Is a Wedding in France Really Out of Reach? Here's the Honest Answer

Two questions turned up in the Facebook groups this week, in different words but with the same worry underneath: is €25,000 really enough for eighty guests? Is €10,000 enough for twenty? I want to answer that honestly, because vague reassurance doesn't help anyone plan properly.

It isn't a cheaper version of home

Two questions turned up in the Facebook groups this week, in different words but with the same worry underneath: is €25,000 really enough for eighty guests? Is €10,000 enough for twenty? I want to answer that honestly, because vague reassurance doesn't help anyone plan properly.

But within your budget, there's more room than you think

Once those three big levers are set, there's real, meaningful room to bring your total in — without the day feeling any smaller for it. Some of it is about the type of venue you choose. Some of it is about which suppliers you genuinely need, and which you don't. And a surprising amount of it is about your own people. When I got married, a friend made my cake, my sister designed my stationery, and another friend conducted my ceremony. It's still one of my favourite things about my wedding day, and everyone I asked told me afterwards how honoured they felt.

Where to start

I don't think a generic calculator or a stranger's blog post can tell you where your own budget has room, because it depends on your venue, your guest list and what actually matters to you. What I can tell you is that there's a way through this that doesn't mean compromising on your day — and I've put together a free guide that walks through exactly where couples find that room, area by area.

If you'd like the real numbers behind all of this first, start with What Your Wedding in France Will Actually Cost — — the honest picture of where the money goes, before you start deciding where to save.