How Much Does A Wedding Cost For 50 Guests

Choose A Less Popular Wedding Season

Having trouble setting your wedding date? While many factors come into play when making a decision – like major life events, your work schedule and your budget – you should also look at when booking venues and vendors is most popular. For Canada, thats September . Suppliers tend to be busier and hike up their prices during this season, so you may want to book during the off season. Winter weddings and spring weddings can be just as lovely, so you should have no trouble putting together a dreamy celebration. Pro tip: weekday weddings can also help you spend less than the average wedding cost in Canada.

Set Up A Wedding Website

Create your wedding website as soon as your venue and dates are confirmed. If youre not hosting all travel and meals for your guests, offer a myriad of choices and details so they can make their arrangements. List luxury, mid-range, and budget suggestions for hotels and include any pre-arranged hotel room blocks or flight blocks from gateway cities with contact information and booking codes. Provide local transportation options, restaurants, sightseeing spots, details about the hosted events, the average temperatures at the destination, any specialty clothing they need, and the dress code for your wedding.

Who Pays The Costs Of The Average Wedding

With such a high price tag, it can be hard for many couples to cover the costs of the typical wedding. Many get help from their parents while others use savings or even charge wedding-related purchases on their credit cards.

The charts below show how costs are split among the couple, their parents, and other generous contributors, along with how couples come up with the funds to pay for their special event.

Percent of wedding paid for:

Here’s where couples draw money from to pay for their part of the wedding:

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Save Your Honeymoon For Later

As we all know, vacations are expensive, and spending can easily get out of hand when on your honeymoon. Now, were not saying you should skip the post-wedding holiday 78% of couples surveyed in Canada and abroad had honeymoons but you may want to postpone yours for a while, especially if you want to do something pricey, like yachting in the Maldives or staying in a private villa in Bora Bora. To celebrate, think about doing a minimoon or a staycation and save the main event for later.

Average Wedding Costs In Nc For Attire To Add To Your Budget

As a bride, you have a few things youll have to budget in for your look for the day, grooms too! Between your dress, alterations and wedding hair, these costs factor into your budgeting for the average wedding costs in NC.

Wedding gown costs can range from $500 to $20,000. Bridal salons with couture collections report that brides are spending $5,000 on average for their wedding dress. Designer gowns that are not made individually to fit the measurements are closer to the $1,200-$3,500 range. Include gown alterations as a separate line item a safe budget for this would be $600.

Suits and tuxedo rentals range from $140-$250 based on the designer but expect discounts for groups.

Wedding hair and makeup services at the spa or salon will typically cost between $100-$150 per person for bridesmaids and $200-$300 for the bride. You may have to add on some cost if you want the professionals to come on site.

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Small Wedding At Home:

If youre planning your wedding at home, keep things as simple as possible. Without a traditional venue or wedding planner, youll have a lot of details to work out yourself. Itll be a lot easier to enjoy your day if youve got less things to worry about.

When youre inviting 50 people the easiest wedding to plan and execute is a classic cake and punch reception. As a bonus, it comes in at only $2,000. If youve got a bigger budget, you can add appetizers or sandwiches and still keep your wedding easy to manage.

Wedding Ceremony:

• Sparkling wine for toasting $120

• Non alcoholic punch $20

Wedding Cost Breakdown: Here’s What The Typical Wedding Budget Looks Like

The data below shows average wedding costs for different spending categories, according to Wedding Wire:

• Venue: $10,500
• Makeup artists wedding party : $70
• Hairstylist wedding party : $70
• Catering : $70

Not all couples will incur all of these expenses, and some will choose to spend far less on certain areas in order to splurge on others.

Let’s take a closer look at variation in costs for some of these major categories.

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Millennials Tend To Spend More On Their Wedding

The average millennial tends to spend more than older Gen Xers on a wedding. In fact, in 2019, the average cost of a millennial wedding is $31,000, while a Gen X couple only spends an average of $21,000. Why this disparity? Well, millennials tend to invite more people and include such amenities as an open bar and late-night snacks than their older counterparts.

Breaking Down The Costs Of A Wedding

There’s no shortage of moving parts to a wedding, and some of those moving parts can really pop a dent in the household pocketbook.

Consider these average wedding costs, again from The Knot:

• Venue – $16,107
• Catering – $71
• Wedding day hair care – $119
• Wedding day make-up – $100

Obviously, your wedding costs may vary depending on how many guests you’re inviting, the quality of the engagement ring, and how formal of an occasion you want your nuptials to be.

Geography matters, too. Getting married in New Mexico only costs, on average, $17,000 according to The Knot. But if you get married in New York City , expect to pay around $76,944.

Your head-count matters regardless of budget. The cost of a larger wedding, with 100 people or more, is significantly more than that of an intimate wedding.

According to the website CostofWedding.com, 50% of couples keep their wedding costs below $15,000 by opting for an intimate wedding. Yet invite 100 or more guests for a larger wedding, and you’re looking at costs totaling twice as much .

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Couples Pay For Roughly Half Of The Wedding Themselves

One of the most important parts of planning your wedding budget is figuring out whos paying. These days, couples are sharing the costs with their parents. The 2019 Newlywed Report found that couples paid for 47 percent of their wedding, while their parents footed 52 percent of the bill. Nearly 60 percent of parents agree to pay for certain items , while about one-third write a check for the couple to spend at their discretion. When it comes to wedding planning, money equals control. So if your parents are contributing to your big day, talk to them about how much they want to be involved in the decision-making.

Don’t Be Embarrassed To Ask For Cash

Most people are happy to give cash as a wedding gift if asked many even prefer it to the hassle of picking a gift. Of the 21,000 who voted in our poll, 55% would prefer to give hard cash, while a further 34% would give it if requested .

