Wedding Budget Breakdown: What a $60,000 Wedding Looks Like With 250 Guests
Well, color us happy because we’re jumpstarting our week with some seriously eye-opening wedding planning content from a Texas vendor dream team. They’re tackling the question that’s on every couple’s mind when they start the planning process: How should we budget? Wedding budgets depend on so many factors, but the element that consistently plays the biggest role? Guest count. We’re going to start with a wedding budget breakdown of 60k for 250 guests.
In a series of posts today, we’ll be sharing what a wedding with the same moodboard, same vendors and same budget look like 3 different ways. All awesome. All thoughtfully and gorgeously detailed. The key variable? You guessed it. Guest count!
p.s. Open a new tab and save these tips on building your guest list for later!
These soft, ethereal images from Josh & Dana Fernandez will send you into a wedding inspiration frenzy, so prepare to get your pinning fingers ready!
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
The wedding inspiration pictured in this post features a guest count of 250, again with a budget of $60,000. Amazing, right? We are obsessed with the lush garden blooms from Flower Vibes, the textured pale blue cake from Buttercup Bakery and the corset bodice gown from Willowby by Watters (to name a few!).
It’s truly incredible to see how this classically romantic wedding style translates across different guest counts, so if you’re a visual learner, stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 later today where we’ll be unveiling the looks for weddings with 175 guests and 100 guests respectively. Comes with more insight from wedding experts, Josh & Dana Fernandez, as well!
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