How Much I Spent on My 2024 Wedding
As a wedding photographer and newlywed, I have a unique perspective of the wedding industry. When initially planning my wedding, I truly had no idea what I could afford. My husband and I paid for our whole wedding ourselves with limited help from our parents. I thought it would be fun to list out everything we spent money on from start to finish for our wedding to give others an idea of what to expect.
Note: every wedding is incredibly different. There are so many options for literally every detail you could think of. This post is what I spent for my wedding specifically.
Venue
Caberfae Peaks, $9,858.65
Our venue charges a ceremony site fee of $500 plus a $1/chair charge for the ceremony seating. They then charge per plated meal rather than a venue charge. They require you to serve their food and bar rather than allowing you to bring in a caterer/bartender due to their food and beverage license.
We elected to serve (2) appetizers, open bar with the bottled beer upgrade (so we could have seltzer options— High Noon), and late night pizza. There was also an extra charge for choosing colored napkins instead of the standard white.
Photography
Bending the Branches Storytelling, $3,220
We chose Cassi’s 8-hour wedding package which included an engagement session. I was referred to Cassi by a former coworker who also used Cassi as her wedding photographer. I have used Cassi for headshots at work as well. She’s so sweet and was an absolute pleasure to work with. She brought a mini battery powered fan with her and let me use it during photos while I was starting to get sweaty. SO sweet.
She also offers videography coverage!
DJ
Eagle Entertainment Services, $1,550
This included coverage from 3:30pm to 11pm. We had our DJ begin at 3:30pm, 30 minutes before our ceremony, so that as guests arrived and sat down there would be music playing. He also played the music for our ceremony, cocktail our, grand entrances to the reception, dinner music, and reception music. Our reception went until 11pm.
I cannot say enough good things about our experience. We used Josh, who happens to be the owner of the company. He was great and our dance floor was FULL the entire night.
https://eagleenteventservices.com
Officiant
Our Friend, $0
It was important to us to be married by somebody we knew and had seen us together from the start of our relationship. We asked our friend, Dennis Bennett, if he would marry us. Dennis is the owner of Skydive Allegan, the place that Colton and I spent so much time together from the start of our relationship. Dennis did not charge us, but we did give him a tip for his time preparing and of course his work the day of.
Florals
Wildflower and Willow, $2,500
My lovely cousin, Marissa, started her own floral business in 2023. She is based in Colorado, but I couldn’t think of anyone else I would rather get our florals from. She graciously agreed to do our florals at wholesale cost as a wedding gift to us. She had the flowers shipped in from California and arranged them at my house in the few days leading up to the wedding. This was such a fun way to do our flowers and I loved getting a peek into what she does everyday. Flowers are SO much work and Marissa does such a beautiful job.
We did a ceremony floral piece with greenery on the altar, bud vases on all of the tables, greenery on the staircase leading to the upper floor of the lodge, greenery on the head table, my bridal bouquet, (8) bouquets for my bridesmaids, (7) boutonnières for my husband and his groomsman, (7) corsages for our moms and grandmas, and (6) boutonnières for our dads, grandpas, and one for our officiant.
Decorator
Melissa Walker, $560
Our venue works closely with Melissa regularly. In fact, she’s the only vendor with a key to the building. We had Melissa set up our cylinder vases which were filled with water and had floating candles in them. She also provided our table numbers, and decorations for the fireplace mantle by the dance floor. This expense was totally worth it because she set everything up and tore it down— nothing for me to worry about on wedding day.
Hair
Ana Rothenberger, $80
Ana is a good friend of mine from High School. She’s my go-to hair stylist and has been since the first time I ever colored my hair. This was her first wedding as a hair stylist and she rocked it! She charged $80/head and also did hair for any of my bridesmaids that wanted theirs done.
My hair doesn’t hold a curl very well, so a major perk of her also being a wedding guest is that she touched up my curls right before the ceremony so they would be fresh for the rest of the evening.
https://www.instagram.com/anarothenberger/
Makeup
Tori Sides, $85
Tori is also a friend of mine who I met at Skydive Allegan (her husband, Emory skydives). I buy all of my Mary Kay products from her, and she’s the one who taught me to do my makeup. It was a no brainer for me to book her as our MUA. She charged $85/face and also did makeup for any of my bridesmaids that wanted theirs done.
She did a great job of doing a “soft glam” look for me. On our wedding day the temperature was in the 80s all day, and I was sweaty. Despite the sweat, my makeup stayed put all day.
