Budgeting for a South Farms Wedding

Budgeting for a wedding requires careful planning and consideration of various expenses. Here are a few suggestions to help you create a realistic budget for your South Farms wedding.

Set a Total Budget

Setting a total budget (or at least a ballpark!) can help you establish your priorities and what is realistic. Establishing budget parameters will help you avoid wasting time touring venues or interviewing vendors that will not be a match.

If you are trying to meet a specific budget goal, we suggest making a spreadsheet to track your expenses. Include categories such as venue, catering, attire, photography, entertainment, decorations, and miscellaneous expenses. There are some helpful website resources online that have planning and budgeting features for free.

Define Your Priorities

It is unlikely you will be able to splurge on every aspect of your wedding so try to determine your top priorities. This could include speciality food, exceptional florals, photography, or a live band. Splurging on the top-tier for each and every item may not be realistic for your budget so it’s helpful to identify your top priorities.

Set Reasonable Expectations

The average cost of a wedding in Connecticut was between $40,000 and $50,000 in 2022. Wedding costs can vary widely depending on various factors such as the number of guests, and the specific details of the event but we think it’s realistic to assume a peak season wedding at South Farms will start in the $40-50,000 range.

Guest Count and Date

The number of guests can significantly impact your budget. More guests will mean higher costs for catering, bar, decor and other related expenses. If you are struggling with your budget, cutting numbers is one strategy to minimize costs. Exploring off-season dates or non-Saturday dates is another way to trim your overall budget. If you want to get married in Season (May-Nov) on a Saturday, expect to pay full pricing for all your vendors.

Venue and Catering

Venue Rental

South Farms venue rental varies in price depending on the date but ranges from $5,000 to $12,500. South Farms rental includes ceremony and cocktail space, tables/chairs, other furniture, heat/AC, on-site coordination and so on so you typically do not need to factor in additional rentals (except for speciality requests).

Catering
(food and beverage)

The bar at South Farms is $45 per person (see details in brochure) and catering typically runs in the $150 per person range depending on your menu and event details. You will sign a contract directly with your approved caterer and they will invoice you separately from South Farms.

Photography and Videography

Photographer

Photography is a creative choice and a personality match as this person will be with you throughout your day. Prices vary $3,500 - $10,000+

Videographer

Many clients do not choose to hire a videographer but if you do, budget $1,500++.

Entertainment

DJ or Band

Typically live bands come at a significantly higher cost than DJ’s. If you want an experienced live band with multiple musicians, prepare to pay upwards of $7,500++. DJ’s range in cost but start in the $2,500 range.

Ceremony Musicians

You can hire specific ceremony musicians for your event or your hired DJ can play selected music from speakers at the ceremony. Another option is to have one or two of your band’s live musicians perform. Either way, remember to include this cost. Estimate $500

Officiant

You may ask a friend or relative or you may hire someone locally. Estimate $350

Miscellaneous

Taxes and Gratuities: Review contracts to understand expectations for tipping and gratuities before the big day. South Farms has a document on the client portal where we explain our tipping procedures. Caterers will be clear up front about this as they have many staff to tip.

Transportation: Many South Farms clients will hire shuttle buses (ranging from parlor cars to school buses to coach buses) to ferry guests from hotels to and from the venue. $500-$1,000+

Additional Tips

Beauty and Attire, Custom Wedding Cakes, as well as Printing/Invitations, and Marriage Licensure are omitted from the venue expenses outlined above.
Wedding planners can add additional cost, but they can also save you time and money by negotiating and vetting vendors for you, as well as offering peace of mind. South Farms includes on site venue coordination in our pricing.
It’s a good idea to set aside a contingency fund for unforeseen expenses or last-minute changes. A common recommendation is to allocate around 10% of your total budget for contingencies.

Remember that this is just a sample budget to help you get a handle on costs and budgeting. Actual costs will vary. This is a big day and a large investment for most but planning your wedding can be fun and relatively stress free when approached thoughtfully and realistically.

We are here to help in whatever way we can! Please email events@southfarms.org to talk over your budget with someone on our Events team.

Floral and Decor

Floral Arrangments

Floral decor can be as simple as a few stems of flowers in a jar or as elaborate as you can imagine. Pricing for florals therefore ranges significantly. We do not recommend attempting to DIY florals on your wedding day. There is a reason to hire professionals (mostly, your sanity!). The larger your wedding party and the more tables you have, the higher your bill for florals will be. An average cost at South Farms in our experience is somewhere around $5,000.

Decorations and Rentals

Your floral designer can often provide candles but if there are specific decor items like lanterns, speciality linens, etc, make sure to factor that into the budget. South Farms does not provide linens. $500+.

Wedding Favors

Optional, typically $2-5 per person.