Let’s get right to it, being “venue poor” means you’ve spent too much money on your venue based on your overall allocated wedding budget. What does that mean specifically? Well, let’s do some basic math and break it down.
Before we officially break it down, lets insert the disclaimer that you don’t “need” more than about $80 to get married in the state of Texas, depending on the county you’re getting married in. And we can even go a step further and say that in some states, once you’ve proclaimed your relationship status and/or lived together for a certain amount of time, you don’t technically even need a license; thus making the act of being “married” free. Having said all of that, if you want a wedding, this is where things take a turn. Depending on your overall wants, wishes, desires and needs, that number is going to vary widely.
So, let’s say you’ve got a $30K budget and you just found a venue that you LOVE and can’t imagine getting married anywhere else. That’s great! But the venue is $10,000 to rent for a 12-hour period, and your immediate thought is woo-hoo, I’m under budget….but are you? That bad news is you just spent 1/3 of your budget and you haven’t hired any other vendors yet. The good news is, not all is lost but we have to be strategic and take a realistic approach to the remaining vendors left to hire. Let’s go a bit deeper and think through additional expenses based on an average 150 person wedding.
· Budget: $30,000
· Venue: -$10,000
· Photography: -$5,000
· Catering, Tea/Water @ $50pp: -$8,000 (Not including bar service.)
· Cake: -$500
· Attire (dress & tux): -$3,000
· Officiant: -$500
· DJ: -$3,000
· TOTAL REMAINING = $0.00
And we still need to add in the following considerations:
· Stationary: $250++ (Purchasing online will minimize costs.)
· Church: $1,500 - $3,000 (Assuming you’re not getting married at the venue.)
· Ceremony Music: $500 - $1,500 (If you’re at a church, you’ll likely need to pay the church musicians.)
· Beverages/Bar: Averages $6,750 (Assuming $45pp)
· Flowers: $3,000++ (This category will vary widely but if you're extra conservative, you can get it down.)
· Hair and Makeup: $750++ (This is just for the bride day-of and trial service. The cost will increase greatly depending on number of services and artists.)
· Transportation: $900 (3% starting allocation.)
· Gifts: $600-$900 (Typically 2-3% of the budget for wedding party gifts.)
· Newlywed Suite: $300++ (Again, can vary widely.)
· Planner (day-of): $2,500 (Average starting rate for a seasoned planner.)
Additional CONSERVATIVE costs: $17,050
If you haven’t figured it out yet, your $30,000 budget is now close to $47,000 and you haven’t done anything over the top. You’ve simply executed a standard wedding in 2025. Again, you can always do things cheaper but this is a good overview of what you will run into on average. Factors that will contribute to these numbers being higher or lower are things like, geographical location, time of year, specific selections for food items or specific types of flowers, vendor type, and ultimately your own personal expectations vs. reality.
When starting your planning process, it's important to know what’s most important to you and your partner. If the venue isn’t a top priority, then don't allocate 30% of your budget there. Instead, take a breath, hang back and hire a professional to help you navigate this process. You may think you can’t afford a planner to help you but our take on this is you can’t afford NOT to hire a planner. The right planner can help you save in other areas, and steer you toward the perfect venue to suit your budget.
Next, let's decide your “fall off the chair” number (to say it nicely) or to say it like it is, your “vomit point”. What is the financial number that if you exceed it, you will “fall of your chair” or “vomit” if you will. We want to set that number up front so we can maintain spending and keep you in your happy place. When you select and pay for a venue upfront, before you’ve taken time to fully think through your budget, you are setting yourself up for a frustrating planning process. It's super easy to get aggravated early in the process when you realize you may not have the money to do what you want. So let's avoid that frustration because after all, it's a wedding and it's supposed to be fun!
Lastly, when looking for a venue, be careful not to be overly “wooed” by ancillary perk offerings. You’ll want a venue that provides things like, tables, chairs, basic linens, as well as set-up of all those things. Possibly an in-house sound system, kitchen, bridal/groom suites, vendor greenroom, ample (even overnight) parking, venue manager, maximum rental times, etc. You want perks that help cut costs from other vendors to make the venue price worth it. Offerings like “a scenic view”, camp fire pit, soft seating, video screens for the couple’s monogram/slideshow/etc., kids play area, AC/heat, access to a vendor list…those items don’t add real value, they are marketing/selling points, nothing more. You want perks that help cut costs in other areas.
When it’s all said and done, being venue poor is a real thing and a lot of couples unfortunately fall prey to this industry issue. Remember when you start your planning, always start with a comprehensive budget, which will serve as a road map to guide you along your planning path. Once you have that, let’s go select a venue responsibility so you can thoroughly enjoy planning with your partner and your families. Taking a practical and responsible approach to your planning will ensure you don’t end up “venue poor”. After all, we want to help make sure you’ve got money left over for your new future!
Need help thinking through your budget even deeper? Check out HOW TO CREATE A WEDDING OR EVENT BUDGET in our Blog library! Or if you want help and are ready to get started, reach out to Plan It With Me today!
No time to read but still interested in this topic? Click to enjoy Episode 40 of Lifting the Veil where we learn "What It Means to be 'Venue Poor".
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