WHAT IS A REALISTIC WEDDING BUDGET?

Many brides and grooms are surprised when they start to look into wedding costs. Wedding finances are hardly talked about until you are handed the bill, which usually is a bigger number than couples expect. No wonder elopements and smaller weddings are becoming more and more popular! A lot of couples go into wedding planning blind and come out ready to settle for something less than they have always imagined. 

So, it’s time we start talking about wedding costs in a more transparent and casual way. Being financially prepared is one of the many factors some couples do not think about before getting engaged, and we don’t blame them. It is way more fun to do all the dreaming of a perfect day with your partner than it is to set a realistic wedding budget the day after you get engaged. 

Now, we can only cover a few aspects of the wedding, since there are so many vendors and smaller costs that go into the budget. But, we want to give you a rundown of the main costs, the aspects of a wedding that aren’t usually skipped over. These figures are not accurate for every vendor in all of Kansas City, but these are the costs that are normally projected with a wedding of around 100-200 guests.

An 8th&Main couple captured by Caitlyn Cloud Photography

What am I budgeting for?

So, your major costs are always going to be the venue and the photographer. Look at our past blogs to understand why these should be the biggest splurges of your big day. 

It makes sense that the venue will be one of the larger expenses of the wedding. They are usually large, aesthetic spaces that can hold and host over one hundred people in a ceremony space and a reception space. It’s a big deal. 

This is why you need to make sure you are getting the most out of your venue. Since it is a big mood setter and financial cost, it should be serving you the most! This is why we offer on-site staff, accommodating hours, trusted DJs, and more. We want our couples to feel like they are getting the deal of a lifetime, partly because they are! 

Wedding venues within the Kansas City area cost anywhere from $4,500 to $20,000, which is a surprise for a lot of couples. Saturday weddings tend to cost the most, so even choosing a Friday or Sunday for your wedding date could save costs. All three of our venues sit on the lower side of the KC venue range, while still being ranked as some of the best in Kansas City! Check out our venue websites for more exact figures.

An 8th and Main couple on a dock

Photographers

Once you book the venue, most of the wedding costs drop down quite a bit from that large range. Though, photographers within the Kansas City area can also surprise couples’ budgets. Booking a photographer for your wedding day can cost anywhere from $2,000-$8,000 depending on who you book. 

Just remember, you’re not only paying for their time on the day of your wedding but for the hours of editing that come after the big day. Many photographers will work with you on prices, offering a lower starting point for fewer hours. This is one of the most important costs of the wedding, so take your time in finding the right one and save up enough for photos you’ll have forever. 

A beautiful bride in her wedding dress at Mission Theatre

Catering 

When planning to feed your guests, Kansas City has a large variety of caterers who are willing to provide high volumes of gorgeous, tasty food. Catering costs are largely ambiguous since this depends on the number of guests and what kind of food you want to provide. There are couples who cater Cane’s for a lower-cost meal or couples who go all out with four courses from a high-end catering company. All this results in a large range of $500-$10,000–so it is really up to the couple to decide if this is a place to tighten or expand the budget. There are so many options.

Wedding Dress

The famous white dress! One-time wear is sometimes hard to justify the big price tag, but more and more brides are sourcing from companies who are not outright wedding dress vendors. Brides are getting creative and purchasing more contemporary white dresses from Anthropology or Reformation. Dresses that are still high quality without the bridal markups. 

But, if you have always dreamed of a glamorous, big wedding dress, there are plenty of options in the Kansas City area as well. These dresses range anywhere from $750-$20,000 depending on what you picture for the big day. 

Florals

Depending on what kind of florals you’re wanting, if you just want bouquets for your bridesmaids and yourself, or if you want a large altarpiece, florals in the KC area will cost anywhere from $1,000-$8,500. Flowers, especially contemporary bouquets, can cost a lot of money to order and ship. This cost also includes the countless hours the florists will spend creating these incredible flower pieces. 

Florals at the Barn photographed by Shelby York Photography

A jovial cake cutting at The Barn at Riverbend, captured by Mariam Saifan Photography

These are the main costs for a couple planning a wedding, but there are so many other, smaller factors we didn’t get to! There’s alcohol, table decor, DJs, wedding planners, etc., but the list can really go on and on depending on what you have the budget for and what you want as a couple.

This large range of wants and needs puts the total wedding budget anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000. It is close to impossible for a traditional wedding in the Kansas City area to cost under $10,000, so that is a good initial budget to keep your eyes on, but it will more likely be $15,000-$20,000 just based on the area’s average cost of a wedding. 

This is not meant to scare you away from your dream day, but to provide couples with an appropriate expectation of what a wedding truly costs. Many times this isn’t revealed until far down the engagement road, but it’s important that couples know exactly what to expect. The range is large and there are always ways to save–it just depends on the kind of wedding you have always pictured!