A couple from Dayton, Ohio share how they pulled off their New Orleans, LA wedding featuring a Second Line Brass Band parade, raw bar, and the “perfect” wedding dress.
Last updated February 5, 2024
Welcome to Zola’s Wedding Budget Diaries, where we break down one of the industry’s greatest mysteries: how much weddings actually cost.
But no two couples are the same, and neither are their weddings. Each wedding budget, big or small, has its backstory of unexpected surprises and compromises.
This week, a couple from Dayton, Ohio share how they pulled off their $54K destination wedding in New Orleans, LA.
Need to figure out your own wedding budget breakdown? Discover our free wedding budget tracker – also available on the Zola app – and start keeping track of your budget today.
A bird’s eye view of this couple and their wedding budget.
Fields of Work: Tap House Owners
Ages: 42 & 44
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Combined Salary: $200,000
Wedding Date: 9/3/2022
Wedding Location: New Orleans, LA
Number of Wedding Guests: 150
Wedding Style: Black Tie Destination
Original Wedding Budget: $42,000
Actual Wedding Budget: $53,724
Payment Breakdown: Bride and Groom: $37,724 | Groom's Family: $6,000 | Bride's Family: $10,000
How did you keep track?: Mainly spreadsheets
Time for the budget breakdown - their original budget vs. actual spend on each wedding item or service.
Original budget: $8,000
Actual spend: $8,500
What we got: Use of the venue for the ceremony and then a flip to reception.
Original budget: $10,000
Actual spend: $14,500
What we got: Menu selections, raw bar, staff, gratuity, and service charges.
Original budget: $5,000
Actual spend: $6,500
What we got: Hourly rate for a top-tier bar package.
Original budget: $2,500
Actual spend: $5,500
What we got: Wedding Dress, suit rental for groomsmen and suit purchase for groom.
Original budget: $5,500
Actual spend: $5,400
What we got: All florals including boutonnières, centerpieces and bridal bouquets.
Original budget: $5,500
Actual spend: $5,500
What we got: Included Second Line Parade Brass Band and wedding reception band.
Original budget: $6,000
Actual spend: $6,512.
What we got: All photography including pre-wedding shots.
Original budget: $2,500
Actual spend: $1,311.50
What we got: Our full paper suite.
Note: Individual figures may not total the overall budget due to approximations + omitted items.
A deeper look into all the decisions – what’s important, what’s tossed, and more.
We researched our top pick vendors and their pricing to formulate our budget.
A little bit of both. There was some give and take but we were set on making this the perfect day.
The Venue, Photography, and the Reception.
Dessert, Rehearsal Dinner, and Hair and Makeup.
Yes, and she was my lifesaver! I highly recommend hiring someone to orchestrate your day.
We didn't have any challenges per se, but we had disagreements on where to spend the budget.
We didn't cut anything.
My wedding dress. LOL. I spent way over budget but it was the perfect one.
The welcome party was an added activity.
We decided to do a destination wedding in order to cut the guest list, but still had 150 guests. Had we got married at home it would have been 250 guests!
We have owned and run a business together for the last 10 years so we are always planning for our financial future.
Welcome bags for guests.
The hourly drink package rate.
The Second Line Brass Band parade throughout the Faubourg Marigny Neighborhood after the ceremony.
We have been together for 13 years and put off getting married due to starting a business. So we knew that after waiting and now having a successful business, we deserved to celebrate in the perfect city, with our closest friends and family and set aside the money to pull that day off.
At Zola, we want your wedding to be everything you’ve dreamed of. We’re here to make it happen from start to finish, from helping couples curate wedding registry ideas and create a unique wedding website with matching invites and paper, to offering free wedding planning tools like guest lists, seating charts, and our new wedding budget tracker!
If you’re having—or anticipate having—trouble keeping track of your expenses, try using our wedding budget tracker, also available on our app. This will take you to a fully customizable budget sheet you can update throughout wedding planning. No stress, no mysterious expenses.
Zola’s helping couples share those diverse stories with those eager to learn more about what it really takes to plan a wedding. If you’re interested, in share your Wedding Budget Diary with us today.
Inspiration
A couple from Fremont, CA shares how they nearly doubled their original budget for their $60,000 wedding.
Advice
Stay within your wedding budget! See average wedding cost breakdowns by state, guest size, and vendor service, plus money-saving tips from the experts.
List
Searching for wedding registry ideas? Check out our list of favorites and find something for every budget and every couple.
List
We know that many couples go into wedding planning without knowing exactly what goes into organizing one. Here's a list of everything you need to factor in when making your wedding budget.
Inspiration
Zola’s annual guide to wedding trends and budgets. Here's what's new in 2023...
Don’t miss a wedding planning detail with our complete, expert-crafted wedding checklist and timeline. Free, printable version inside!
How-To
Send us your wedding budget breakdowns for a chance to be featured in our latest series.
We’ve got wedding planning advice on everything from save the dates to wedding cakes.