Nathaniel Fried
The guest list is a huge determining factor for estimating their wedding budget. Actually writing it out is the difference between, Oh, I think we are going to invite 150 people, and knowing that your list is at 225.
After couples have written out their guest list I direct them to the website, Cost of Wedding, it is an amazing free tool that guestimates what your wedding budget will be based on your geographic area and the size of your guest list. By using their Wedding Cost Estimator a couple can not only find their overall general budget based on how couples in their area have spent in the past but also how it should be allocated based on their specific wants and needs for their wedding.
While CostofWedding.com is a great tool they do have one little flaw. They don’t accurately set aside enough money for a Full-Service Wedding Caterer. What money they do allocate is just enough to cover the cost of the food and not the food + the service staff, which couples will need to have a wedding that feels like a five-star restaurant.
A realistic cost of a caterer would be about 1/3 of the overall cost of the wedding. For example, if your wedding budget is $35,000 then expect to spend around $9,000 for your caterer. Feeding 150 – 200 people ain’t cheap and understanding this ahead of time will save couples from the shock and awe of wondering how they’re going to pay for it.
Contributor: Emily King from callmefiance.com and whiskeyandwhite.com
