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 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.
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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.