Welcome to The Springs blog, where we provide insight into all things wedding-related, especially when it comes to planning the perfect celebration at our exquisite venue. If you’re embarking on the journey of planning your dream wedding in Texas, one crucial aspect to consider is the budget. In this post, we delve into the average cost of weddings in 2024, highlighting the “big ticket” items that make up a significant portion of wedding expenses. Understanding these costs can help you make informed decisions as you plan your special day with us at The Springs.
At The Springs, our venues range in price from $2,500 to $13,500 based on the location, venue, and date chosen. We pride ourselves on our venue’s affordability factor for most couples. Looking at the variety of wedding budgets that couples have shared we us, we found that the average cost for the venue alone was around $8,000. Of course, you can find venues that will cost more or less, but it is very likely that these venues will have different amenities than a traditional wedding venue has to offer. Here at The Springs, we also offer an interest-free payment plan for the venue rental which can help you space out your spending during wedding planning!
One thing any wedding professional will tell you is to be sure you budget more than you think is needed when it comes to catering (and bar). The reason being is that there are so many different options and additions when it comes to food. Some caterers will provide linens, some don’t. Depending on how your meal is served you may need to pay additional waitstaff. That’s just to name two of the probably hundreds of different options you might find out there. Additionally, your total amount spent on food will completely depend on how large your guest count is; which is why most caterers will give you the price per person rather than an overall total. This is why it is important to understand what is included or provided by your caterer to understand the true value as a whole. For basic meal packages that have the standard inclusions, we found the average to be $40 per person.
Similar to catering, there are many different routes you can take when it comes to hosting a bar at your wedding. You can do a cash bar, open bar, beer and wine only, or pay based on consumption at the end of the evening. Each of these options has a pretty drastically different price tag. However, at our venues, we most often see couples opt for an open bar with a limited drink menu. Meaning the couple chooses from a standard selection of beer, wines, and liquors to be served to their guests that evening. We found that most of the bar packages couples chose from average around $25 per person. If you decide on an open bar, choosing a small selection of drink options will help decrease the overall wedding costs as opposed to choosing premium liquors, beer, and wine options.
When we examine the average floral costs, we mean true fresh-cut florals. There are TONS of ways around pricey floral costs like using bud vases, opting for artificial flowers, or implementing more candles. If you are really looking to save on wedding expenses, we absolutely recommend not using fresh flowers for everything as flowers are one of the most premium costs in the industry right now. For the average however, florals rely heavily upon on your guest count. How many people are in your wedding party? What (and how many) centerpieces do you need? Do you need floral decorations for the ceremony space or just the reception hall? Pro tip: Ask your florist if you can save costs by choosing in-season blooms or what options they can provide that are more affordable while still aligning with your vision. In our research, we found that most couples spent around $5,000 for their wedding party, ceremony, and reception florals. Scent and Violet Flowers and Gifts in Houston has a great baseline of floral costs! Check out their Cost of Wedding Flowers Chart.
Unlike some of your other selections, photography costs don’t vary depending on controllable factors like guest count and what wine you want to be served. You might think that the photographer’s editing style, Instagram feed aesthetics, or follower count would be the determining factor of their cost, but no! Most (if not all) wedding photographers will actually base their pricing on their experience/demand while offering different packages depending on the couple’s timeline needs or budget. We found that the average photography package costs $3,000 which includes coverage of the couple getting ready, the ceremony, and the reception.
That my friends gives us an average grand total of $23,500 spent on the “big ticket items” based on 100 guests. If we tried these average numbers based on a guest count of 50, that would most likely put you under $20,000! Your guest count truly is the greatest denominator when it comes to your wedding budget, so keep that in mind when you first sit down with your partner or family to talk financials. Zola is showing the average wedding cost for Texas (all things included) is just shy of $30,000.
We do want to note that these numbers are an average based on our research. If you don’t want to spend that much or that little in a certain category, then don’t! Your wedding budget is exactly that; YOURS. You can have a beautiful, unique, and special day no matter your overall price tag.
Our favorite vendors that offer a discount for The Springs couples:
Corn & Rye Bar (part of our Wedding Package)
Right off the bat, we know this won’t be the most fun blog we write; but it might be one of the most important ones. When you begin your wedding planning, how can you be expected to just know how to create a budget without knowing what the industry is costing?
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