Blog — Charleston Wedding & Events Venue

Setting a wedding budget is one of the first—and, frankly, most important—planning tasks to complete. After all, you can't move forward with your vision until you know how much money you have to spend. But if you've been avoiding your wedding budget because it's stressing you out, we're here to help. At Lovegrove Estate we love helping our couples to have a stunning day when staying on their budget.

Below, you'll find a sample wedding budget breakdown with percentages pulled directly from our insights, which will help you determine how to allocate the funds you have available.

Venue - this one really depends of which kind of venue you choose here we are using as example our own rates :

Peak Season: March-June , September-November , Off Peak : December-February , July-August

Friday/Sunday

Peak…. $5500

Off-Peak…. $4000

Saturday.

Peak…. $6500

Off-Peak…. $5000

Weekday Rental

Peak…. $3500

Off-Peak…. $3000

Weekend Rental

Full weekend rental (2 events max .) wedding and rehearsal dinner / wedding and brunch

Peak…. $12,500

Off-Peak…. $10,500

Venue Total:

Drinks for (100 guest)

Options from beer, wine or full bar – around 8.50/16.50 per person depending if just wine and beer or open bar -$1275/$1875 plus bartenders $300

Yeah.... we have a big group and should probably budget on the high end. $3,000+

Drinks Total Budget :

Catering /Food

I want great food, but not too many options to keep my budget in check. ($45 pp approx)

I want great food and for my guests to really enjoy their meal ($65 pp approx)

I'm a foodie - I want yummy and custom ($90+ pp approx)

Total in Food :

Photography

I will be looking for the least expensive option. Other things are more important to me. $1,500

I know photos are important and want a pro but affordable wedding photographer, even if it's for less than a full day of coverage. $2,500

I want really good photos and lots of them. $3,500

Photography is one of the most important elements of my wedding to me. I want to invest and get a pro. $4,000+

Total Photography :

Florals

I want flowers for the bridal party and parents only. $1,000

I want some flowers for the ceremony area and/or reception area. $2,000

I love flowers! Bring them on. $4,000

Flowers are very important to me and I plan to invest in them heavily. $5000+

Total Florals:

Décor

I plan to use my own decor and be very simplistic only but simple things I need customized like a guestbook, table assignments, etc. $450

I have lots of ideas for customization of the space using items I bring in, but I'll also try to keep an eye on my spending. $750

I want to work with a professional designer to bring in a custom look/feel for the space with unique rentals - $2,500+

Décor Total :

DJ/ Band

I want a competent professional. $750

I want a professional with more lighting and upgrades. $1000

We will likely go with dueling pianos, or something more upscale, band . $2,000+

Total Music :

Videography

I don't think I want video - $0

Yes - I would love good quality/affordable video to remember our big day. $1,800

Yes - I want high end videography of our wedding day. $3,000+

Total Videography :

Dress

I know I'll look beautiful without the dress being expensive. $500

The dress is important to me. $1,200

I know I'm going to fall in love something more expensive. $2,000

My dress is extremely important to me. $3,000+

Total Dress:

Groom Attire

They'll look great in anything. $250

They're a little picky. $500

It's really important too. $1000+

Total Groom :

Hair and Makeup

I plan to do my own hair and makeup - $0

I want to have my hair and makeup done professionally, but not pay for others $350

I want to pay for a small bridal party to have their hair and makeup done professionally $1,000

I want to pay for a small bridal party + a few other special women (moms, grandmas, etc.) to have hair and makeup done. $1,400+

I want a bigger bridal party and other special women to have professional hair and makeup $2,000+

Total Hair and Makeup :

Cake

We will work hard to choose an affordable option. $200

We want a traditional, but not over the top cake. $500 (This estimate is not based on headcount.)

We want something fun like an ice cream bar, cheesecake bar, etc. $1,200+

Cake Total :

Linens

I plan to borrow table linens from a friend who just got married - $0

I want to rent basic linens from a rental company - $400

I love luxury linens. $1,000+

Linens Total:

Invitations

It's modern day. I'm sending electronic invites or just doing a wedding website. $0

I will choose simple and affordable invites. $500

I'm totally in love with all the beautiful invitations on Pinterest and will invest in this area. $1,000+

Invitations Total:

Transportation

I plan not to provide transportation for my guests since there is a hotel so nearby - $0

I want a basic transportation option for guests - $600

Option #3 sharter guest from hotel -$900+

Transportation Total:

Dinnerware

I want to use the disposable with the caterers pricing - $0

I want a pretty disposable option that looks good in photos like the photo at the top of this page - $300

I want real china - $1,000+

Dinnerware Total :

Wedding Planner/Coordinator

I want to use a month off coordinator $2000

I want a partial planning service $3000

I want full service wedding planner $5000+

Wedding Planner/Coordinator :

Any Extras (tips, security, insurance )

Grand Total :

Now that you know what a typical wedding budget breakdown looks like, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the top things to keep in mind when allocating your funds. As mentioned above, a number of factors go into how you actually spend your money. This means that no two wedding budgets will look the same.

Pro Tip: The size of your wedding has a massive impact on the amount you'll spend. There's a per-head cost for food and liquor, and these two are typically the biggest expenses of the whole wedding. As a result, changing the guest list size is the surest way to increase or decrease your costs.

Disclaimer this is just an estimate and not full pricing for actual services /things .

This has been created solely for couples and not for any other vendor /venue .