And that includes everything you need, not just a venue.
You might know this already, but big weddings are out. Who wants to have a boring banquet with 250 pax (most of whom you don’t know)? We’d all rather spend that money on travel and other experiences, or a new home and reno!
We’ve also been getting feedback from our followers on how to further save money on other essential wedding services. Spoiler alert, you can get all these done within a $10,000 budget – FRILLS INCLUDED! So let’s get started, shall we?
Venue
First things first, it’s ALWAYS the venue. It’s also the one that takes up the majority of your budget. If you’re looking for a 50 pax wedding, you should keep your venue budget within the $135/pax-$150/pax NETT range. Always be careful of the ++ cuz they will sneak up on you.
50 pax, $135/pax = $6,750 50 pax, $150/pax = $7,500
Looking for a 50 pax venue? Check out our Knotz partner venue, The Sec
ret Patio for around $7,650 nett!
Photographers & Videographers
Regardless of the situation, you will always need a photographer and videographer. Photographer is a must-have, videographer is a nice-to-have if you have the spare cash. A good and reputable photographer will set you back ~ $250-$280/hr while a videographer will cost ~$300-$350/hour. But here’s the thing, if you’re planning to just have a simple solemnisation with a reception, you don’t need to engage them for the full 8-10 hours, a simple 4 hour will be sufficient to capture all the good memories.
4 hours photography = $250 X 4 = $1000
Gown & Suit
Another wedding must-have is a gown and suit. Unless you’re getting a simple white dress from TaoBao (absolutely nothing wrong with that but do watch our ASK-ing video on taobao gowns for tips for buying gowns online), many of us ladies would want to get all dolled up in a beautiful gown next to our dapper husband in a suit. So how much would that cost?
To keep it simple, the prices start from $600 for the most basic gown that you can possible find in a boutique to $6,000 *gasp* for an international label designer gown such as Galia Lahav and Berta. Suit rental are between $200-$300 depending on the boutique you go to. Don’t forget there might also be alteration and dry cleaning cost added to that too! Always ask before you sign.
On average, if you want good, high quality gowns that are unique, expect to spend ~$1,500 for the gown rental and an additional $200 for the suit.
Additional gowns and cheong sams will start from $500 each.
1 Gown + 1 Suit + misc charges = $600+$200 =$800
Hair & Make Up
Hair and make up is another very important part of your wedding. There is absolutely no way you can spend $880 on a photographer, $600 on a gown, and then wear no make up on your wedding day. On average, hair and make up will cost you $300-$400 PER LOOK and this will take an average of 2-3 hours for the make up artist to complete. Do note that this does not include trial and other surcharges such as early morning surcharge (before 7am) and transport charge (if in Sentosa or Tuas). Trials are usually 20%-25% cheaper from the original price so if it’s $300/look, your trial price will be ~$250.
1 ROM make up look + 1 trial = $550
Flowers
Personal bouquets and the groom’s boutonniere ranges from $150-$300 depending on the following variables: 1) Big bouquet VS Smaller bouquet 2) Customisation VS Catalogue 3) Exotic flowers VS common flowers 4) Seasonality of the flowers If you’re not picky, you can easily get a bouquet for $150 with delivery to your doorstep. But if you’re looking to customise the entire bouquet and you want a cascading one with peonies and lily of the valley, then definitely expect to spend $300 upwards for the bouquet.
1 bouquet + 1 boutonniere = $150
Total cost for all of the above
Venue – $7,500 Photographer – $1000 Gown & Suit – $800 Hair & Make up – $550 Flowers – $150 TOTAL: $10,000
And there you have it, $10,000 right on the nose.
Need more advice on budgeting? Contact us at contact@knotz.sg for more tips and juicy knowledge!