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A journal of the wedding arts

Nuptials

A working estimate

How Much Does a Wedding Cost?

An open blank linen notebook, a brass pen, and a stack of blank cards on an oak table.

The total on this page is the sum of the answers you pick. Venue, clothes, flowers, photos, music, cake, and the other flat lines are added once. Food, invitations, favors, and alcohol are priced per guest and multiplied by the headcount. The lowest combination, at 40 guests, comes to $4,220. The highest combination, at 175 guests, comes to $79,350. Those two figures are the edges of this quiz.

The sum leaves out sales tax, tips, a cake-cutting fee, alterations, the marriage license, and overtime if a vendor stays past the booked hours. The Ultimate Wedding Budget Checklist: Every Penny Counts is the category walk once you have a ceiling. How Much Does a Wedding Photographer Cost? The In-Depth Breakdown is the hours line, which moves when portraits run long. The rest of the budget essays sit under Wedding budget guides.

  • What's Your Dream Wedding Venue?

  • How Many Guests Are You Inviting?

  • Let's Talk Wedding Attire! What's Your Style?

  • What's On the Menu?

  • Flowers, Flowers Everywhere! What's Your Floral Budget?

  • How Do You Plan to Capture the Memories?

  • What Kind of Entertainment Will You Have?

  • What's Your Plan for Wedding Invitations?

  • What Type of Wedding Cake Are You Dreaming of?

  • Will You Be Hiring a Wedding Planner?

  • How Are You Getting to the Venue?

  • What’s Your Dream Honeymoon Destination?

  • Will You Have a Bridal Shower?

  • Will You Hire a Makeup Artist?

  • Will You Offer Wedding Favors?

  • What Type of Rehearsal Dinner Will You Have?

  • What’s Your Plan for Wedding Rings?

  • Will You Have a Photo Booth?

  • What's Your Alcohol Plan?

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Answer every question to reveal the estimate.

The figure above is the sum of the buttons you pressed. Change a headcount or a menu and run it again before you treat that number as a ceiling.