How much does an Italian Wedding actually cost?
A big hitting question right there! But before you spend any more time daydreaming your wedding, you really need to know how much an Italian wedding costs.
Covid and other not so fun factors have pushed prices up in the wedding world, making 2023/24 weddings punchy! But don’t worry, we have some advice.
1. Download our budget tracker and ask yourself what can you afford. 2. Be prepared to make tough decisions on where your money goes - a few elements done well is always more impactful than spreading your money too thin and pushing down the quality of your day. 3. Check out our trusted directory of suppliers and venues to gauge if what you can afford is achievable. 4. Breathe and pour yourself a cuppa - let’s get into the costs!
NB: The costs included in this article are guides are based on a symbolic Tuscan wedding for 100 guests in 2023/24 but do not include tax. Tax is either 10% or 22%, so best to add 10% on top of all costs.
If you rent a venue for the day, otherwise known as a day rental, you would be looking at €6000-8000. The venue would be yours from the morning setup to around a 1am clear out.
More commonly, couples book a venue for 2-3 nights and ask a group of 20-30 guests to stay with them. €5,000 would get you a farmhouse style venue, with a more luxe villa costing €30,000-40,000.
LL Tip: The advantage of the latter is couples can ask guests to pay for their accommodation, which helps contribute towards the total venue amount. Work out how much you ideally wish to charge guests to help gauge which venue is realistic for your budget. You can charge guests an amount and subsidise the remaining balance.
The more guests you have, the more you will benefit from a lower price per person for food. For example, for every 10 people you add to your list, your menu price falls by a certain amount.
Catering costs per person start at €85 to around €200. A €120 per person menu is average. Bear in mind, cheaper options tend not to include the bar, which would be additional. Either charged as a flat fee €2,000-4,000 or €10 pp per hour.
LL Tip: Be sure to include a catering buffer to your budget to allow for extra decor, extra hours of service, Prosecco tower, building of the wedding cake.
Wedding planners range from full service to on the day coordination and prices are set accordingly. And hugely dependent on what support you need.
For full planning service by an expert planner you are looking at €4,000-5,000
LL Tip: Book a wedding planner - finding a good planner is absolutely worth that chunk of your wedding budget and will more than likely save you costs along the way and definitely keep your stress-levels lower!
Photo: Marielle Catherine Albers
Always a high priority for couples and well worth plenty of research into different styles and ways of working.
Costs range hugely from €1,500-10,000. But for a really good photographer with an exceptional eye €3,000-5,000 would be a good guide.
Prices range very much dependent on style and length of video. Again, for a really talented videographer you would be looking at €3,000-6,000.
Prices for hair and make-up always come at a surprise to couples. For bridal, an average cost would be €500-600, with €100-150 for a bridesmaid, mum or other wedding party member.
It is best to put aside €7,000-8,000 in your budget for decor. The styling comes towards the end of the planning process and you don't want to end up short of money for this element.
Sounds like a lot of money - it's not when you consider:
Lighting over dinner €1,000
Dancefloor and lighting €1,000
Bridal party flowers €300
Archway or floral arrangement around alter €1,000
When it comes to music, options are endless as the genre and how much you need is such a personal choice. We give you a breakdown guide:
For PAs throughout the day and a DJ at the party €1,000-1,500 for the DJ
String quartet around €2,000 (duo €800-900)
Jazz for the aperitif €1,000-2,000
Live band for party €2,500-10,000
To fly over a live band from the UK you would expect to pay €7,000-10,000.
LL Tip: Don't forget SIAE music tax which you will legally need to pay when you have music (live or recorded). €345 for a wedding, €200 for other events.
Photo: Elina Upmane Photography
For a wedding of 100 guests, with 20-30 staying at the venue, so you will need to provide shuttle buses for the friends and family not staying with you.
Smaller buses are better to navigate round the narrow Italian roads. To book 2 x 28 seater shuttles to and from the wedding would cost approx. €800 per bus.
You will also need to think about transport to and from your other events.
LL Tip: Transport costs highlight how crucial it is to have a venue in a good location, nearby plenty of accommodation options for guests. Be sure to recommend suitable farmhouses / villas / hotels within close proximity to each other and to your venue, so your shuttle is not looping all over the Italian countryside picking people up and dropping them back. Which for you means higher costs!
Having a family or friend perform the service will obviously be free!
For a professional, you would be looking at €500-800.
Don't let those insta pics of hazy sunny days fool you into thinking that it doesn't rain in Italy! Ideally, choose a venue which has an excellent wet weather option inside the building, as the cost would be already included in your venue package.
If this is not an option, as it is a rare find, then factor in a tent or marquee option into your budget from day 1! Couples who did not have a back-up or only added one at the last minute will tell you that it is unbelievably stressful gambling with the weather!
€2,000 will pay for the plan B deposit and €4,000-6,000 will be the total.
Prices have skyrocketed for the pre and post events, meaning it is harder for couples to put on all the additional events.
An authentic pizza night is now €40-50 pp
BBQ, pasta meal or recovery brunch are all €50-60 pp
To stock the fridge at your venue for breakfasts, drinks etc budget for around €1,000-2,000.
LL Tip: To save some money: organise informal drinks out, have family members put on a brunch, ask the venue to help organise a food shop and have family/friends don a chef hat for a BBQ.
Did you download the budget tracker? If not, do it now and start your budgeting journey - it definitely isn’t glamorous but it will help you hugely.
Feeling overwhelmed with costs? Come and join over 800 other Italian wedding couples in our private Facebook group and start up a conversation.
Written by Emily Jennings, marketing person and wedding day-dreamer; lover of a boho vibe and a wedding night filled with a thousand lights.
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