How Much is a Wedding in Chicago?
Photo: Tuan B Co
If you’re planning a wedding in Chicago and you have no idea how much venues, vendors, and supplies cost, then this is a great guide for you! As wedding planners in Chicago, we know how much of a mystery budget planning can be. Most vendors don’t have their prices on their websites, so you don’t know what to expect, then you have to contact them and guess what are the best prices for each vendor, and all of this can be time consuming….
Chicago is one of the biggest cities in the country and the 3rd biggest market for weddings, so know going in that Chicago will be a bit more on the pricey side compared to some other cities. Below is a range of pricing we have seen in Chicago based on our experience, so feel free to use this a little “cheat sheet” to what Chicago weddings cost:
What is the average cost of a Chicago wedding?
The average cost of a wedding in the city of Chicago is around $600 per person. This is typically a wedding that has a DJ, a simple plated meal with one protein, standard rentals like white china and clear glassware, rented attire, simple floral and minimal decor.
If you are looking for more of an elevated wedding with more design details like a flower installation for the ceremony and lush flowers on your tables, a family style menu with a few protein options, late night snacks and a variety of desserts, a DJ with a live music element during ceremony, and a few upgraded linens (like velvet or sequin), then we typically see couples spend closer to $800 per person.
If you are looking for more of a customized production we see $1000+ per person. These weddings feature upgraded rentals and custom details, (colorful glassware, velvet linens with custom napkins), lounge furniture, full service decor (lighting, flower installations, graphic design), a wedding band, custom attire and custom stationery.
*Wedding Planning Tip: Your catering, bar, rentals and venue will take up 50% of your budget. You can learn more about how to plan the perfect wedding budget in our blog post here.
Wedding Expenses in Chicago [Breakdown]:
Please note that these are average price ranges that we see for a typical wedding with an average guest count around 150 people. If you are super extra and want to have a full out over the top wedding production these numbers may not apply to you!
Chicago Wedding Venues: Prices range from $5,500 - $12,000 | The lower end are venues on the outskirts of the city like in Oak Park or they are run by the park district. Beware, a lot of times these venues provide the space and not much more. You will be responsible for providing tables, chairs, catering, and more. The higher cost venues are more likely full service, in a central location, and may include more amenities like better customer service and in house tables and chairs. Some venues also include liquor in their services so you have to contract that from them. This can be more of an investment than if you were to choose a BYOB venue, but the value is that you don’t have to manage it at all - they do all the work for you! We usually see venues charge $40+ per person.
Full Service Wedding Planners $7,500 - $15,000 | Cost depends on the planner’s experience + your guest count, budget, vision, location
Partial Service Wedding Planner $4,000 - $7,500 | Cost depends on the planner’s experience + the services needed, ie; what the couple is taking on vs. what the planner is contracted to do.
Wedding Coordinator $2,000 - $4,000 | Cost depends on coordinator’s experience + coordination and management months leading up to wedding. Of course you can always find a Day of Coordinator for less than $2000 but these are often individuals who have very little experience in the industry, (if they had more experience they would understand that they need to put in way more time and energy into supporting you - which costs more money - and time!!)
Full Service Chicago Wedding Caterer - $175 - $250+ per person | Cost on average in Chicago reflects staff, food and beverage, equipment, and rentals. Cost varies depending on the style of service, number of people, and the amount of rentals. Sometimes you might also source your chair rentals, or linens through your caterer which can also change the price. Whether or not you need rentals like chairs depends on what the venue offers in house. Prices can be a little lower if your venue is BYOB and you can source your liquor from a company like Prestige, Garfield or Binny’s Depot. We generally see couples spend $25+ per person on liquor so make sure to include that in your budgeting/costs.
Full Service Decor Company $10,000+ - the sky is the limit. Many full service decor companies have minimums. So they will not accept your business if you can’t hit their minimum. On the lower end of pricing, you will have flowers for your ceremony/reception with some upgraded rentals. On the higher end you are working with flower and lighting installations, furniture, custom design, and specialty rentals.
Boutique Florist $3,500+ | On the lower end you’ll have your personals and very basic ceremony/reception flowers. On the higher end you may see personals, rental pieces like an arbor, larger centerpieces for the reception, decor for the desert table, giftbook table and beyond. Florists always include candlelight FYI!
DJ $2500 - $3,500+ | The lower the cost the less equipment the DJ will provide. They may only need one set up for instance. Some DJ’s provide a booth, lights and multiple speakers.
Live Music & Band $1000+ or $7,500 - $25,000+ | For live music like a pianist or guitarist for the ceremony and cocktail hour we see prices begin around $1000, lower if it’s just the ceremony. For a band, the lower end you will have smaller piece band and on the higher end you have a large piece band that will play the whole night offering live music and a DJ during ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing.
Stationery $500-$2500+ | On the lower end we see couples choosing to select their own stationary and order online through a website like Zola that has hundreds of templates you can choose from for your save the dates, invitations, and day of stationery like table numbers and signs for your gifts. For those who are looking for more luxury and custom pieces you can hire a stationary vendor to design all your stationary and even a calligrapher to address your envelopes and mail them out for you.
Wedding dress attire $2500+ | We once saw a bride spend $100 on their dress from a second hand vintage store with minimal alterations. We’ve also seen couples spend way more money. It really depends on your style and whether you want to select from something that already exists or design something totally custom. But on average, we see couples who want dresses spend an average of $2500 from a local boutique.
Suit attire $1000+ | We usually see couples who want to rock a suit opt for something that is custom because they can wear it for years and years beyond their wedding day. Most suit shops like The Knot Standard, have custom options that start at $500 where you can pick your own fabrics and buttons. The nicer the fabric the bigger the investment.
Transportation $1000-$3,500 | On average we see couples spend about $1000 on a 30 passenger size bus for their wedding party to get around town for photos. Every now and then couples will want to invest in transportation for their guests to get to and from the hotel. This is definitely a courtesy for your guests if you’re living in a major city, but if you’re out in the middle of nowhere - opt for good transportation or bus just for close family/wedding party.
Cake $8 per person | Many of our couples don’t just get a cake, they tend to do dessert buffets, but for those who do get a cake, they are usually getting a personal cake that is partially custom they can cut that can serve around 25 people. Some venues or caterers might also have a dessert package already included as well.
Hotel Accommodations $1000 for 2 nights | We often see couples booking a 2 night stay suite that can hold enough room for their wedding party to get dressed in. These are often more of an investment because they have more square footage - and often a better view!
Always make sure to inquire about vendor's prices before booking as everyone has different rates due to location, experience, and inventory. If you still need assistance then make sure to book a wedding planner that can help break it all down for you, and lead you down the right path.
Photo by: Anna Zajac
DO YOU HAVE A BOLD VISION FOR YOUR EVENT?
Fierce Productions is a Chicago based event planning company specializing in curating unique, bold, non-traditional weddings and events. Our talented team of professionals can handle all of your event needs including planning and coordination, design and styling, vendor and talent management, fundraising, marketing support and beyond - get in touch to learn more!