How much will my wedding cost? (The whole thing, not just the venue!)
The number one thing couples need to consider when planning a wedding is: how much does it cost? Not just the venue, but the whole wedding? The short answer is here at Greenwood Oaks Venue & Gardens, most of our couples spend $12,000-$18,000 for a wedding of 100 guests. In the long answer below, we will break down those costs for you, show you some places you can save money, as well as remind you of things that might sneak up on you and break your budget. Most of our couples spend between 9 and 15 months planning their wedding, so it’s a big commitment. Let us be clear from the beginning. Weddings are expensive. Inflation is real. Costs are rising. These numbers reflect weddings taking place in 2023-2024. We hope that the information in this post will help you plan wisely. Please note that the dollar amounts in this post reflect weddings hosted here at Greenwood Oaks, and we are generally much more affordable than surrounding areas like Knoxville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Asheville. For weddings being hosted in Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, and Morristown, all of the numbers should be similar, with venue cost being the biggest variable. Now, Let’s talk numbers!
Venue Cost: $3950 for a Saturday
Complete pricing details and included amenities are available on our pricing page here. Fridays are $2950. Peak Season Saturdays are $4290. For our example here, we’re going to use a normal $3990 Saturday as our price point. This includes elegant wooden tables and chairs and their setup/tear down, as well as deep cleaning of the facility after your event.
Meredith and Daniel Shrader, Owners of Greenwood Oaks
Day-of-Coordinating: $750 (up to $1500)
Even if you plan your wedding yourself, we 100% recommend having a day-of coordinator who will help make your day run smoothly. We’ve done over 150 weddings in the last three years, and a day-of coordinator can make or break your day. The cost for this service runs between $750 and $1500 depending on the level of service you choose. For this example, we will use a basic $750 day of coordination service which should generally include writing your timeline, greeting and directing vendors, assisting the photographer with directing people for photos, and running all elements of your wedding from 2 hours before the ceremony until the sendoff. What many couples don’t realize is that the most important part of this service is probably having a detailed timeline. The timeline is the backbone of your day, and having a realistic timeline that includes all of the elements you want for your wedding day allows you to relax and enjoy your day! A poorly conceived or unrealistic timeline can add an incredible amount of stress to your day. There are less expensive day-of-coordinators out there, but they are cheaper for a reason. Typically that is because of a lack of experience (they’re new) or a lack of expertise (they simply aren’t very good at what they do). Whether you choose to use one of our preferred vendors or branching out and hiring your own, we recommend you do not cut having a day-of-coordinator out of your budget.
Catering: $2,000 (up to $4,000)
For 100 guests, you should plan to spend between $20 and $40 per person for food. That may seem high, but this number includes the food and nonalcoholic drink costs, service and delivery fees, as well as plates/napkins/cups etc. If you keep it simple, you’ll be on the lower end. If you add on appetizers or charcuterie for cocktail hour, you’ll be on the higher end. This number is scalable, so if you’re planning for 150 guests, scale up accordingly.
Wedding Cake or Desserts: $300 (up to $1,000)
For a wedding cake and desserts to feed 100 guests, plan a minimum of $300 ($3 per person). If you’re doing a traditional wedding cake, make sure the caterer includes cake plates and forks in their pricing. They don’t include them unless you ask for them since they’re not supplying the cake. Most caterers charge a fee to cut the cake. We offer this service for $100 for up to 100 guests. If you’re doing a two tier cake and cupcakes for your guests, you’ll be on the lower end of this. Larger 3 tier cakes, more elaborate cakes, adding a groom’s cake, or cookies/other desserts will put you on the higher end.
Alcohol: $2,000 (up to $4,000)
Many couples are surprised at how much it costs to serve alcohol at their wedding. Here’s a quick breakdown of the costs in this category for a wedding with 100 guests.
$600 for the Bartender: You should expect to pay about $150 per hour for a minimum of 4 hours of service. This should include ice, cups, napkins, travel fee/setup and gratuity. This number can be more or less depending on the level of service you choose, but it’s a good average to plan from. We require all of our couples to hire one of the licensed and insured bartending services on our preferred vendors list. This is the only place we require you to use our preferred vendors.
$200 for Host Liquor Liability Insurance: We require all couples who choose to serve alcohol to purchase this insurance, unless they are using one of our preferred vendors who already insures us.
$500 for Cleaning Fee: Events that serve alcohol generate significantly more trash and more cleanup than a normal wedding, so for these events we charge a cleaning fee.
Alcohol: For 100 guests, you can serve beer and wine for as little as $700, which keeps you to the $2000 total in the initial estimate. Adding signature cocktails, mixers, or more expensive beer or wines can raise the cost of the drinks to however much you’re willing to spend. Your bartender can talk you through your options and their associated costs so that you can plan accordingly. If you’re only serving beer and wine, you’ll be closer to $2,000. If you’re having a full open bar, you can easily be on the higher end.
For weddings up to 150 guests, you’ll need two bartenders on site so that number will double, and the cost of alcohol will scale up to account for the additional guests.
Photography: $2500-$4500
There are cheaper photographers, but almost all of our brides who have chosen a cheaper photographer have been very sad about it after the fact. Some have received incomplete albums or only a handful of photos. Others have gotten full albums of mediocre to terrible pictures. The photos (and videos) will ultimately be the memories that you have of your wedding day. A good photographer will capture the moments and turn them into memories not just of you and your spouse, but also of all the special guests who came together to celebrate you. Beyond that, the photographer is the person you will spend more time with on your wedding day than anyone else, so choose someone who cheers you on. We recommend buying a minimum of 6 hours of coverage from the best photographer you can afford. Our preferred vendor list is a great place to start! Adding a second shooter and 8 hours of coverage is outstanding.
Flowers $600-$2500
For most weddings, you will want a bridal bouquet, arbor spray, sweetheart table piece, bridesmaids’ bouquets, and boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen. You may also want flowers in your centerpieces and on the cake or gift table. Because of all the variables like how large the wedding party is, how many centerpieces you have, which type of flowers you use, etc, this can a difficult category to budget. However, even if you plan to DIY most of your florals, it’s best to budget at least $600 for materials. Most of our couples spend more than they expect to on florals.
This post covers some of the major cost categories, but certainly not all. Our cost estimate for a wedding with 100 guests is currently $10,000 without alcohol (or $12,000 with it) and we’ve still got to buy a dress, some décor, hair and makeup, a DJ, an officiant, maybe a videographer, and more. In our next post we’ll cover the lesser known expenses that come with almost every wedding, as well as make some suggestions for places to cut costs without compromising your wedding vision. To read Part 2, click here. What if you’ve got a $10,000 all-in wedding budget? Part 3 of this series explains how to have a $10,000 wedding at Greenwood Oaks. (Coming Soon!)