffet packages start around $X/person |
Attire | 5-7% | This includes the dress, suit or tuxedo and accessories |
Beauty | 2% | Average hair and makeup services - $80-90 per service |
Cake | 2%-5% | Most bakers start at a base cost of $7/slice |
Favors/ Gifts | 2% | A lot of couples are choosing to put the cost of guest favors towards other aspects of their wedding that they consider more meaningful. |
Floral/ Decor | 10-15% | Average bouquet cost - $150 Average centerpiece cost - Low & Lush: $250 Tall: $450 Average large installation (floral chandelier, floral wall, etc.) - $1,500-3,000 |
Stationary | 2-5% | Invites, Save the dates, Programs, etc. |
Entertainment | 10-15% | DJ / Band |
Photography/ Videography | 10-15% | |
Transportation | 2-5% | |
Wedding Planner | 7-10% | |
*these percentages are general guidelines and can be adjusted based on your specific preferences and priorities*
I've broken down some of the most common and larger expenses to consider when organizing your wedding budget, but what items are you not thinking about? I am going to share additional items most couples forget to include in their budget:
Getting ready space; you may need to pay for your room the night before to have access early the next morning or add extra hours onto your venue rental so you have space to do hair and makeup and get ready
Additional beauty needs prior to the wedding day: hair and makeup trials, waxing, tanning, skin treatment, injectables...
Ceremony sound equipment
Shipping + postage for stationery; oversized envelopes, different shaped invitations, vintage stamps all play a part in adding to cost
Welcome bag fees; some hotels charge an average of $5 per bag to hand out or deliver welcome gifts to your hotel guests
Late night/after hour charges for rental companies (and sometimes florists) to pick up and breakdown any items.
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