From Low-Budget Weddings to Ultra-Luxury Weddings, Here's the Scoop on Budget Tiers

No matter how many zeros are in your wedding budget, a wedding is an investment. The thing is, it can be hard to set proper expectations with so many wedding ideas floating around. To set the record straight, we're taking a look at everything from low-budget weddings to ultra-luxury weddings to better understand what goes into each tier of celebration so you can build your wedding budget accordingly.

How to understand wedding budget tiers: Low-Budget | Budget | Standard | Premium | Luxury | Ultra-Luxury

When I spoke with expert wedding planner Lauren Doll, the owner of Dream Co Planning in California, she raised the point that the main differentiator with wedding budgets comes down to priorities and how those manifest. She explains that "surprisingly enough, there aren't any formal wedding tiers."

However, she goes on to note that the main way to "define the difference between budget and luxury weddings has to do with the couples' priorities. With budget weddings, couples might be focused on how to save money on a wedding. For luxury weddings, couples might prioritize certain vendors like florals and decor. It simply depends on each couple's preferences."

So with all those differences, where do you even start when it comes to deciding on the best wedding budget for your situation? Doll advises couples to work with a professional. "To gauge expectations, you can reach out to a wedding planner and go through your budget with the expert. They will probably charge for this, but it will be valuable insight into how much things will cost based on your preferences, priorities, and vision. You can also reach out to local vendors and gather proposals on your own for the services you're looking for." But even before connecting with pros (which you can find at every price point on The Knot Vendor Marketplace) make note of the tiers below to inform your planning journey.

FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT

What Is a Low-Budget Wedding?

A low-budget wedding is focused on saving as much money as possible through strategically planning low-budget wedding ideas and booking a low-budget wedding venue.

Low-Budget Wedding Cost

A low-budget wedding is a celebration with up to a $10,000 wedding budget. It can be difficult to plan a wedding on an extremely tight budget, even with DIY details, and couples should be aware that certain sacrifices may have to be made in the name of saving money. However, it is doable—I've actually attended a wedding with a $10K budget and thoroughly enjoyed myself (the backyard event even had a memorable taco bar!).

Low-Budget Wedding Cost Considerations

So, now you want to know how to plan a low-budget wedding. If you're exceptionally savvy, and keep the tips below in mind, you'll be able to create a memorable wedding on a tight budget.

• Shrink the guest list: One Reddit poster notes that the best way to save money on a wedding is to "invite fewer people. Have a great wedding for fewer people, rather than an average wedding for a lot of people."
• Pick an off-peak date and time: Did you know that getting married on a Tuesday will likely be cheaper than a Saturday?
• Don't assume DIY is always cheaper: Sometimes DIY can end up costing you more money than hiring a pro who knows what they're doing. Before you write off experts, peruse The Knot Vendor Marketplace to find local pros at every budget level.

What Is a Budget Wedding?

The next tier is a budget wedding where the overall cost is still kept low, but certain strategic investments and splurges can be made thoughtfully.

Budget Wedding Cost

A budget wedding costs between $10,000 to $30,000. You might be thinking, "Can you plan a wedding with a 20k budget?" With a small guest list and some smart choices, you should be able to pull off a memorable event within this tier.

Budget Wedding Cost Considerations

So, how do you do it? How do you create an amazing wedding for under $30,000? With great care and smart choices, including implementing the ideas below.

• Book an affordable wedding venue: According to The Knot 2023 Real Weddings Study, couples typically spend 37% of their total wedding funds on a venue. By prioritizing a spot that's less expensive, you stand to save a good chunk of change.
• Buy an affordable wedding dress: Say "yes" to a dress that doesn't break the bank.

What Is a Standard Wedding?

Averages necessarily gloss over minutiae and specific details, but this level of wedding is what our studies have shown that the average couple in the US plans.

Standard Wedding Cost

A standard wedding costs between $30,000 and $60,000. The national average cost of a wedding is $35,000 (with the assumption of a guest count around 115 and a per-person spend of $304) and generally reflects the scope of weddings in this tier. For couples in high-cost-of-living cities, like New York City and Los Angeles, a wedding in this price range will be very hard to achieve. However, in locations with a lower cost of living, couples who plan strategically and prioritize should be able to achieve a lovely wedding at this price point.

Standard Wedding Cost Considerations

With a wedding of this scope, you can afford many of the entry-level options, but not add-on upgrades. For example, a limited bar with only beer and wine may fit into your budget while a full-scale open bar likely would not. Here are some specific considerations to bear in mind:

• Limit the guest list: Aim for a guest list under 100 people to give you as much flexibility as possible.
• Limit vendor team: In order to pinch pennies, you'll need to be strategic about which vendors you can and can't afford. Vendors such as tent rentals and live bands may be outside of your realistic budget. Meanwhile, hiring a partial-planner instead of a full-service planner is a great way to protect your budget while still benefiting from professional advice.

What Is a Premium Wedding?

A premium wedding is an elevated celebration with many big-ticket items but the event still sticks to a tight wedding budget and emphasizes strategic prioritization. In high-cost-of-living cities, like New York, weddings at this cost range are typically the bare minimum folks can expect to spend. Like with any budget tier, location and guest count factor heavily into how far your money will go.

