25,000

We are in the suburbs of Chicago and inviting 150 people, our wedding (not including honeymoon, rehearsal dinner and rings) will be around $28k and we could have definitely done it cheaper. We got a great deal on my dress and venue, but spent more than expected on the dj we wanted, 2 photographers and a videographer, and a high end open bar for 5 hours.
I think it can definitely be done if you have a guest list under 150, consider the suburbs, and be smart in where you spend and where you save

Oh and the time of year, we are getting married May 2nd and we’re able to get off season pricing, saved over $5k for that alone

Did you hire a wedding planner or you did everything yourself? I really would love to find a venue that allows outside food.

Did the venue you selected have catering services included?

It really depends on your guest list. $25k was our original budget and it was doable until our guest list increased so now we’re around $30k. I have a friend who’s getting married at the Monte Bello Estate and is having outside catering but is super affordable. There are venues/caterers out there, you just have to do research and it does take a lot of time and planning. Have you considered a wedding planner?

We're getting married at the Danada House in July. They have a preferred caterer list, but otherwise you bring in everything else. We're inviting around 160 and I believe we're hovering around the $20-25k mark. You have to figure out what is most important to you, so you can cut costs from things you dont care so much about

Yes, it’s definitely possible! There’s different ways that you can make this budget work. It really depends on location, guest size, time of year, and day if the week. If you’re able to do a Friday or Sunday wedding you will save THOUSANDS. Off-season will also save you money.


We ended up looking at spaces that let us bring in our own caterer and that saved us a ton of money. A lot of caterers we’re quoting us $115+ per plate. We ended up finding one that was $80 per plate. We had to pay an outside vendor fee but it was still a lot cheaper than going with their preferred list. Some hotels in the suburbs might work too, we had one that quoted us as a $15000 minimum which would have worked

View Quoted Comment Thanks so much.

View Quoted Comment Yes. I have looked into a wedding planner for Partial planning and Day of. I have found a venue, now I need to find a caterer service for the serving.

We’re getting married at Starved Rock because the prices out here add up so quick. Best of luck! ♥️