Dress and Veil
True Society, Dress $2,219.64 + Veil $562.40
I had an amazing experience at True Society. They had a great selection of plus size dresses, which was important to me, a plus size bride. The consultants there were very helpful in explaining options and modifications I could make to dresses by ordering different colors or through alterations. I chose the second dress I tried on— I just knew it was the one.
My dress had a matching veil that was designed for it. I tried on multiple veils of shorter lengths, which is what I originally thought I wanted. After trying on the stunning cathedral length veil I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I added the veil to my order a few weeks later.
Alterations
Intsy Sew, $180 + Appliques, $40.44
There were (3) key things that needed to be adjusted on my dress:
1- The straps were just too plain. The dress was so beautiful but the straps were just a simple white trim. I ordered additional appliqués from the designer of my dress and had the seamstress sew them onto the straps. I loved the way this turned out.
2- I needed a bustle added. I wanted a bustle that was flattering on the booty! They added (3) simple hooks to the back of the dress that could not be seen when the bustle was not done up (during the ceremony and for pictures). As a wedding photographer I have seen so many brides and their bridesmaids struggle with the bustle, so it was super nice to have such a simple one that only took a minute or two to do up.
3- The length of the dress was just a little bit too long. The seamstress suggested taking it up about (2) inches in the back.
A view of the bustle
Bridal Accessories
Shoes, Catherines, $67.97
This was without a doubt the hardest part of wedding planning for me. I have super wide feet and am already taller than Colton, so I needed wide/short heels. I struggled SO much to find shoes that fit my feet that I liked. I ended up having to go with something super simple. They ended up looking great with my dress, but they weren’t what I really wanted. If you’re a tall girly with wide feet, these are the shoes for you!
https://www.catherines.com/products/the-orly-sandal
Earrings, Marshall’s, $12.71
These worked perfectly and I will definitely wear them again.
Sunglasses, $27.54
I ordered custom sunglasses that said “Mrs. Churches,” how cute!? They made for a few fun pictures. These were $14.31 including shipping.
I gifted Colton a pair of black sunglasses to go along with mine. He had recently lost his favorite sunglasses so this made for a perfect day-of gift, and he was able to use them for the honeymoon too. His were $14.83.
My custom sunglasses: https://www.etsy.com/listing
Colton’s sunglasses: https://www.amazon.com
My Husband’s Suit
Men’s Warehouse, $275
This cost includes alterations which were done at Men’s Warehouse as well.
Ties
Tie Mood, $145.60
Since we had our groomsman wear different color suits, we decided to pull their outfits together by having them wear the same color shoes, matching boutonnières, and matching ties, which Colton gifted them along with a couple of other things (below). These ties were so cute and had all of the colors in our color palette in them.
https://tie-mood.com/collections/neckties/products/cinnamon-floral-cotton-tie
Miscellaneous Items
Vow Books, SHEIN, $2.45
I wanted to incorporate green from our color palette a bit more, so I chose the white and green set from SHEIN. This was a way to keep our photos cute rather than just writing them on a sheet of paper.
Pro Tip: write your vows out in the notes app in your phone so that you can easily edit them until they’re complete. Then, write them in your vow books.
https://us.shein.com/Vow-Books
Wedding Bands, $218.08
I wanted a dainty distance band. I absolutely love the way it looks with my engagement ring and they fit snugly up to each other. My ring was $116.60 and Colton’s was $101.48. (I didn’t include the cost of my engagement ring here since it wasn’t technically a wedding expense.)
My wedding band: https://www.etsy.com/listing
Colton’s wedding band: https://northernroyal.com/collections/tungsten-carbide-rings/products/the-blacksmith-ring
Ring Box, $11.44
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQX5D8LG?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
Heaven Table
Shutterfly, $6.58
We had prints of most of our loved ones that we wanted to include on our heaven table already, but we did need to print a couple. The cost was for (2) 4x6 prints at Shutterfly. We used frames that we already had around the house, and a sign that was a “hand-me-down” from my cousin’s wedding.
Signage
Canva, $70.50
I created our seating chart (21x28) on Canva along with our welcome sign (18x24). I had them printed on foam poster board so they would stand up on their own on an easel. Our venue provided easels for us to use.
Cake + Topper
Nothing Bundt Cakes, $38.38
We did a Nothing Bundt Cake for the cake that we cut (this was also served to the head table) and Costco sheet cakes for the cake that would be served to guests. We didn’t feel like we needed anything overly extravagant for our cake and this was cute. We did add pearl sprinkles to the top of the cake to add a little glam.
