Thumbtack.com put together a list of the top 25 most expensive cities in which to throw a wedding in 2016, and Cleveland ranks 8th. The average total cost to tie the knot in Cleveland is $13,416, with the cost of catering putting the biggest hole in a wedding budget: It costs about $3,495 just to cover catering, which, if you’ve gotten married, is particularly low on what you can spend on food and booze.
As for the lowest costs, hiring an officiant ($148), makeup ($156) and hair ($286) didn’t break the bank as much.
Unsurprisingly, New York City topped out the list with a $16,077 average cost, again with catering the biggest culprit on the checkbook.
This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2016.
I think your rates are on the lower end. I am planning a September wedding and trying to keep the costs low, with 150-180 people, depending, and our lowest catering bid was $8,000. I’ve gotten several bids and the highest was around $11,000. Nothing is cheap. We’re not even doing a cake, DJ/band, or videographer, and we shopped around for an affordable venue on the water, and we will be spending way more than the article mentions. I’m doing all of the decorations as well! However, in the end, it will be great! 💜