How Much Does a Wedding in Italy Cost?
Is there a more romantic place to get married than Italy?!
Planning a wedding abroad can be intimidating for various reasons, especially when it comes to cost. You start searching for venues, you ask for a quotation, they send you a price back, now what? How do you know if it’s a good price? What about food, drinks, flowers, and a photographer? It can be difficult for any engaged couple, let alone when you want to get married in a foreign country.
We can’t promise a stress-free wedding. (What wedding is?) But knowing what to expect will help you prepare well to have a more budget-friendly, and certainly less stressful, experience. Here are a few points to consider when planning a wedding in Italy:
- Plan ahead. Some venues get booked over 12 months in advance.
- Timing. When setting a date and booking a venue consider all the requirements and timing in order to obtain all the necessary documents.
- Guests. People traveling will need a little bit extra time to arrange their trip. It’s a good idea to give them at least 6 months notice.
Average costs of a wedding in Italy
Venue
Reception
Photographer
Decorations
- Music – a DJ will cost around $250, while live music will start at around $500.
- Make-up/Hair – a good hair stylist will cost around $200, while make-up is around $100.
- Offering – if getting married in church, normally you donate around $200.
- Party Favors – not necessary, but they can run around $7-8/guest.
- Invitations - $140
- Bouquet - $110
- Flower Decorations - $450
- Photographer - $950
- Make-up/Hair - $250
- Music - $550
- Reception dinner - $90/guest (65 guests) - $5,850
- Gelato Cart (instead of a wedding cake) - $550
- After-party open bar - $500
- Party Favors - $250
- Offering Officiant - $150
- Travel costs (includes flights, hotels, transportation) - $2,500
Using a Wedding Planner Service
If planning every single aspect of your wedding from abroad seems too daunting, you might want to consider relying on the expertise and assistance of a wedding planner. There are numerous wedding planners available that will take care of every single aspect of the wedding. Some sell complete packages based on the level of service you need and they will guide you through the entire process. Of course this comes at a premium, so if cost is not an issue, ditch the stress and consider using a wedding planner!
Need some help?
Are you set on getting married in Italy? Since we want everyone to have a great time in Italy, we can especially help if you need some inspiration or you want our advice on something.
We can assist you in creating a brochure for your guests to guide them and show them all of the wonderful things the territory near your wedding can offer. Depending on what you would like included, prices start from $45 (check out the brochure we made for our wedding – here).
Also, for more information on getting married in Italy – check out our Complete Guide – we go over the technical process for getting married in Italy and all the documents that are required. We also describe the process to navigate through the legalization steps needed to make the Italian wedding legally recognized in your home country.
Other Resources
Need more inspiration or help with the planning? Check out our Cost Tracker and our invitation templates:
- Excel Cost Tracker – Use to keep track of your wedding expenses.
- Save the Date EN – Our Save the Date Magnet design.
- Invitation EN – Our boarding pass style invitation (English).
- Invitation IT– Our boarding pass style invitation (Italian).
- Ceremony Booklet Design – The booklet cover for our wedding ceremony.
Want to use our invitation designs? We can customize them for you for a small fee. Contact us!
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Ciao ciao!