Wedding gifts aren’t just a pleasant way of wishing a new couple a great life together. Historically, they’re there as a form of social banking.

So before you decide what to ask for on the big day, here’s what Martin has to say:

It’s worth understanding the function this ceremonial gift exchange performs.

Far too many think of wedding gifts as an added extra, yet financially it needs to play a core part in your plans. You’re likely to be shelling out a serious sum of cash for your wedding, but lots of people are willing to effectively pay you back in return for going to the ceremony.

Of course, etiquette rightly suggests no one should ‘ask for gifts’. So what we’re really talking about here is whether you can express a preference for cash over presents for those who want to give.

Gift giving is a form of social banking

Older generations would give gifts or money to younger ones to help them start off in life before they’d had time to build their own finances.

Then once that couple grew older they effectively gave back to the same community when they attended weddings of younger couples by giving them gifts. Thus the money moves in a circular way and is targeted at those who need it most.

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What Is The Average Cost Of A Wedding In Canada

Congratulations, youre getting married! But now youve got to plan the damn thing. The first thing you need to figure out is your budget and what youve got to work with. From the big costs to the smaller items, everything adds up but with the right financial planning, youll be able to make your big day perfect.

A poll conducted for Global News found that Canadians believe a realistic price tag for a wedding should be just under $9,000. But Jodi Gagné, wedding planner and founder of Simply Perfect, believes thats a serious low-ball. A more realistic number? $40,000 to $50,000. Thats based on 100 guests at $200 a person. A bit of a blow to the bank account? Maybe. But realistic nonetheless.

Read on for a breakdown of the average cost in Canada for what you can expect. Keep in mind, Gagné works out of Toronto, and while you may find similar costs in other popular metropolitan areas like Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, the costs will differ slightly from province to province.

How Much Does A Wedding Typically Cost

The average wedding cost can be hard to know for sure, as we cant ask every couple. Wedding experts like The Knot have done large surveys and research, however, giving us a ballpark cost for weddings this year.

The Knots 2020 survey found that the average wedding costs $19,000, a drop from previous years. This is very likely due to the coronavirus pandemic, which led to many couples having smaller, more intimate weddings.

Other estimates also land around the $20,000 mark as the average cost of a wedding. That being said, you can throw a gorgeous wedding for as little as $5000, or even less depending on your vision!

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What About Wedding Insurance

Unfortunately, weddings aren’t immune to unforeseen circumstances. Which is where wedding insurance comes in.

Wedding insurance policies cover a wide variety of items, from lost rings to injured guests.

Cancellation insurance covers the deposits you made on the venue, DJ, vendors, photography, and so on. It might also cover loss or damage of attire, rings, cake, gifts, and other items, depending on the provisions in your policy.

Liability insurance covers injuries to the people who attend your wedding.

So how much does all of that cost?

According to The Knot, you’ll pay between $155 and $550 for a basic cancellation policy that covers things like rings, attire, gifts, and deposits. General liability insurance will cost about $185.

In general, $200 to $400 is probably a safe bet for the average wedding insurance. But costs and levels of coverage can vary widely, so be sure to check multiple options.

How Much You Can Afford To Spend

First, consider what you can afford to spend. Ask yourselves the following questions:

• How much do you have in your savings?

• How much of your savings are you willing to use?

• Will you have enough money left over for an emergency fund?

• How much can you contribute from your current income?

To figure out how much you can contribute to your wedding budget from your current income, first determine your monthly earnings. Then, figure out how much you typically spend each month on bills, groceries and miscellaneous expenses. Once you figure out how much money you and your fiancé spend each month, subtract these monthly expenses from your combined income.

Consider saving whatever money you have left for your wedding. If you don’t have anything left over, look for ways to reduce your monthly expenses. For example, you might get takeout less often or skip weekend road trips as you save for your wedding.

If you’re tempted to use credit cards to pay for your wedding, keep in mind that credit card debt can build up fast as interest accumulates. It’s best only to use credit cards if you can realistically pay off the debt in a few months.

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Fancy Hotel Or Banquet Hall Venue Hidden Costs

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The majority of bigger hotels will offer complete wedding packages, on-site planning, and additional amenities. However, they will probably not cover all your personal needs for the perfect wedding. Once again, you are going to run into additional wedding venue costs.

Power Drop Charges: These occur if your power usage requirements exceed the hotels electrical capabilities. For example DJ or band equipment and lighting.

Corkage Fee: If you wish to have alcoholic beverages that are not part of the hotels usual offering, you are going to have to purchase the additional alcohol as well as pay the incurred fee.

External Vendor Fee: If you chose to use your own caterer, florist, baker, etc, you may incur additional fees.

Average Cost Of A Wedding Photographer Or Wedding Videographer

More than 90% of couples hired a photographer in 2019, according to The Knot. This didn’t come cheap at an average price of $2,400.

However, as this data from Wedding Forward shows, the cost depends on the skill level of the person taking the pictures. Here’s what you can expect to spend if you hire photographers with varying levels of experience:

• Student: $500 to $1,500
• Professional: $2,500 to $10,000
• Grandmaster: $6,000 and up

For couples who want to capture their magical moments on video, rather than just on film, the average videographer comes at a price of $1,799 according to Wedding Wire.

However, most couples spend anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500 with the cost determined in large part by the amount of time your videographer spends at your event as well as the level of editing requested.

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Think Carefully About What Prezzies You Ask For

Too many people only consider wedding gifts at the last moment. But they can be worth a significant amount of cash so consider as soon as you can what you want people to get and how that fits in with your own financial plans so that the two fit together. See Martin’s blog: Am I alone in wanting to know what to give to couples?.