Short answer: the average wedding in the US now costs about $34,200, and Florida sits right around $33,000, according to The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study. In my experience, a full wedding with a real guest list, a venue, food, decor, music, photo and film starts around $35,000 on the lean end in Orlando, and big family or multi-day weddings go well past that. If your budget is under $10,000, you're not planning a wedding reception. You're planning a courthouse wedding, and that's a good thing.
I know that's not what Pinterest says. Let me explain why.
A wedding is a party for 150+ people, run by a dozen businesses
When couples see a price list, they see a number. What they don't see is the work behind it.
Your DJ is hauling speakers, lights and cables into the venue hours before anyone arrives. They set up, sound check, stand and perform for five or six hours, read the room the whole night, then break it all down and load it back out after your last guest leaves. In my experience, a wedding DJ runs about $1,500 to $3,000, depending on whether you add special effects, sparklers, lighting or a photo booth. Those add-ons are great for your guests, and they add up.
Your decorator is in the venue early in the morning. The mandap, the backdrop, the centerpieces, the lighting, all built before you walk in, and torn down at the end of the night. For 100 guests, I'd plan on decor starting around $8,000.
Your photographer and filmmaker work a 10 to 14 hour day on their feet, and that's the small part. For me, one wedding film takes about 80 hours to edit. That's two weeks of work, before I even touch the photo gallery. With photo and film together, one couple can take me 80 to 120 hours.
Your caterer is cooking for hundreds, staffing it, serving it and cleaning it.
Every one of these people has equipment, insurance, a team and their own bills. You're not paying for "a few hours." You're paying for skill, gear and days of work, from people who have to be perfect on a day that only happens once.
Want planning, photo and film from one team? See the Marvelous Experience →
Where the money goes
Nationally, the biggest pieces are the venue and the food. After that come photo and film, music, decor and flowers, attire, and planning. In Orlando, here's roughly what our part looks like so you can measure it against your budget:
| Service at Marvelous Moments | Starting price |
|---|---|
| Wedding photo + film, one day | $6,500 |
| Cultural weekend photo + film | $9,500 |
| The Marvelous Experience (coordination, photo and film) | $10,000 |
| Pre-wedding night (maticoor (matikor), mehndi, haldi, sangeet), photo + film | $3,500 |
| Wedding album | $850 |
That's one category. Now add the venue, the food for every guest, the DJ, decor, outfits, hair and makeup, invitations and the cake. That's how you get to $35,000 and up.
Our lead planner, Cynthia, adds one more thing couples rarely think about: "You're not just paying for their inventory. You're paying for their time, their labor, their skill, and their gas to bring everything over. That's the same for every vendor." Even a single simple backdrop, in her experience, runs about $2,000 to $3,000. And before you book a DJ or a photo booth, she wants you to picture the reception: "Are people just going to sit there, or are they going to have a good time? Do you want it to be an all-night party, or an elegant ballroom party? What songs do you want the DJ to play? What are your entrance songs? Brides need to have these things played out in their mind."
What drives the cost up fastest
- Guest count. Every guest adds food, a chair, a place setting, more decor and often a bigger venue. This is the biggest lever you have.
- Number of days. Multi-day weddings are multiple events. A Guyanese, Trini or Indian wedding weekend can be three or four days, and each day has its own vendors.
- Date. Saturdays in Orlando's peak season cost the most.
- Saying yes to everything. Sparklers, a second outfit, a bigger mandap, a late-night snack. Each one is reasonable. All of them together is a budget.
If your budget is under $10,000
Here's my honest advice: don't try to squeeze a big wedding into a small budget. That's how couples end up with unpaid vendors, cut corners, debt and a day that felt stressful instead of special.
Instead:
- Get married at the courthouse now. It's a real marriage, it costs very little, and you can still dress up, bring your closest people and get beautiful photos.
- Save for the celebration. Have the reception in a year or two, when you can do it the way you actually want.
- Build the foundation first. Your home, your savings, your life together. The party can wait. The marriage can't.
I wrote a full guide to doing it this way: Courthouse Wedding Now, Reception Later.
If you want the big wedding, plan it together
If the big wedding matters to you and your families, that's beautiful. Just do it as a team:
- Sit down with everyone who's contributing before you book anything.
- Agree on the total, who covers what, and who makes the final call. (See Who Pays for the Wedding Gets a Say.)
- Put the money into what you'll keep: the marriage, the memories, the photos and the film. The flowers are gone by Monday.
And if you're going to have the big wedding, do it right. I see a lot of events where families cut corners in the places that matter most, and it shows on the day. Don't plan from a scarcity mindset. Decide what matters, invest in it properly, and let the rest be simple.
Common questions
What is the average cost of a wedding in Orlando? The Knot's 2026 study puts the US average at about $34,200 and Florida at about $33,000. A full Orlando wedding with a large guest list usually starts around $35,000.
Can you have a wedding in Orlando for under $10,000? A courthouse wedding or a very small dinner, yes. A full reception for 100+ guests with professional vendors usually costs much more.
Why are wedding vendors so expensive? You're paying for skill, equipment, insurance, a team and many hours of work before and after the day, not only the hours you see.
What's the best way to save money on a wedding? Cut the guest list first. Or get married at the courthouse now and have the reception later, when you can afford the one you want.