Why are weddings so expensive??
You just got engaged. You’re so excited to host a fab event and immediately think, “OMG I can’t wait to get married. Let’s set aside $10K so we have a really nice wedding!” For most people that’s like 3 - 6 months of rent, which is obviously a lot of money. But you quickly find out that a $10K wedding is incredibly hard to do. But why???
Maybe you hosted a big Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner for 20-30 people? If so, you might be accustomed to spending $500-1,000 for your standard get-togethers. From that perspective, it’s logical to expect $10,000 would be a great budget when leaping from 20 guests to 200.
*Spoiler Alert*
Weddings typically cost much more than that. The biggest culprits is due to the increased headcount, the number of activities on the day, and.. you likely didn’t account for hiring people.
Unlike those dinner parties, weddings typically keep people in one place for 6 hours instead of just two. Now we have a minimum of 3X the entertainment requirement. Then increase the headcount 10-fold, it’s nearly impossible to scale yourself to manage 10X the party size without professional help. That’s why weddings are “so expensive”. A wedding is the first time that most couples pay for other people’s wages. What does that look like for a one day event?
Let’s break it down
The average American salary in 2023 was $59,428 -- according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on by Forbes.com
That breaks down to $300/day IF you want to provide a living wage
Any quality vendor company is investing at least 5 days into YOUR event (event day + pre or post support) OR $1,500
Luxury vendors will likely invest 20-30 days worth of work into just your event OR $6,000 - $9,000
Plus the cost of any supplies (food, alcohol, flowers, decor, lawn maintenance, camera equipment upkeep, etc…)
That means IF your wedding has the traditional 10 vendors; Venue, Caterer, Planner, DJ, Bartender, Florist, Photographer, Officiant, Bakery, Beauty Team, … expect to pay $15K -30K. This is why the average American wedding with 100 guests cost $30,000 in 2024.
You may be thinking… “What about a casual event? We don’t need servers. I want buffet all DAY!”
Most homes aren’t equipped to hold 100-200 people. You’ll likely rent a space costing $3K-12K (depending on venue size and day chosen) and you won’t be able to cook food for 100+ people on your wedding day or decorate before the big event like you would for other parties.
Generally people think of weddings as a special intergenerational elevated experience that includes elements you won’t see at typical house parties... and as a result the vast majority of couples opt for an elevated experience over a casual one. Even casual wedding events will still typically cost about $20K in total for 100 people because they still have the 10 vendors + the cost of supplies like food & alcohol to consider. No matter which direction you choose, these parties are only made possible by hiring staff to support events at such a large scale.
Cost is driven by the Desired experience
Here’s what a Top tier experience looks like for a 100 person wedding
Wedding Venue: $8,000
7 course meal w/ apps + dinner: $150 X100 + fees = $20,000
Live musicians/ Band : $8,000
Open Bar: $40 X 100 = $4,000
Floral installations: $20,000
Photographer: $10,000
Planner: $10,000
Total: $80,000+
Here’s what the First tier looks like for a 100 person wedding
Event hall: $2,000
Burgers & fries dinner: $18 X100 + delivery + tax = $2,000
DJ Spotify: $0
Beer / Wine service: $10 X 100 = $1,000
Personal florals: $1,000
Photographer: $2,000
Coordinator: $1,500
Total: $9,500+
BUT we have good news!
Events in a Crunch has been working hard cooking up the perfect combination so you can party in style, be stress free, and have it all do it for a great price. Contact our planner team to get started!
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