How much will my wedding cost? Part 2
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 Part 1 of this series, we broke down the costs of the venue, day-of-coordinating, catering, cake, photography, flowers, and alcohol. Click here if you missed Part 1 before moving on. In this post, Part 2, we will break down the cost of the wedding dress, DJ, Officiant, hair and makeup, décor, groom’s suit, and videography. We will also show you some places we think you can save money and not compromise your wedding vision. 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 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.
Dress, Alterations, and Accessories: $1,000-$3,000
While it’s certainly possible to find a wedding dress for less than $1,000, the total cost will need to include alterations which can cost hundreds of dollars. You’ll also need to budget for shoes, jewelry, and potentially a veil if that’s part of your vision.
DJ: $800 up to $3,000
The DJ is not just the emcee for your wedding reception, he or she is an entertainer who should be able to keep the party hopping. They should also bring a second setup for the outside ceremony and ideally, mic the officiant so that guests are able to hear the service. There are plenty of cheaper DJ’s out there, but most of the time they’re just people with a set of speakers pushing “go” on a playlist. If that’s your wedding vision, we’ve got a Bluetooth speaker you can rent for $50 and save the DJ cost. If you want an entertainer, hire a DJ. If you want a playlist, rent a speaker.
Officiant: $200-$800
Without the Officiant, you’re having a great party but not a wedding. This person will conduct your ceremony and then sign and be responsible for the marriage license. Whether you’re choosing your own pastor, an ordained friend or family member, or a professional officiant, you need to budget at least $200. Professional officiants will be in the middle to upper end of this range. Some DJ’s offer this service as a bundle, which can save you some money.
Hair and Makeup for the Bride: $300-$500
Most of the time, the hair and makeup are done by separate artists. Their combined cost for the bride ranges from $300-$500 depending on the level of service. If you have additional people getting their hair and makeup done, this can easily cost $100-$200 per person. It’s not taboo to ask your bridesmaids or mothers to pay for their own, but you should make them aware of the cost in advance.
Groom’s Suit: $150-$300
While it’s certainly less than what the bride will spend, the groom will need to plan for his wedding day attire also.
Décor: $800 and up
Keeping the décor simple is a great budget saving step. At a minimum, you’ll need to rent or purchase tablecloths for the guest tables. You’ll need an arbor for the ceremony site. You can save money by renting our décor closet which has all sorts of pieces to decorate the guest tables, from generic greenery to lanterns in various styles, clear vases, votive candles, easels to hold your signs, a card box, and much more. Most couples also have some version of custom “welcome to our wedding” sign made, some version of a guestbook, and bubbles or sparklers for the exit. The sky is the limit in bringing your wedding vision to life. We offer lots of affordable décor options to help with that. Most couples spend a minimum of $800 on wedding décor, and often quite a bit more.
Videography: $2500 and up
We live in a video driven society, and having your special day captured on video is truly priceless. A good videographer will have options to capture your entire ceremony, as well as put together a video highlight reel of your entire wedding day. Some offer drone footage and a host of other cool options. If you have it in your budget, we 100% recommend the videographers on our preferred vendors list.
Fun Extras! If you’ve made it to this point and you still have some money in your budget, here are some fun extras to consider.
Hand Dipped Ice Cream: All of your guests will be excited if ice cream is being served.
Photo Booth: Whether it’s a cool horse trailer or 3D surround vision, a photobooth adds fun memories to your reception.
Coffee Bar: If you’re getting married in the spring or fall, a Coffee/Hot Chocolate bar is always a hit with our guests.
Use the Tree Swing or Fairy Lights in the big oak tree. We have a handful of premium photo ops that add a unique element to your portraits.
If you simply add up all of the low end estimate numbers, you’ll get a total of $15,750 (or $17,750 with alcohol) for a wedding of 100 guests. If that’s above your budget, read on to find our top 7 tips for how save money on your wedding. If you follow these tips, you can easily drop your wedding budget down to $12,000 or a little less.
Get married on a Friday. We charge $2950 for a Friday rental, compared to our $3700 for a Saturday.
Cut the alcohol. No one will be upset if you skip the alcohol on your wedding day, and it’s a premium option. For cocktail hour consider a budget friendly alternative like hand-dipped ice cream or a coffee bar.
Skip the DJ and rent our Bluetooth speaker. We love our DJ friends, and they will entertain your guests and emcee your event. But if you know you don’t have a dancing crowd or you simply need to save the cost, download your playlist and recruit a trusted friend to emcee the reception and push go on the playlist.
Keep your flowers and décor simple. The venue is beautiful by itself, and our rental décor options are extremely affordable. Keep your wedding party small and skip the boutonnieres and bridesmaids bouquets. Also, rent our décor closet for $150 with simple tablescape décor and skip the fresh florals for your reception tables. It’s easy to spend a small fortune on flowers and décor, but if you keep it simple you can save a lot of money while still having a beautiful wedding.
Bundle videography with photography, or skip videography altogether. We love wedding videos and our friends who make them, but we also understand they’re a premium option. Some of our preferred photographers offer a bundle if you buy both services, and this can also save you money without foregoing videography altogether.
Keep the food simple, or skip the meal altogether. We have a great budget caterer who can keep your costs down if you will keep the meal simple. However, there’s no requirement that you feed all of your guests a complete meal, so consider charcuterie, hors d'oeuvres, or a dessert bar as an alternative to a full meal.
Skip the favors. This might be controversial, but we see tons of favors left over at almost every wedding. This is an easy place to save some money, and your guests will never know the difference.
But what if we have a $10,000 wedding budget? Can we still get married at Greenwood Oaks? The short answer is yes, if you’re willing to make some sacrifices. In Part 3 of this series, we will show you what a $10,000 wedding looks like here at Greenwood Oaks. (Coming soon!)