A Pacific Northwest Marriage Celebration: What Do You Get for Your Budget?

What do you get for your budget when throwing a Pacific Northwest wedding or elopement? Our region has its own set of nuances when it comes to costs, availability, and style. We’ve spent our careers dabbling in events from two person Pacific Northwest elopements to intimate weddings to weekend long celebrations, and we know that navigating money conversations is a key component in deciding how to celebrate. We want to help couples have clarity early on about what their investment looks like and how that impacts their event style.

 
bride and groom kiss
 

Before we dive in, we want to be clear that this guide is merely a starting point. We have based these figures on some of the most common couple celebration profiles we’ve come across in our years of experience. When we create budgets for our planning clients, we start with a base budget model then undergo a full vetting process in order to hone in their budgets by category. We also want to be clear that this budget may not address every category that interests you. There are also some categories that vary widely based on the individual, and we’ve done our best to demarcate which categories those are.

While these budgetary numbers are a great place to start, you can always customize the numbers like a switchboard: you can turn the volume down on some, and up on others, and still create a balanced budget that reflects your unique priorities. Without further ado, let’s break down line item costs for different styles of events based in the Pacific Northwest.

 

A DESTINATION WEEKEND CELEBRATION.

Total budget: $200,000

Headcount: 150 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $16,000
Venue $20,000
Accommodations $25,000
Catering + Desserts $40,000
Bartending + Alcohol $15,000
Rentals $25,000
Photography $12,000
Videography $10,000
Floral $15,000
Music/Entertainment $7,000
Officiant $1,200
Beauty $3,500
Transportation $3,000
Decorations + Lighting $5,000
Event Insurance $200
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 
wedding tablescape
bridal party walks on lawn
 
 

A LOCAL WEEKEND CELEBRATION.

Total budget: $100,000

Headcount: 120 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $10,000
Venue(s) $8,000
Accommodations $3,000
Catering + Desserts $30,000
Bartending + Alcohol $6,500
Rentals $10,000
Photography $8,000
Videography $8,000
Floral $6,000
Music/Entertainment $5,000
Officiant $800
Beauty $1,500
Transportation $3,000
Decorations $1,000
Event Insurance $200
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 

No matter where you’re at in your wedding planning process, this guide will help you! There is a lot of information in this article and it can be hard to figure out exactly where you want your money to go. This guide is meant to help you narrow down, WITH INTENTION, where your money is going.

Wedding Budget Guide
$30.00
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wedding floral installation
wedding tablescape
 
 

A DAY VENUE WEDDING.

Total budget: $75,000

Headcount: 100 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $8,000
Venue $6,500
Accommodations $1,000
Catering + Desserts $20,000
Bartending + Alcohol $4,000
Rentals $5,000
Photography $6,500
Videography $6,500
Floral $5,000
Music/Entertainment $5,000
Officiant $500
Beauty $500
Transportation $1,000
Decorations $500
Event Insurance $200
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 
wedding guests on lawn
glasses cheersing
 
 

AN INTIMATE WEDDING.

Total budget: $50,000

Headcount: 35 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $6,000
Venue $5,000
Accommodations $1,500
Catering + Desserts $14,000
Bartending + Alcohol $2,000
Rentals $4,000
Photography $5,000
Videography $5,000
Floral $3,500
Music/Entertainment $3,500
Officiant $500
Beauty $600
Transportation N/A
Decorations $500
Event Insurance $200
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 
oysters on ice
bride and groom walking up aisle
 
 

A STYLED ELOPEMENT.

Total budget: $25,000

Headcount: 2 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $3,500
Venue N/A
Accommodations $2,000
Catering + Desserts + Alcohol $2,500
Rentals $1,500
Photography $6,000
Videography $4,500
Floral $1,500
Music/Entertainment $500
Officiant $800
Beauty (+ travel) $800
Decorations $500
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 
bride cries amongst wedding guests

Images courtesy of Weiss Photo + Film.

 
 

A MINIMALIST ELOPEMENT.

Total budget: $15,000

Headcount: 2 people

Category Spend
Partner A Apparel + Accessories Varies
Partner B Apparel + Accessories Varies
Planner $3,500
Venue N/A
Accommodations $1,000
One Meal + Desserts + Alcohol $1,000
Rentals $500
Photography $4,500
Videography N/A
Floral $500
Music/Entertainment N/A
Officiant $800
Beauty (+ travel) $800
Marriage License $70
Gratuity Varies
 
 
Wedding Planning Power Hour
$350.00
Add To Cart
 

Want more personalized help? Our wedding planning power hour is going to help you on your journey to DIY-ing your wedding.

We want to remind you again that these are ballparks — you can mix and match services, budgets, and DIY efforts to fit your needs. These numbers are from working with our couples and what we have seen within our vendor community.

If you’d like to learn more about how a planner or coordinator benefits your wedding planning experience, we invite you to check out this article.

— Kate Faoro Wright, Tapestry Creative Director