You recently got ready for marriage and are beginning to ask yourself 1,000 inquiries about your impending wedding, its expense, and your financial plan? To launch your preparations serenely and without stress, preparing your wedding budget is step number 1 not to be missed.
Today, the chateau’s blog brings you tips and advice on how to best anticipate the cost and budget to plan for a successful wedding in 2021.
Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to a wedding budget. Every couple and every story is different. It is therefore normal that the wedding budgets of each couple can vary quite widely.
If the legal marriage in town hall costs nothing (good news!), It is the preparation of the festive part of a wedding that generates many costs. Today we reveal everything about the mysteries of marriage and its average price in France.
Your wedding budget will indeed be defined according to several parameters:
- Savings: The budget may vary depending on the savings incurred in the planning and reception of the wedding.
- The geographical location: depending on the region of the wedding, the prices of the different providers can go from single to double.
- The date of the wedding: price differences are visible depending on the season of the wedding. A winter wedding, being less popular, costs less than a reception in the middle of summer.
- The number of guests: the more the number of guests, the more the size of the place and the number of meals increase … the budget therefore necessarily increases.
- Professional support: the total cost of a wedding can also change depending on the reputation of the providers and the number of services offered.
Define the number of guests
Guestlist
At Zankyou, we were very interested in the question of the guests. Depending on your budget, sometimes it makes sense to reduce the guest list, but that’s up to you. The normal number of visitors is 100 people.
Banquet
The banquet constitutes half the budget of a wedding, so it is important to know that the average price per place setting varies between 50 and 100 euros. Each couple, therefore, decides to keep this price, reduce it or exceed it.
During the banquet, gifts are also delivered to the guests, the total price of which varies depending on their number.
The number of guests also determines the means of transportation. Many weddings provide shuttles to transport the guests, with all the expenses involved. It is therefore essential to also take into account the total price of your wedding.
The average budget for a wedding of 100 people: € 12,000
According to statistics published by various studies on the subject and taken up by numerous blogs (La Mariée aux Pieds Nus, etc.), the average budget for a wedding in France is now around € 12,000.
This figure is only an average and is therefore likely to vary depending on many criteria (age of the bride and groom, region of the celebration, average income, etc.). If you are below this average budget, no reason to panic! It is quite possible to throw a great party without needing a huge budget.
The first step is to define the maximum amount you can allocate to the organization of your wedding, taking into account your income, your expenses, the amount of your savings, and your current credits. Once this amount is defined, you will be able to create a more precise budget, by item of expenditure and by type of service provider, as you research.
Over the months of preparations, you will indeed compare many providers, make trade-offs and compromises, which will allow you to prioritize certain expenses while respecting your overall budget.
Prepare your wedding budget in excel
To progress in your research, we advise you to build your wedding budget on excel. As you research and obtain quotes, update your table and your information, checking that your overall envelope is respected.
Here’s a quick look at what an average wedding budget in France can look like :
- WEDDING BUDGET 100 PEOPLE PRICE
- Party room rental 400 € to 1500 €
- Castle or estate rental 3000 € to 12000 €
- Marquee or tent rental 2000 € to 4000 €
- Caterer 5,000 € to 10,000 €
- Food truck privatization 1000 € to 3000 €
- DJ and music 800 € 2000 €
- Wedding dress 500 € to 3000 €
- Photographer 800 € to 2000 €
- Notary fees (marriage contract) 300 € to 500 €
- Hairdressing 150 € to 500 €
- Wedding planner 500 € to 2500 €
- officiating ceremony 300 € to 1000 €
- MUA makeup 100 € to 300 €
- Flowers (bouquet and decoration) 700 € to 1500 €
- Alliances 300 € to 1000 €
- Groom suit and accessories 500 € to 1500 €
- Mounted piece or wedding cake 300 € to 1000 €
- Childcare and entertainment 200 € to 500 €
- Dragees or guest gifts 400 € to 800 €
- Honeymoon 1200 € to 3000 €
Discover our online wedding budget calculator
For the bride and groom looking for an online wedding budget simulator, we invite you to consult our dedicated simulator.
Price of a caterer for 100 people
The average cost of a caterer at a wedding is quite high and is usually the biggest expense item to expect.
The average price for ten cocktail pieces and a sit-down meal can vary between € 50 and up to € 110 per person, depending on the type of menu chosen (buffet, meal served at the table, number of cocktail pieces planned per guest, type of meat served, number of children’s menus, etc.).
A meal served with a buffet, for example, is always less expensive than a meal served at the table. To reduce your catering budget, it is recommended to order your drinks and spirits, without going through your caterer. However, remember to check that no corkage tax is applied in this case by your caterer or place of reception.
Here is a link to our blog post dedicated to selecting a caterer for your wedding.
Recourse to the privatization of a food truck can also be an interesting alternative and generally less expensive than recourse to a conventional caterer.
How much does a town hall wedding cost?
The administrative procedures to be carried out with the town hall of your municipality for a wedding are completely free, except for any mailings carried out or specific legal acts required, for example in the event of marriage with a person of foreign nationality (apostille of documents, sworn translations, etc).
If you decide to go before a notary for the conclusion of a marriage contract, you will also have to pay the notary’s fees, which can vary between € 400 and € 500 for such an act.
How much does a wedding dress cost?
When it comes to wedding dresses, all budgets are allowed. Indeed, many ready-to-wear brands offer very affordable civilian or long wedding dresses at low prices (La Redoute, Zalando, etc).
New brands have also flourished on the ready-to-wear wedding market for several years, and offer original models at attractive prices ( By Romance, Adélie Metayer, etc). The prices offered by these new brands vary between € 500 and up to € 1,500.
For those wanting to dedicate a larger amount to their dresses, many designers compete in imagination to offer models of wedding dresses in the era of time ( Marie Laporte, Lambert Créations, Manon Gontero, etc). The price of their collections can then range between € 1,500 and € 4,000 depending on the model chosen.
The most sought-after and fashionable designers (Rime Arodaky for example) can offer even higher prices, sometimes going up to more than 10,000 €.
How to organize a low-budget wedding for 100 people?
If your budget is below the average budget mentioned above, don’t panic. There are many tips to help reduce the cost of your D-Day.
Why not opt for a second-hand wedding dress or a wedding dress rental service for example? Many couples also tend to plan for a much larger amount of food than is currently consumed on the day of the event. Why not limit waste by, for example, reducing the number of canapes and cocktail rooms provided for each guest?
Don’t hesitate to reduce your number of guests and focus more on the quality and content of the services chosen.
For decoration, use DIY and be clever to use and divert everyday objects (glass jars, etc.). Nesting unusual objects in flea markets can also be an effective way to find original decorations at a low cost.
Finally, call on your loved ones to help you in the preparations and organization of the D-Day. The use of a ceremonial officiant or a wedding planner can easily be avoided, and your loved ones who know you by heart will be better able. deliver the speech that will hit the mark in front of all your guests.