How Much Does a Small Wedding Cost?
Bride posing outdoors with a red and blue wedding bouquet.
The Cost Breakdown Calculator
Before 2020 a small wedding was 50 guests or less. Today that’s a big wedding! If you’re planning your wedding this year, be sure to check your local rules. Then decide how big you want your guest list to be. You could plan a small wedding with 50 guests, a very small wedding with 25 guests or a micro wedding with 10 guests.
Next, think about where you want to have it. Do you want your wedding at home or do you want to go out? Then, consider your budget. According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding ceremony and reception in 2022 was $30,000. Yes, $30,000! That statistic, along with many others, is gearing couples towards small weddings more than ever.
Consider how much do you want to spend on your wedding. If you’re not sure how much a small wedding will cost, check out the samples below:
Small Wedding Budget Breakdown - 50 Guests
Small Wedding, At Home:
If you’re planning your wedding at home, keep things as simple as possible. Without a traditional venue or wedding planner, you’ll have a lot of details to work out yourself. It’ll be a lot easier to enjoy your day if you’ve got less things to worry about.
When you’re inviting 50 people the easiest wedding to plan and execute is a classic cake, punch, and sandwich reception. As a bonus, it comes in at only $1,765. If you’ve got a bigger budget, you can add appetizers or small portions of main courses and still keep your wedding easy to manage.
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding rings $300
Wedding attire $325
Subtotal = $925
Rentals:
Chairs $110
Cocktail tables $50
Cake Table $10
Tablecloths & napkins $40
Subtotal = $210
Food & Drinks:
Sparkling wine for toasting ($12 x 10 bottles) $120
Non alcoholic punch $20
Wedding cake $125
Sandwich platters $140
Disposable dishes & cups $50
Subtotal = $455
Everything Else:
Decorations $90
Invitations $50
Bouquet & Boutonnière $35
Subtotal = $175
Grand Total = $1,765
Small Wedding, Going Out to a Banquet Hall:
If you want to have a dinner dance for your wedding, the best option is a ballroom or banquet hall. Usually they ask for a minimum number of guests. Most of them won’t book a wedding smaller than 100 people. But with today’s restrictions, many are bending or changing their rules. If you want a traditional dinner wedding, call your local hotels and wedding halls and ask for current prices. They might be willing to lower or waive minimum fees for smaller weddings.
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Wedding attire $525
Subtotal = $1,125
Rentals:
Room rental fee $1,800
Subtotal = $1,800
Food & Drinks:
Catering ($40 x 50 people) $2,000
Bar package ($20 x 50 people) $1,000
Wedding Cake $175
Subtotal = $3,175
Wedding Vendors:
Photographer $1,450
DJ $625
Subtotal = $2,075
Everything Else:
Centerpieces $225
Invitations $140
Bouquet & Boutonnière $75
Subtotal = $440
Grand Total = $8,615
Very Small Wedding - 25 Guests
Wedding cake decorated with orange and pink flowers.
Very Small Wedding, At Home:
If you’re not a professional caterer, 25 people is a lot to feed at your home. Plus, you’ll already have a lot to organize on your wedding day. Keep your food simple by planning a make ahead meal. If you want to DIY, you can make sandwiches, salads and fruit and veggie trays ahead of time. Then put them out when it’s time to eat. If you don’t want to make it yourself, you could put in an order at your favorite grocery store or deli.
If you’re thinking about making your own wedding meal, read this next Self Cater Your Wedding: How to DIY Your Wedding Food.
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Wedding attire $325
Subtotal = $925
Rentals:
Ceremony chairs $60
Dining tables $50
Cake table $10
Tablecloths & napkins $40
Subtotal = $160
Food & Drinks:
Food order ($20 x 25 people) $500
Drinks $200
Wedding Cake $125
Subtotal = $825
Everything Else:
Photographer $1,450
Centerpieces $75
Invitations $50
Bouquet & Boutonnière $40
Subtotal = $1,615
Grand Total = $3,525
Very Small Wedding, Going Out to a Community Center:
If you’d rather plan a dinner wedding, you can rent a room at your local community center or meeting hall. If you’re planning a small wedding you’ll still need to budget for the typical wedding items, but you’ll be able to save a lot on your food and beverage costs.
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Wedding attire $525
Subtotal = $1,125
Rentals:
Room rental fee $1,100
Subtotal = $1,100
Food & Drinks:
Catering ($45 x 25 people) $1,125
Bar package ($20 x 25 people) $500
Wedding Cake $125
Subtotal = $1,750
Wedding Vendors:
Photographer $1,250
DJ $525
Subtotal = $1,775
Everything Else:
Centerpieces $150
Invitations $75
Bouquet & Boutonnière $125
Subtotal = $350
Grand Total = $6,100
Micro Wedding Budget Breakdown - 10 Guests
Bride holding a pink and green bridal bouquet.
Micro Wedding, At Home:
With 10 guests, you can think of your micro wedding as a really nice dinner party. If you like to cook, feeding 10 guests is doable. Or you can relax and order in.
So many restaurants are offering amazing takeout dishes right now. Take advantage of that by ordering meals for your guests. You can have all your food and rentals delivered right to your house. All you have to do is set it up and get married!
(Notice that you haven’t hired anyone for this wedding. If you’re sticking with 10 people for safety reasons, it’s important not to add anyone else to the group. If you do decide to hire a photographer or caterer, add that into your budget.)
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Wedding attire $325
Subtotal = $925
Rentals:
Ceremony chairs $20
Dining tables $30
Tablecloths & napkins $25
Subtotal = $75
Food & Drinks:
Restaurant meals ($35 x 10) $350
Drinks $100
Wedding cake $75
Subtotal = $575
Everything Else:
Centerpieces $50
Invitations $25
Bouquet & Boutonnière $40
Subtotal = $115
Grand Total = $1,640
Micro Wedding, Going Out to a Restaurant:
Restaurant tables set with pink and white floral centerpieces.
A restaurant is a great place to hold your micro wedding. They’ll have distancing rules in place so you and your guests can feel safe while enjoying a delicious meal. With only 10 people you can treat your guests to a fantastic night out and still stick to your budget.
If your favourite restaurant is open, call and see if they can reserve a space for your wedding dinner. If you want to have speeches or dancing after dinner, some even have private rooms you can reserve.
Wedding Ceremony:
License & Officiant $300
Wedding Rings $300
Wedding attire $525
Subtotal = $1,125
Food & Drinks:
Restaurant meals ($40 x 10) $400
Drinks $150
Wedding cake $75
Subtotal = $625
Everything Else:
Photographer $1,100
Centerpieces $50
Invitations $25
Bouquet & Boutonnière $75
Subtotal = $1,250
Grand Total = $3,000
Have a Fantastic Wedding
Small weddings are just as wonderful as big weddings, so don’t hold back. If you’ve got your heart set on something - whether it’s a gorgeous dress, a delicious meal or a romantic dance - make sure you plan for it. Even though you’ve got less people, you can still have a great wedding.
As long as you’ve got your honey and the people closest to you, you can have a meaningful ceremony and an amazing celebration. So go ahead and buy the dress. Choose some delicious food. And order that cake. Then enjoy every moment of your day, with all of the guests that do you have!
