Example weddings
Five weddings, five budgets, every line item
We built these five from 2026 prices to show how the money splits in different kinds of weddings: food, drinks, attire, photos, flowers, stationery, dessert, and the fees people forget. The couples are made up. The prices aren't.
Once readers start sending in their own weddings, we'll add them here. Tell us about yours.
| Wedding | Guests | Total | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| A $982 backyard wedding for 32 guests | 32 | $982 | $31 |
| A $610 courthouse wedding and dinner for 12 | 12 | $610 | $51 |
| A $1,140 brunch wedding for 45 | 45 | $1,140 | $25 |
| An $870 micro-wedding in a state park for 20 | 20 | $870 | $44 |
| A $1,000 library ceremony and pizza reception for 28 | 28 | $1,000 | $36 |
Per-guest cost falls as guest count rises for fixed items like photography and attire, and rises with food-heavy formats.
Family backyard, small-town Ohio · Late September, 4 p.m. ceremony
A $982 backyard wedding for 32 guests
Maya and Dev married in her parents' backyard on a Saturday afternoon in late September. They rented 40 chairs and four tables, served a taco bar they assembled themselves from two warehouse-store runs, filled mason jars with $87 of grocery-store flowers, and asked their friend Ruthie, a good photographer who doesn't shoot weddings, to spend three hours with a camera.
What worked
- One food format. A taco bar is forgiving, scales in trays, and half of it can be made the day before.
- Renting chairs but not linens. They used their own tablecloths and borrowed jars from three friends.
- A friend behind the camera who was told exactly what mattered: the vows, the toast, and everyone at the table.
What they would do differently
- Rent a canopy. A 20-minute rain shower moved 32 people into a garage that wasn't ready for them.
- Assign a cleanup crew before the day. Two people ended up doing dishes until midnight.
| Line item | Spent |
|---|---|
| Chair & table rental (40 chairs, 4 tables)Local party rental, self pickup. It saved a $75 delivery fee | $120 |
| Food: taco bar for 32$9.70 per guest: carnitas, beans, rice, tortillas, four salsas | $310 |
| Drinks: beer, wine, lemonade, iceTwo cases of beer, six bottles of wine, big-batch lemonade | $95 |
| Attire: dress, alterations, linen suit$85 sale dress, $25 hem, $35 suit he already half-owned | $145 |
| Photography: friend + film and printsGift card thank-you plus a print credit | $75 |
| Flowers & decor: grocery bulk, jars, lightsTwo grocery runs of carnations and eucalyptus, borrowed jars | $87 |
| Invitations: printed cards and postageDigital for most guests, 14 printed cards for relatives | $35 |
| Sheet cake + two piesGrocery bakery sheet cake, aunt's pies | $60 |
| Marriage licenseCounty fee, paid two weeks ahead | $55 |
| Total spent | $982 |
Prices are 2026 US prices, rounded to the dollar and including tax where it applies.
County courthouse + neighborhood trattoria, Philadelphia · February, 10 a.m. ceremony
A $610 courthouse wedding and dinner for 12
Ana and Priya married on a Tuesday morning with ten people in the room, then walked six blocks to a family-run trattoria that let them take the back table for a $28-per-person set menu. There was no processional, no seating chart, and no dance floor. Just a long lunch that ran until three o'clock.
What worked
- A weekday lunch. The same restaurant quoted $46 per person for a Saturday dinner buyout.
- Texting the invitation. Twelve people, one group message, zero stationery cost.
- Choosing a restaurant with a real back table instead of paying for a private room.
What they would do differently
- Book 90 minutes of a professional photographer. They love the film photos but have none of the two of them together.
- Ask the clerk's office about their guest cap earlier. They had to uninvite two people.
| Line item | Spent |
|---|---|
| Marriage license + courthouse ceremony feeLicense $90, ceremony fee $15 paid at the clerk's window | $105 |
| Restaurant lunch: 12 guests, set menu$28 per person including tax and tip, family style | $336 |
| Attire: off-the-rack dress, shirt and tie$65 dress from a sale rack, $20 tie and pocket square | $85 |
| Photography: film and developingA friend shot two rolls; they paid for scanning | $30 |
| Flowers: two grocery bouquetsRewrapped in ribbon in the courthouse hallway | $22 |
| Bakery cakeSix-inch cake from a corner bakery, carried in a box | $32 |
| Total spent | $610 |
Prices are 2026 US prices, rounded to the dollar and including tax where it applies.
Community hall, Portland, Maine · May, 11 a.m. ceremony
A $1,140 brunch wedding for 45
Josie and Ellis wanted everyone they loved in one room and did the math: at dinner prices, 45 guests was impossible. At brunch, it cost $25 a head all in. They rented a community hall for $150, ordered quiche and fruit trays from a local caterer, and added bagels, coffee, and juice themselves.
