What Chicago Weddings Really Cost in 2025: 3 Real Couples, 3 Real Budgets
- Alexis Alvarez
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
Budgeting for a wedding is confuuuusingg af. If you do any amount of searching for how much a Chicago wedding or specific vendor costs, you’re going to quickly find yourself less sure than you were when you started. FB groups say one thing, local wedding vendors say another, the wedding blogs say something else, and Reddit, something else too! How’s a gal (guy, gay, or they) supposed to know what the actual cost of planning a wedding is?
In this post, we’re using 3 real life 2025 Burst Couples as examples for different levels of wedding budgets, so you can see the real cost of some Chicago weddings.
Here are the rules:
All budgets are taken from final guest count invoices so these are actual end spends
We define Burst’s client as “mid-market” (think upper middle class, but weddings)
Expenses not included because we usually don’t end up seeing the cost of these items since they’re not contracted expenses and moreso one off purchases or are usually handled by a family member
Attire
Rehearsal Dinner/Welcome Party/Brunch
Getting Ready Suite
Gratuity
Event Insurance
DIY/Minted Stationery
Misc purchases (ie card box, table numbers, etc)
Case Study 1: Low-Mid Budget
Initial Target Budget: $50K
Final Spend: $57,259.63
Quick snapshot:
Guest Count: 137 Invited; 95 final
Wedding Format: Plated Dinner with a DJ
Venue Type: Park District Venue
Planning Package: Wedding Management + Monthly Consultation
Budget breakdown by category
Venue: $5385
Catering: $28,861.46 (bar included)
Planning: $5288.55
Floral + Decor: $4794.26
Music: $2650
Photo: $7000
Transportation: $1895.36
Hair and Make Up: $1385
Splurge vs. save choices
Splurge: Upgraded rentals from caterer (farmhouse tables, upgraded chair rentals, gold flatware, velvet runners)
Splurge: DJ Vinyl Upgrade
Splurge: Guest Transportation to/from hotel + after party
Save: Guest Count
Save: Park District Permit Cost
Save: Client Designed + Printed Stationery
Save: Costco Sheetcake
Budgeting take away: Their save choices made room for the splurge choices!
Case Study 2: Mid-to-high budget
Initial Target Budget: $100K
Final Spend: $91,159.85
Quick snapshot:
Guest Count: 200 Invited; 166 final
Wedding Format: Station Dinner with a DJ
Venue Type: Private Event Venue
Planning Package: Full Planning
Budget breakdown by category
Venue: $16,027.52 (bar included)
Catering: $40,178.76
Planning: $10,219
Floral: $10,114.95
Draping: $665
Music: $2500
Photo: $7000
Content Creator: $1000
Transportation: $754.62
Hair and Make Up: $2700
Splurge vs. save choices
Splurge: Added draping to the venue for aesthetics, not function
Splurge: Full Planning; family probably would have done well with partial planning
Splurge: Added rehearsal dinner coverage to photo package
Splurge: Multiple stations for dinner service
Save: Digital invitations and save the dates
Save: No guest transportation
Save: Used in-house rentals
Save: Repurposed nearly everything from ceremony floral/decor to reception
Budgeting take away: Their guest count + in-house bar package at the venue wer the primary drivers in costs.
Case Study 3: Weekend Experience
Initial Target Budget: $100K
Final Spend: $121,718.39
Quick snapshot:
Guest Count: 130 Invited; 80 final
Wedding Format: Weekend long camp wedding
Venue Type: Summer Camp Property
Planning Package: 2 days full planning; 1 day execution
Budget breakdown by category
Lodging + Meals: $16,632.00
Catering (2 events): $40,261.86 (*note: paid for by a family member; did not come out of couple’s spend)
BYOB Bar (2 events + misc weekend coolers): $3,398.74
Planning: $22,540
Floral: $0 - DIY’d and gifted by mom
Tent + Rentals: $12,035.62
Music: $2900
Photo (2 days): $11,900
Video (2 days): $6950
Hair and Make Up: $3515
Weekend Snacks: $1585.17
Splurge vs. save choices
Splurge: Vendor travel + lodging expenses
Splurge: Guest Lodging, meals + snacks
Save: Guest Count
Save: DIY floral + decor
Save: Venue choice was very reasonable for lodging and meal expenses
Budgeting take away: Their low guest count and venue selection was the driving factor in keeping costs low, while using Chicago vendors + paying travel + lodging fees drove costs up, leveling out to a mid-market 3 days wedding. Depending on choices, a weekend long wedding can be much higher.
Wedding budgets ebb and flow a lot, as do the priorities in how couples + families spend their wedding budgets, but most Burst couples spend between $500 and $1600pp on their Chicago weddings, give or take. For help budgeting your Chicago wedding, schedule a free wedding planning strategy call here!
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