Heather Piland
How much does a Charleston wedding cost?
Charleston is now the number one destination for weddings in the US! 90% of our clients are coming from out of state OR all of their guests are coming from other states. We love that we get to work with so many people from all over the country (and even all over the world)!
I will start this out by saying that every planner is different. Every vendor is different. Every guest count, vision, and venue is different! This is just what we typically find for our clients!
Our sweet spot? $60,000-$80,000 with 125 guests.
This budget range is where we have found that our weddings have been the most successful and our clients have felt they got all of their "must have" items! In general, the venue, catering, and bar tend to be 35-50% of your overall budget. We find that with most weddings, this ends up being around $30,000-$40,000!
What does everything else cost?? (percentage breakdowns below)
Venue, Catering, Bar: 35-50%
Planner: 5-10%
Photographer: 5-10%
Florals: 10%
Rentals: 15%
Band: 10-15% or DJ: 2-5%
Ceremony Music: 2%
Hair and Makeup: 3%
Stationary: 2%
Cake: 2%
Lighting: 2-5%
There are other items that are included in the wedding day, but these listed are typically not included in the budgets that I work with clients on. This would include, but not limited to: Wedding Dress, Groom's attire, house/hotel Rental, rehearsal dinner, welcome party, draping, videographer (this is about 50/50 for my clients), favors and gifts, officiant, honeymoon, rings, and alterations.