It may not be as fun as wedding dress shopping or cake tasting, but outlining a wedding budget is one of the most important parts of the wedding planning process. The average 100-guest wedding in North Carolina costs roughly $30,000.
To be sure you’re making the most of your money, here is a breakdown of the core costs for a North Carolina wedding.
Wedding Planner
The price of full-service wedding planning varies depending on your planner’s experience, your event location and the services you need. Typically, the price ranges between $5,000 and $15,000. However, some planners may additionally charge a percentage of your total wedding budget.
Find our favorite North Carolina planners and coordinators here.
Venue and Decor
The venue consumes one of the largest portions of your budget. Venue prices vary depending on the venue’s popularity, its location and other factors, but prices range between $3,000 and $11,000, or even more for a luxury venue.
Once you’ve booked your venue, you’ll need someone to officiate the wedding. On average, officiants charge between $500 and $1,000.
To decorate your event space, flowers — including bouquets, ceremony arrangements and centerpieces — can range from $3,000 to $5,000.
Find our favorite North Carolina venues here.
Catering and Desserts
Catering also accounts for a significant portion of your wedding budget. You should expect to pay about $50 to $100 per person. However, opting for something less formal such as a buffet or cocktail-style reception can reduce this price.
If you choose to serve alcohol, the general rule is to budget for one drink per person, per hour.
Wedding cakes typically run about $6 to $12 per slice, or around $750 total. But, this price can increase depending on your cake’s design.
Table linen averages $20 per table and china and glassware average anywhere from $0.40 to $0.50 per item.
Find our favorite North Carolina caterers here.
Photography and Videography
Professional wedding photographers generally cost between $3,000 and $4,000. Prices for a videographer ranges between $1,800 and $7,000. These numbers may seem high, but it’s worth it to preserve the memories of your special day.
Here are our favorite North Carolina videographers and photographers.
Entertainment
The price for a professional DJ starts at around $1,000, but some may add additional charges for services such as setting up a sound system at your venue.
A live band typically costs about $2,500 to $5,000. For a more intimate musical act, trios average about $650, quartets cost around $800 and solo musicians cost between $200 and $500 on average.
Find our favorite North Carolina entertainment vendors here.
Attire and Appearance
You’ll naturally want to look your best on your big day, so you’ll need to budget for your wedding attire. Wedding dresses can range anywhere from $500 to tens of thousands of dollars. Alterations for gowns generally cost around $600. For suits and tuxedo rentals, expect to spend $140 to $250.
Wedding attire can range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars.
Hair and makeup services cost roughly $100 to $150 for each bridesmaid and $200 to $300 for the bride. But, these prices can increase if you want the professional to do your hair and makeup onsite.
Find our favorite North Carolina dress boutiques here.
Invitations
On average, 100 letterpress invitations cost about $2,000, and 100 flat print invitations cost about $600.
Transportation
A four-hour limousine rental will run you around $500. Shuttle services for transporting guests between locations costs about $700 on average for five hours of service.
Booking These Services
If you are looking for any of the services above, check out our list of fantastic local vendors. Subscribe today to unlock our entire suite of wedding planning tools and start building your dream wedding.