Guide
Destination Wedding Budget in Italy: Where the Money Goes
The average foreign wedding in Italy costs tens of thousands of euros, and catering takes the biggest slice. Here is how the budget breaks down and where the surprises hide.
6 min read · Updated 2026-09-19
Key facts
- Average budget
- About €61,500 per wedding in 2024, up 4.2% on the year before
- Catering share
- Catering takes about 36% of the average budget
- Average size
- About 64 guests (960,000 guests across 15,100+ foreign weddings in 2024)
- Planners
- Professional planners were used in 46.3% of foreign weddings
The average, and what it hides
The 2024 figures put the average budget for a foreign couple's wedding in Italy at about €61,500, with catering taking about 36% of it. An average hides a wide range. Guest count, region, season and how many days the celebration lasts move the total far more than the country does, so treat the figure as a sanity check, not a target.
Where the money goes
- Venue: hire for the weekend or the day, the ceremony fee, and any exclusive-use charge
- Catering and bar: usually the largest single line, and the one that scales most with guest count
- Décor, florals and lighting: styling the ceremony, the dinner and the dance floor
- Photography and video
- Music and entertainment, including the music licence fee
- A planner or coordinator, if you use one
- Guest hotels and transport, if you choose to cover them
- Legal paperwork, translations and any municipal fee for a civil ceremony
- Attire, rings, hair and make-up, which usually sit outside a planner's budget
Costs couples forget
- The SIAE music licence, which the organiser of an event with music has to arrange
- Overtime for the venue, caterer and musicians if the evening runs past the agreed hour
- VAT and service charges that are not included in a headline price
- Venue extras: cleaning, power or a generator, tables, linen and staff
- Supplier travel and accommodation when a photographer or florist comes from another region
- A weather plan, such as a tent or an indoor fallback
- Meals for suppliers who work through the day
- A welcome dinner and a farewell brunch, if you plan them
How to keep the total under control
- Fix the guest number first. It drives catering, tables, transport and rooms
- Ask every supplier for an itemised quote and compare like with like
- Consider a date outside the peak weeks, when venues and hotels have more room to negotiate
- Ask what the venue hire includes before you compare venues
- Keep a contingency line for changes
How our event quotes are built
Our event quotes show itemised supplier costs plus a clear management fee, so you can see where each euro goes. Deposit schedules mirror the suppliers' terms, and the quote shows the schedule before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Is a wedding in Italy cheaper than one at home?
It depends on the guest count, the region and the season. The savings usually come from a smaller guest list and an off-peak date, not from the country itself.
How many guests does the typical destination wedding have?
About 64 on average, based on 960,000 guests across more than 15,100 weddings of foreign couples in 2024.
Does a wedding budget include guests' hotels?
Usually not. Couples decide whether to cover rooms for some or all of the guests, or to negotiate a group rate that guests pay themselves.
Sources
Facts on this page last reviewed: 2026-09-19.