There's no way around it: getting married costs money! Unfortunately, nobody gives us anything for free and so, when you decide to say “Yes I do”, you will have to deal with the "infamous budget" ("Carneade! Who was he?" - A. Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi, 1825-1827 1a ed., 1840-1842 2a ed. rivisitata, cit.)
Don't worry! It's not so bad if you know it and manage it well! 😊
But let's try to do it together...
KNOWING THE BUDGET
Undoubtedly, you need to start with an idea of the amount you plan to allocate to your wedding.
So, the question arises spontaneously: what is your budget?
Up to €30,000? Between €30,000 and €50,000? Over €50,000?
Most of the spouses I ask the question, don't know what to answer, and this is because they don't have a clear idea of all the voices that need to be considered.
But, don't worry! helping you understand is my job.
How?
By asking you for a whole series of information to better understand what your desires are and, among these, your “must have”!
Once I understand this, I begin to illustrate what the “key points” are (the fundamental services that cannot be given up) for a respectable wedding and the less important and secondary points, also providing you with a clearer and more precise indication of the prices.
So the clouds begin to become more rarefied, while your idea of a budget becomes more and more concrete.
At this point the possible reactions are:
“ok, I am absolutely in the budget and therefore no problem, I can also allow you less important and secondary services that I would not have even thought of… but that I would really like to have”;
“I am definitely out of budget (HELP!)”
No panic! You simply have to think about it, trying to understand, while keeping your “must have” unchanged, the services that can be “touched up”, to obtain an absolutely decent result, but with a more limited budget.
As you may have understood, therefore, there is no “standard” amount to quantify the cost of a wedding, and this is the reason why, when you contact me to receive a quote, I cannot respond without knowing your wishes and without having information on a whole series of variable factors such as:
Wedding location (intended as geographical position: for example, in Northern Italy a wedding is more expensive than in the South)
Type of location desired (a historic villa certainly requires a more “demanding” budget than a farmhouse)
Wedding date (intended not only as a period of the year, but also as a day of the week. Getting married on weekdays in December or January will cost less than on a Saturday or Sunday in June or July)
Number of guests (80 is different from 200)
Type of celebration (religious, civil or symbolic wedding)
Type of reception organization (a wedding in a beautiful exclusive villa directly overlooking the lake, dedicated catering and an on-site ceremony has a higher cost than a wedding with a ceremony in a municipal hall and a reception in a farmhouse or a restaurant with spaces shared with other people)
Additional requests (fireworks, boat rental for arrival at the location, pre-wedding photo shoot, mise en place on request, etc.)
… and don’t think about being able to count on some acquaintances to “haggle a bit on the price”. I worked with suppliers who were friends or relatives of the bride and groom, or with suppliers that the bride and groom had already confirmed before contacting me… but, be careful about the quality of the service they offer… paying less does not mean saving money!
More than once, when the bride and groom gave me their contact details and I called them to better understand what they had been offered, the service they offered at the indicated price was truly madness!
At the same price, my usual suppliers (with whom I have been working for years and whose professionalism and quality of services I can guarantee) offered a much more detailed and interesting proposal!
As you can understand, organizing a wedding is not so simple if you want to do things properly.
Relying on a professional is the best choice you could make, also because it will help you save not only time, but also money.
MANAGING THE BUDGET
Up until now, we have seen how to build the budget, but this is not enough.... Once identified, you also need to know how to manage it and not fall into some very common mistakes, such as:
1) making incorrect cost forecasts
Often when you start receiving the estimates you have requested from the various possible suppliers, you find yourself with amounts higher than those hypothesized and, therefore, the budget you had established turns out to be decidedly lower than the real one.
This is because, probably, you used a pre-filled form found online, or you relied on the experience of some friend who got married before you, or again, you simply underestimated the real cost of the requested service.
It s not your fault: not knowing, you trusted the people around you.
2) not giving the right priorities
You started off great with the organization of your wedding… You confirmed the estimates that seemed reasonable and in line with your idea of spending, and now you just have to decide on a date, book the Church or the Town Hall, find the location, the florist, the music, the photographer and that's it!
OK, but then… the more the preparations go on, the more you realize that it's not exactly like that. You realized, too late, that you spent more money on a service that you don't care much about and now, you find yourself having to give up a "must have" aspect of your wedding.
How to avoid it?
Before you start spending, make a list of the services that are essential for you and the secondary ones, giving them a priority.
3) not providing a "various and eventual"
You were meticulous and managed the budget perfectly. However, there are still several months to go until the wedding and, as time passes, you realize that you would like to add many small details that would make your wedding even more personal and unforgettable but… alas, the budget is finished!
What to do?
Always plan a “buffer” item equal to about 10 or 15 percent of the budget, to keep as an emergency for “miscellaneous and sundry” expenses. Maybe you won’t spend anything or maybe only part of it but, at least, you know that if you really need something, you will be able to afford it.
WEDDING COSTS
We have seen how to create the budget and how to manage it, avoiding falling into common mistakes.
You will have therefore understood that it is not the total amount that makes the difference, but how the available money is spent.
So let’s go back to the initial question: how much does it cost to get married in 2025?
For a decent wedding, without excesses and without big sacrifices, with about 80/100 guests, you need at least € 40,000.
I want to go out on a limb and give you a rough idea of the costs, by inserting, below, an example of a budget for one of the weddings I organized this year on Lake Como.
!!! Be careful though! The prices indicated are based on the 2024 price list, so take them with a grain of salt: they are indicative and not absolute prices!!! !!!
Obviously you could find lower prices, but I recommend! carefully check the details of the contracts they will propose to you and make sure that whoever you choose is exactly what you need.
Don't be fooled by the price
As already mentioned before, choosing the lowest price does not mean saving money
If you find yourself with unqualified people, who will not be able to satisfy your requests, understand that it will be a really big problem, which will cause you unnecessary stress and anxiety.
It is precisely for this reason that,
relying on a professional to organize your wedding is the best choice
and you don't need stratospheric budgets, as you might think.
In reality, it is the most useful service for those who want to realize their dream with complete serenity, without having to worry about anything.
And if you still have doubts, get in touch, I'll be glad to help you.