One Budget, 3 Guest Lists: What 60k Looks Like for 250 Guests
It’s Monday AND the beginning of the month so it’s a perfect time to take inventory of our wedding budget! 😉 The number one question we see pop up time and time again is how to properly budget for your wedding. How much should be allocated for florals, food and beverage, transportation, etc. While your wedding budget takes a myriad of things into account, the biggest factor is your guest count. Think of it this way: one more guest means another chiavari chair, specialty napkin, china & flatware set and, of course, food and beverage. So we are starting our $60k wedding budget breakdown with 250 guests, but be on the lookout later today for more guest count options and how that can affect your budget.
P.S. Open a new tab and save these tips on building your guest list for later!
To really get you in the planning mood, enjoy these romantic, ethereal images from Josh & Dana Fernandez as you prepare both your budget spreadsheet and your Pinterest boards!
From the photographer + stylist, Josh & Dana Fernandez: As it is with so many things that we experience, hindsight is always 20/20. Being in the wedding industry and having photographed over 100 weddings, this is true for so many things concerning a couples’ wedding day. One in particular that we hear about a lot from past clients as well as other vendors, is realizing how much their guest count affected their overall design and decor allowances. Since this is something that we continually see, we wanted to create an editorial to help visualize how much decor can change within the same exact budget but with different guest counts.
Overall, we put together three different setups all based on a $60,000 budget with the same moodboard, but showcasing what the wedding would look like with a guest count of 250, 175, then 100 people respectively. It is also worth noting that all costs used was real pricing from the actual vendors that participated in the shoot and if a vendor’s product was not photographed, such as food, music, or the officiant, we still obtained actual quotes from vendors that normally provide services for clients with the budget we chose. We even included items such as alterations, favors, sparklers, and attendant gifts.
The items that remained constant (unchanged across all guest counts)
1. Venue Rental
2. Catering & Alcohol
3. Security and Insurance
4. Officiant
5. Ceremony and Reception Music (String Trio for Ceremony, DJ for Reception)
6. Groom’s Tux
7. Veil
8. Photography
9. Marriage License
10. Guest Book
11. Bouquet
I don’t know about you, but we are visual learners and love how this inspiration shows us what we can do with a $60,000 budget and a guest count of 250. We are loving the lush garden blooms from Flower Vibes, the pale blue cake with fresh florals from Buttercup Bakery and the corset bodice gown from Willowby by Watters and this is just the beginning!
Stay tuned throughout the rest of the day as we unveil looks for 175 guests and 100 guests to give you a visual on how your guest count can affect your wedding budget. Of course this will also come with more wedding planning tips from the experts: Josh & Dana Fernandez!
Styled Shoot Vendors:
Concept + Photography + Styling: Josh & Dana Fernandez
Planning + Design: Mallory Jackson Ferreira with Two Be Wed
Floral Design: Flower Vibes
Venue: River Oaks Garden Club
Cake: Buttercup Bakery
Makeup and Hair: Hey Lovely Makeup
Gown Designer (100 Guest Count Gown): Pronovias
Gown Boutique (100 Guest Count Gown): Mia Bridal Couture
Veil Designer: Toni Federici via Mia Bridal Couture
Gown Designer (250 Guest Count Gown): Willowby by Watters
Gown Designer (175 Guest Count Gown): Sachin and Babi
Gown Boutique (250 & 175 Guest Count Gowns): Unbridaled
Invitations + Menu + Place Cards + Escort Cards + Table Number + Painted Escort Card Backdrop: Half Moon Lettering
Plates + Louis Side Chairs + Hemstitch Napkins + Table Linens + Flatware + Glassware: Aztec Events & Tents
Table + Lounge Furniture + Armless Linen Chairs + Chivari Chairs + Folding Chairs: Swift + Company
Model: Taylor Morrison