Budgeting for a Small Wedding in New York

As a wedding planner who focuses exclusively on intimate weddings, I’ve come to realize that budget is one of the most difficult pieces to navigate. While a smaller guest count absolutely helps reduce costs overall, it’s hard to understand exactly how much you should put towards your wedding to still have all the elements you desire.

If you’ve read other blog posts of mine, you may have seen me mention prioritization before. Truly, that is the best place to start when it comes to looking at your dollar amount. What items on your list are non-negotiable and what items would be nice to have but will not make or break your day? Also, even though less people does generally mean less money, there’s not a blanket number for “small” weddings. Don’t expect to pay the same for a 10 person immediate-family only wedding as a 40 person gathering. Once you have a better understanding of where you’re netting out with these two pieces, you’ll be better equipped to start forming numbers.

Let’s break things down by budget-tiers.

Under $5,000 Small Wedding Budget

I completely understand that this number may not feel small to you, but even to have a small number of vendors, you may find yourself quickly approaching this dollar amount.

If you are looking to spend less than $5,000, I would strongly urge you to consider a true elopement with just the two of you.

Consider public parks, or venues that have all-inclusive elopement packages that offer space for a very short amount of time. I’d also recommend weekdays for a few reasons: public spaces will be less crowded, and vendors may have slightly discounted pricing because they aren’t losing larger weekend wedding business.

If you are looking to work with a planner, it’s always worth asking if they’ll offer virtual pre-planning services in a few key categories, rather than day-of coordination or full-service planning.

The most important vendors in this situation to budget for: permit fee for venue/space, officiant, photographer, personal flowers, hair & makeup.

$10,000 - $15,000 Small Wedding Budget

This is a very common budget range for couples looking to have small weddings. While this certainly gives you a bit more wiggle room than the under $5,000 I wrote about above, this range is still best for those having super intimate weddings.

I’d suggest a guest count of no more than 15 for this amount. This will allow you to have a beautiful seated meal following your ceremony with room for decor as well.

In this situation, you’ll still want to be mindful of amount of hours for your photographer, but you can certainly consider more than a few hour session.

For this budget, a planner who offers month-of management is your best bet. You’ll have someone to bounce ideas off of, send you outstanding vendor recommends, pull all your logistics together and of course be there with you on your day.

The most important vendors in this situation to budget for: venue to have both ceremony and reception on-site, food and beverage, flowers and light decor, photography, month-of wedding planner.

$20,000-$25,000 Small Wedding Budget

At first glance, it might seem like doubling your budget might mean you should double your guest list. This isn’t a hard rule that I would suggest following. This goes back to prioritization. If a gorgeous, fancy multi-course meal is your idea of a perfect wedding, keep your guest count small and put the additional funds to an upgraded menu or more expensive venue.

If it’s more important to have a few of your closest friends present in addition to immediate family, I’d suggest a more laidback reception format like a brunch or cocktail reception.

The most important vendors in this situation to budget for: venue to have both ceremony and reception on-site, food and beverage, flowers and decor, photography, month-of wedding planner, acoustic musicians and videographer to capture your ceremony.

$40,000+

A $40,000 budget is a very comfortable number to start around for a small-mid sized wedding. This number allows for more comprehensive wedding planning support (perhaps a partial planning package) and all of the key vendors.

This could ability to splurge on luxury pieces like upgraded rentals, some statement decor or a special wedding cake. On the other hand, it could also give you more for more people on your guest list by keeping things simple and more pared down.

For smaller budgets, I recommend sites like Minted for paper goods and invites, but if you’re in this budget range or above, you can definitely look into working with a boutique designer to create some custom items.

A sweet spot for a guest count would be no more than 45 people.

The most important vendors in this situation to budget for: venue to have both ceremony and reception on-site, food and beverage, flowers and decor, photography, full-service or partial wedding planner, music, videography, paper goods.

Please know that these are not hard and fast rules, and every wedding is different. Can you have a 50 person wedding on a $10,000 budget? Sure! Just understand you’ll be making compromises along the way to stick to your goal number.

The best way to keep track of your budget is to create a spreadsheet (this is something I share and manage for partial and full-service planning clients!) and make two columns with estimated and actual expenses. That way you can first lay out your initial thoughts for each vendor category and you’ll be able to see where you’re landing along the way. As you book your major vendors, you’ll be able to adjust as needed. For example, if you find a dream venue that was a bit more than what you anticipated spending, you might want to scale back on the amount of florals you were planning to have.

I hope this helps guide you as you begin to plan your small wedding in New York. If you’re looking for a wedding planner who specializes in small & intimate weddings, reach out to me here.