Wedding Budget: Is Yours Realistic? | Gianna & Company
Is Your Wedding Budget Realistic for the Wedding You Really Want?
One of the first questions almost every couple asks us is:
“Is our budget realistic for the wedding we want?”
It sounds like a simple question.
It usually isn’t.
A wedding budget can look very different depending on whether you are inviting 75 guests or 175, celebrating at a hotel or a private estate, planning an intimate dinner or creating a full weekend experience.
Two couples can have exactly the same budget and create two completely different weddings.
After more than 20 years of planning weddings and special events and working with private estates throughout Los Angeles and Southern California, we have learned that the most important question is not simply:
“What is your budget?”
It is:
“What do you want your wedding to feel like?”
Start With the Wedding You Actually Want
Before you begin assigning percentages to flowers, food, entertainment and the venue, think about what matters most to you.
Is it an extraordinary private estate?
A beautiful seated dinner?
A spectacular view?
An incredible band?
Exceptional food and wine?
Flowers everywhere?
A late-night party?
Or perhaps a smaller guest list that allows you to create a much more elevated experience for everyone attending?
There is no right answer.
The challenge comes when everything becomes the priority.
The most memorable weddings are not necessarily the ones that spend the most in every category. They are the ones where the couple understands what matters most and spends intentionally.
Your Guest Count Changes More Than You Think
Guest count is one of the biggest factors affecting the overall cost of a wedding.
Adding another 25 or 50 guests does not simply mean adding more chairs.
It can also mean more tables, linens, china, glassware, catering, alcohol, staffing, transportation, restrooms, security and rentals.
At a private estate, your guest count may also determine which properties are available to you in the first place.
That is why we sometimes ask clients a very important question:
Would you consider reducing your guest count for the right property and experience?
For some couples, having 150 guests is non-negotiable.
For others, celebrating with 100 instead of 150 might allow them to have the setting, food, entertainment and overall experience they really want.
Neither choice is better.
It simply needs to be intentional.
The Venue Is Only One Part of the Budget
It is very easy to fall in love with a property and decide to stretch the venue budget to make it work.
But the venue is only one part of the overall event.
Depending on the private estate, you may also need to consider:
- Catering
- Rentals
- Lighting
- Transportation or shuttles
- Valet
- Security
- Site representatives
- Restrooms
- Power or generators
- Insurance
- Setup and teardown
- Cleaning
- Staffing
Every estate is different.
This does not mean a private estate is more difficult or the wrong choice.
Quite the opposite.
A private estate can offer something that is very difficult to duplicate at a traditional venue: privacy, character, flexibility and the opportunity to create an event that feels completely your own.
But it is important to understand the full financial picture before committing too much of your budget to the property itself.
What Will Your Guests Actually Remember?
This is one of our favorite questions to ask.
Your guests may notice beautiful flowers and linens, but what they are most likely to remember is how the celebration felt.
Was the food wonderful?
Were they comfortable?
Was the setting incredible?
Could they easily get to and from the event?
Was the music great?
Did they dance?
Did the evening feel relaxed or rushed?
Some of the smartest event spending happens in areas guests actually experience rather than simply see.
A beautiful bar.
Wonderful food.
Comfortable seating.
Thoughtful lighting.
Exceptional music.
An unexpected late-night bite.
These details can make a celebration memorable without trying to make every single element extravagant.
And Yes, The Bar Can Change the Budget
Alcohol is another area couples often underestimate.
A full premium open bar for 175 guests is very different from wine, beer and two signature cocktails for 75.
More is not always better.
A beautifully curated bar program can feel much more personal than offering every possible liquor simply because you think you are supposed to.
Consider your guests.
Are they primarily wine drinkers?
Do they love cocktails?
Would a champagne welcome make more impact?
Would two signature cocktails feel more personal?
Do you really need the bar open until the final minute of the event?
These decisions affect your budget, but they also affect the flow and feeling of the celebration.
Your Budget Should Follow Your Priorities
One of the biggest mistakes we see is starting with what everyone else is doing.
Social media can make couples feel as though they need every element they see at other weddings.
You don’t.
Your wedding does not need to look like someone else’s wedding.
If the view and property are most important to you, prioritize them.
If food is your love language, spend there.
If you want everyone on the dance floor all night, prioritize entertainment.
If you would rather invite fewer people and give those guests an extraordinary experience, that is a perfectly valid choice.
The goal is not to have everything.
The goal is to have the things that matter to you.
So, Is Your Wedding Budget Realistic?
Maybe.
But the answer should never come from simply asking what another couple spent.
Start by answering these questions:
How many guests are you inviting?
Where do you want to celebrate?
What are your three biggest priorities?
What are you willing to compromise on?
What are you absolutely unwilling to compromise on?
Once we understand those answers, it becomes much easier to determine whether your budget and your vision are aligned.
Sometimes the budget is absolutely workable.
Sometimes we recommend reducing the guest count.
Sometimes we recommend allocating less to the venue so there is enough remaining for everything required to make the event successful.
And sometimes we have to tell a client that the wedding they are describing simply does not match the budget they have given us.
We would much rather have that conversation early.
It is far better than falling in love with a venue or concept first and discovering later that there is not enough budget remaining to create the celebration you imagined.
Start With the Big Picturewedding budget
A realistic wedding budget is not about limiting your celebration.
It is about giving yourself the ability to make informed decisions.
Know what matters to you.
Understand what your guest count means.
Look at the entire event—not simply the venue fee.
And spend your money where it will create the greatest impact.
At Gianna & Company, we have spent more than two decades helping clients plan weddings and special events and find extraordinary private estates throughout Los Angeles and Southern California.
If you are beginning your search and wondering whether your wedding vision and budget are aligned, we are always happy to start with a conversation.
Sometimes understanding what is realistic before you begin is one of the smartest planning decisions you can make.