You can go in to Costco and fill out an order form ahead of time, it was really easy. We ordered (3) sheet cakes from Costco that served (48) people each. We only had about (12) pieces or so leftover so it was the perfect amount. I didn't include the cost of this in the total because my parents graciously covered the cost here.
https://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/?bakery=0512
Amazon (Cake Topper), $21.18
We ordered a custom cake topper with our last name on it. It arrived to us about a week after ordering it. I was impressed by the turnaround time for a custom order like this!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQTYFD7K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Wedding Favors
Various, $211.37
We did scratch off tickets for our wedding favor! We wanted to do something that people wouldn’t leave behind or just throw away without using. I saw this idea when doing a Google search for ideas and thought it was so fun! I also loved the idea of giving our guests an activity to do at their tables while waiting for the dinner activities to get started.
Personalized stickers: https://www.etsy.com/listing
Scratch off tickets: bought at a local gas station, we just got the $1 tickets.
Kraft bags: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0957YC3QT?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Pennies: we rounded up enough pennies from around the house and in our cars, believe it or not.
Bathroom Bins
Amazon, $31.42
I put together little “just in case” bins for each of the bathrooms for our guests. I had seen these at other weddings I’ve been to and thought they were such a cute idea.
Other than the items listed below, I also added a few Advil tablet packets from our welcome bags (below), bobby pins and tampons/panty liners that I had on hand. We used a couple of small bins that had been passed on to us from a friend’s wedding.
Tide sticks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4WC8QJR?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Deodorant wipes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGRKSL9B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Tums: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SHYVSI?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Hair ties: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009MGKQ0W?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Welcome Bags
Amazon and Costco, $168.26
Since the whole hotel would be filled with our wedding guests only, we put together welcome bags and gave them to the staff at the front desk to hand out to guests as they checked in. We tried to keep this to only useful items in hopes of little waste.
Gift bags: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKGD26KX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Tissue paper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5G7RGT9?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Advil: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006SW71G?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Alka-Seltzer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XGW1FBS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Liquid IV:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPVLNWC?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Simply Mints: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GL4R9K3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Water bottles, Skinny Pop & Oreos: Costco
Invitations
Truly Engaging, $233.19 + Card holders and ribbon
Wedding Party Gifts
Various, $1,123.39
We put together gifts for our bridesmaids and groomsmen as a “thank you” for standing by our sides. We gave the gifts to the group during our rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. I opted to put together personalized gifts for each of my bridesmaids, which averaged $100.
Colton gave each of his groomsmen a personalized soft sided cooler with their name on it, their ties for the wedding (mentioned above), a shooter, customized leather coozies with their name on it, and a tall boy beer that he selected for each of them based on the art on the beer. Colton’s gifts are linked below.
Cooler: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1589901789/personalized-soft-cooler-custom-beer
Coozies: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1548710921/bachelor-party-gifts-beer-can-cooler
Lodging
Caberfae, $419.70
We did a room block for the entire hotel the night of our wedding. With a room block, the general public is not able to book a room at the hotel that night. The hotel has (39) rooms, so with a guest list of 200 we were confident that all of the rooms would book, and they did! We put a deposit down for the room block, but that was refunded to us at the time of paying our final bill.
My husband and I got our own hotel room there the night before the wedding and the night of the wedding. We had a double room with a balcony the night before the wedding which was perfect because the balconies are shared between two rooms, with my matron of honor’s room being right next to us, so getting ready in the two hotel rooms side-by-side was ideal. We did transfer to a king size room on the second night.
Tips
$1,095
It’s important to show your appreciation to your wedding day vendors. We wrote thank you cards to our vendors a couple of weeks before the wedding and put cash in each envelope. One of my bridesmaids was in charge of handing these out the day of the wedding.
We struggled to figure out how much to tip each of our vendors, but this article on The Knot was really helpful:
https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-vendor-tipping-cheat-sheet
Total Cost = $25,035.89
Photo credit for all photos in this blog post: Bending the Branches Storytelling https://www.bendingthebranches.com
Planning a wedding at Caberfae Peaks? It would mean the world to me to capture your big day! I am a preferred vendor at Caberfae Peaks and know the venue like the back of my hand. I’d be happy to offer you advice as you plan your wedding based on what I know about the venue and my own experience. Let’s work together!