What worked
- Brunch pricing. The same guest list at a dinner buffet quoted $28-$34 per person, or $1,260-$1,530 for food alone.
- Splitting the catering. Paying for quiche and salad, then buying bagels and fruit themselves, saved about $170.
- Booking a photographer who was just starting out and upfront about it. Two hours covered everything they cared about.
What they would do differently
- Send the timing twice. Four guests arrived at noon expecting a 12:30 ceremony.
- Budget $40 for a rented coffee urn instead of borrowing two small ones that couldn't keep up.
| Line item | Spent |
|---|---|
| Community hall rental (4 hours)Nonprofit rate, includes tables and chairs | $150 |
| Food: catered quiche, fruit, salad + DIY bagels$10.70 per guest, half catered and half assembled | $480 |
| Drinks: coffee urns, juice, one prosecco toastThree bottles of prosecco for a single toast | $95 |
| Attire: jumpsuit, alterations, secondhand suitResale suit was $45 and fit better than the rental | $160 |
| Photography: 2-hour mini sessionA second-year photographer building a portfolio | $150 |
| Flowers & decor: daisies, jars, linensTen bunches of daisies split into 12 jars | $60 |
| Invitations: digital + printed menusFree digital invite, 12 printed menu cards | $25 |
| Dessert: bakery cake and two dozen donutsSmall cake to cut, donuts for everyone else | $20 |
| Total spent | $1,140 |
Prices are 2026 US prices, rounded to the dollar and including tax where it applies.
State park picnic shelter, central Texas · October, 3 p.m. ceremony
An $870 micro-wedding in a state park for 20
Cam and Lucia reserved a picnic shelter for $75, married under live oaks with 20 people standing in a semicircle, and ate catered sandwiches at checkered tables. Lucia's brother made the sheet cake. The whole thing was over by seven and cost less than one night of the venue they had originally toured.
What worked
- A shelter, not a lawn. It came with tables, shade, and a rain plan built in for $75.
- Cold catered food. No warming trays, no serving staff, no equipment rental, just platters and a cooler.
- A 20-person list they held to. Every yes was someone they had spoken to in the last month.
What they would do differently
- Print the park map on the invitation. Six guests circled the park looking for the right shelter.
- Bring a battery speaker with a charged backup. The first one died during dinner.
| Line item | Spent |
|---|---|
| Park shelter permit + marriage license$75 shelter reservation, $60 county license | $135 |
| Food: catered sandwich and salad platters$17 per guest from a local deli, delivered cold | $340 |
| Drinks: lemonade dispensers, cooler beer, icePark allows beer and wine, no spirits | $70 |
| Attire: dress, boots resoled, linen shirt$95 dress found on a resale app | $130 |
| Photography: friend with a good camera + printsPaid for an album print set as thanks | $60 |
| Flowers & decor: wildflowers, cloths, candlesFarmers-market wildflowers, thrifted gingham cloths | $55 |
| Invitations: printed postcards + postage20 postcards, hand-addressed | $30 |
| Homemade sheet cake: ingredientsTwo-layer sheet cake plus a box of cupcakes | $50 |
| Total spent | $870 |
Prices are 2026 US prices, rounded to the dollar and including tax where it applies.
Public library community room, Minneapolis · January, 5 p.m. ceremony
A $1,000 library ceremony and pizza reception for 28
Theo and Sam booked their library's community room for $75, married in front of the stacks, and had 12 pizzas and three giant salads delivered from the shop on the corner. It was 9 degrees outside. Nobody left early.
What worked
- A civic venue. Libraries, park buildings, and community centers rent rooms at resident rates most couples never check.
- Pizza. It arrives hot, it costs $13 a head, and every single guest mentioned it afterward.
- A 90-minute photo package covering getting ready, the vows, and 20 minutes of portraits.
What they would do differently
- Ask about the room's end time in writing. They had 20 minutes to clear out and it was frantic.
- Order one more pizza than the calculator says. They ran out of the two vegetarian ones first.
| Line item | Spent |
|---|---|
| Library community room (3 hours)Resident rate; no alcohol permit needed for beer and wine | $75 |
| Food: 12 pizzas, 3 salads, bread$12.90 per guest, delivered in two waves | $360 |
| Drinks: beer, wine, sparkling waterOne case of beer, four bottles of wine, seltzer | $80 |
| Attire: two suits, one tailoredResale suits at $55 and $40, plus $55 of tailoring | $150 |
| Photography: 90-minute sessionLocal photographer's shortest package | $180 |
| Flowers & decor: candles, greenery, paper garlandBattery candles required indoors | $65 |
| Invitations: printed cards + postageRisograph cards from a local print shop | $30 |
| Dessert: cake and cookie traysGrocery bakery cake, two cookie trays | $60 |
| Total spent | $1,000 |
Prices are 2026 US prices, rounded to the dollar and including tax where it applies.
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