Numbers are the least discussed part of this industry and the most useful. What follows is a composite of three recent Miami weddings, 180 guests, total spend around $180,000 including our fee.
Catering and beverage came to roughly 38% — food, staff, bar, service charge and tax. This is almost always the largest line and the least compressible without the guest list changing.
Design and production, including florals, rentals, fabrication, lighting and our fee, came to about 30%. Photography and film took 9%, entertainment 8%, venue 7%, and the remaining 8% covered stationery, transport, attire alterations, permits and contingency.
Guests remember temperature, sound, and how long they waited for a drink. Budget accordingly.
The three places we advise spending more: staffing ratios, lighting, and sound. One server per ten guests instead of one per fifteen changes the whole evening. A proper light plot does more than an extra tier of florals. And a competent sound engineer prevents the single most common complaint we hear about other people’s weddings.
The place we advise spending less is almost always the tabletop above eye level. Tall centrepieces photograph beautifully in an empty room and block conversation in a full one.
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