Premium Wedding Cost

A premium wedding costs between $60,000 and $100,000. The per-person cost for a premium wedding may be around $500–$800.

Premium Wedding Cost Considerations

While prioritization is important at any budget level, it's especially important for premium weddings with budgets hovering just under six figures. A premium wedding budget gives you enough flexibility to splurge in some areas as long as you are smart and conservative in others.

• Consider locality: Wedding prices vary greatly depending on where in the country you're tying the knot and that fact is especially crucial for folks with premium wedding budgets. $80,000 will go much further in the Midwest while it may not afford you much in Southern California.
• Rely on a wedding planner: This is good advice no matter your budget tier, but it is especially helpful for middle-of-the-road budgets where you can upgrade some components while saving with others. A wedding planner will help you take all your ideas and then lay out a plan of how best to prioritize.

What Is a Luxury Wedding?

Can I let you in on a secret? Before working as a journalist I worked for a luxury wedding planner and saw many budgets at this caliber. And here's the biggest thing I learned: A luxury wedding is about more than just saying "I do." It is about creating a memorable celebration, which may span multiple days or events, and emphasizes a top-notch guest experience. Luxury weddings are also often destination weddings. Alternatively, for local luxury weddings, there may still be many out-of-town guests or vendors flying in.

Luxury Wedding Cost

So, how much is it to get married with a luxury wedding budget? A luxury wedding starts at $100,000, but many cost at least $250,000. The per-person cost of a luxury wedding generally starts at $1,000 or more.

Luxury Wedding Cost Considerations

How far will a hundred grand really go? Well, guest count and location are a key part of that equation (pro tip: consult with a planner to get their advice on both), but beyond that, here are some other factors to consider.

• Luxury wedding venues: Many luxury wedding venues, especially luxury hotels, have food and beverage minimums couples must meet that make it impossible to host a wedding for under six figures. Why? Because the quality and service is so high, the only way to make the event financially feasible for venues is to guarantee economies of scale with set minimums. The good news is that these venues know their stuff and are sure to deliver tenfold.
• Luxury wedding ideas & rentals: Get ready to think beyond simple floral centerpieces. Couples with luxury wedding budgets often set aside a significant chunk of change to decor. This decor isn't just flowers, but it also includes specialty rentals.
• Additional wedding vendors: While The Knot Real Weddings Study found that an average vendor team is made up of 14 businesses, a luxury wedding will likely have an even larger team. For example, the couple might hire a fashion stylist to assist with attire selection and multiple specialty rental companies could be brought on.
• Invest in seamless transportation: While a premium wedding might pay for transportation from the hotel to the wedding venue, a luxury wedding budget leaves room for additional transportation options, such as airport shuttles.
• Hire a wedding designer: While budget wedding may rely on partial planners, luxury weddings and beyond often hire both a full-service wedding planner as well as a wedding designer.

What Is an Ultra-Luxury Wedding?

An ultra-luxury wedding isn't simply an uber-expensive wedding. Rather, an ultra-luxury wedding is focused on curating an elevated (often multi-day) celebration that prioritizes the guest experience, exceptional service, and exquisite personalization.

Ultra-Luxury Wedding Cost

An ultra-luxury wedding starts at $500,000 with many of these weddings costing multiple millions of dollars. The per-guest cost of a wedding of this scale typically ranges from $4,000 and up.

Ultra-Luxury Wedding Cost Considerations

Those stunning weddings you see going viral online with thousands of flowers and custom-built structures? TBH, they come with a seven-figure price tag.

"Instagram and Pinterest are great for inspiration but don't be discouraged if your wedding doesn't turn out like those photos," notes Doll. "Many of those weddings have extensive budgets that most people can't afford, so taper your expectations to what your wedding will look like within the budget you have. Don't worry, your wedding will be just as beautiful, just in a different way."

• Invest in custom fabrication: Many weddings at this scale lean heavily into custom-built reception structures that require multi-day load-in schedules. While luxury weddings often have beautiful sailcloth tents, an ultra-luxury wedding may take things one step further with a totally-custom space complete with flooring, electricity and even architectural details like molding.
• Consider top-notch service and staffing: Luxury is all about making the experience seamless and anticipating guests' needs. That could look like hiring more bartenders to avoid bar lines and even bringing on a travel concierge to provide detailed support for guest itineraries.
• Cover guest accommodations: Want to make the guest experience truly memorable? Consider covering the cost of your guests' accommodations so they don't have to fret over the expense.

At the end of the day, any wedding is an investment. But just like you wouldn't invest in the stock market without researching performance and returns, understanding budget tiers is critical to ensuring your expectations align with the money you're willing to spend.

Please note: The Knot and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, financial or tax advice and should not be used as such. You should always consult with your financial and tax advisors about your specific circumstances. This information contained herein is not necessarily exhaustive, complete, accurate or up to date and we undertake no responsibility to update. In addition, we do not take responsibility for information contained in any external links, over which we have no control.