How to budget for your Italian wedding in 2025

Expert Tips on Approaching Wedding Budgets and Navigating the Jungle of Costs – Including Average Cost of a Wedding in Italy.

You want to get married in Italy but don’t know where to start? How much does a wedding in Italy cost? How much should you budget?
We help you to navigate the world of wedding costs with clarity and confidence. In this guide, we’ll delve into the intricacies of how to budget for your Italian wedding, providing professional insights and suggestions.

1. Set your priorities

One of the first steps in planning your destination wedding in Italy is setting your budget priorities. Whether you dream of exchanging vows overlooking the Amalfi Coast or amid the vineyards of Tuscany, understanding what matters most to you will guide your budgeting decisions.
The first thing to do is to define what matters most to you. Whether it’s focusing on the number of guests, selecting a breathtaking venue, opting for lavish flowers, and more. Define your priorities and set an overall budget.

2. Navigate Venue Costs

Italy boasts a plethora of stunning wedding venues, from historic villas to rustic farmhouses, each offering its own unique charm and ambiance. However, with beauty comes a price tag, and understanding the costs associated with venue rental fees is crucial and can help on how to budget for your Italian wedding.
In an ideal world, you would like to find a wonderful venue that can accommodate some or most guests on site, has beautiful outdoors, a good contingency plan in case of poor weather and has an affordable price.
The ugly truth is that there are very few or no venues that tick all your boxes, so you will have to compromise on something.

How to shortlist venues and navigate the huge amount of options

• select your preferred wedding location/ region in Italy
  Lake Como and Amalfi coast are extremely popular. With their luxurious offering and difficult logistics, they are pricier than other regions.
  They mainly feature stunning mansions or luxury hotels, where it is very difficult to find accommodation on site for your guests.
  Many venues have a minimum spend (ranging anywhere between 50K eur and 1 million!)
  Average venue rental costs are around 15K eur and meal prices are around 350-400 eur per person.
  Tuscany and Umbria offer a very wide range of venues, most of them are more rustic, in the countryside and offer accommodation on site.
  Puglia and Sicily are wonderful regions in southern Italy where you can mainly find coastal venues, with slightly more affordable prices.
• Decide if you want accommodation on site
  If you want to provide accommodation for your guests, consider that most venues have minimum stays and require the mandatory buyout of the venue. It will be difficult to find a venue that has exactly the number of rooms you require, so be ready to some flexibility here. If you plan on paying for accommodation for your guests, this might be a very big slice of your total budget. If not, consider that daily accommodation rates can vary anywhere between 300 eur and 2000 eur per room, night.
  Don’t underestimate the importance of good accommodation. You might discover that some more affordable options are very basic and might not be a right fit for your guests.
• Check if the venue offers a contingency plan
  many venues (especially villas) feature gorgeous outdoors, but they have no indoor rooms in case of bad weather. If you must hire a tent, this can mean a big extra expense.

3. Deciphering Vendor Expenses:

From photographers to florists, navigating the world of wedding vendors in Italy can be overwhelming.
On a general note, costs for all services in Italy have increased and are continuing to rise.
The hard task here is to find vendors that match your budget AND your expectations. As a guideline, if a vendor has been featured on online blogs or magazines you must probably expect higher fees.
Below, we give an average itemised budget for your Italian wedding.

Average vendor costs

• venue rental fee (no accommodation): 7,000 -18,000 eur
• catering: 1900-350 eur per person
• bar catering (open bar, beverages): 50-100 eur per person
• photographer: 3,500 – 12,000 eur
• videographer: 3,000-10,000 eur
• bridal hair and makeup with trial: 1,000-1,600 eur
• flowers: 6,000-20,000 eur
• decoration (personalised table setup, fairy lights etc.): 3,500-9,000 eur
• entertainment: 6,000-20,000 eur
• transport: 700-2,000 eur
• celebrant: 500-800 eur
• stationery: 500-2,000 eur
• favors and gifts: 20-80 eur per person

There are some budget areas that continue to rise, driven by costs of raw materials completely out of the suppliers’ control.

Flowers:
Floral arrangements are a key component of any wedding, but rising costs of raw materials can impact your budget. Ensure you discuss pricing and options with your florist to manage expectations and stay within budget.

Transport:
Transportation costs, especially for buses to shuttle guests to and from the events or venue, can add up quickly. Factor in these expenses when planning your budget to avoid any surprises later on.

HMU (Hair and Makeup):
The quality of HMU services is exceptionally high, but this often comes with a price tag that surprises couples. Be prepared for potential travel expenses within Italy and for artists coming from abroad. Clarify these costs upfront to avoid any budgeting issues down the line.

You might be tempted to bring your vendors from home, but proceed with caution! Having local vendors who speak the language and are familiar with the logistics of the area, and can easily move around, is crucial. Sometimes, what may seem like a cost-saving measure can turn into a trap.

Conclusion

In conclusion, determining the budget for a wedding in Italy is no easy task and involves considering numerous factors. In general, you’ll likely find yourself needing to make compromises, so having a clear understanding of your priorities is essential.
While it’s possible to handle everything independently, the process can be exhausting and detract from the joy of wedding planning as you navigate through a sea of options.
This is where seeking assistance from an experienced planner can be invaluable. They can guide you through selecting all vendors, optimizing choices based on your preferences and budget. By leveraging their expertise, you can streamline the planning process and ensure that every aspect of your Italian wedding reflects your vision within your budget constraints.

photo: Federico Lanuto photography, Elena Baranchuk, Julia Kaptelova