Wedding Cost Guide
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Local wedding cost estimates across 9 styles — from intimate elopements to luxury yacht weddings. All figures reflect Fort Lauderdale market pricing.
Each style's total is based on a guest count of 100 (fewer for yacht, destination, and elopement — shown on each style card) and covers the 11 essential wedding must-haves at real Fort Lauderdale prices. Optional extras are greyed out.
A 10% contingency buffer for tips & overages is shown separately on top of each total.
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Hotel ballroom, country club, or upscale event center
In this example budget, the total covers the 11 essential wedding must-haves for a guest count of 100. The optional add-ons further down are greyed out and not counted.
The 11 essentials · included in the total
Optional add-ons · not in the total
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About weddings in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale has 165 miles of navigable waterway, which is why they call it the Venice of America, and it changes what a wedding can be. Guests can ride the public water taxi between a historic downtown venue and a beach resort on the barrier island. Nobody parks. The Ritz-Carlton, the W, the Riverside Hotel, the Fort Lauderdale Yacht Club, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens and the 1901 Stranahan House are the venues, running from mega-yacht charters to 1920s coral-rock estate gardens to beachfront ballrooms. Barns and pasture weddings don't exist here. Everything else does. A venue costs about $11,240, food is $122 a head, an open bar adds $53, a photographer is $4,770 and a live band is $5,830. A 120-guest wedding runs about $46,000, which is roughly $3,500 under Miami Beach for the same Atlantic. If a yacht wedding is the plan, this is the yachting capital of the country and the charter market here is deeper than anywhere else in Florida.
Wedding costs in Fort Lauderdale: your questions answered
How much does a wedding cost in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
A wedding in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $46,000 for 120 guests. That covers the venue, catering, an open bar, a photographer, florals, a DJ, the cake, hair and makeup, and an officiant. Your number moves most with your guest count: roughly two thirds of a wedding budget scales directly with how many people you feed.
How much is a wedding venue in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
A wedding venue in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $11,240. That is the ceremony and reception space only. Food and beverages are not included, and most venues in this market charge for them separately.
How much does wedding catering cost per person in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Wedding catering in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $122 per guest for food, plus roughly $53 per guest for an open bar. For 120 guests that is about $14,640 in food and $6,360 at the bar, or $21,000 all in. Most quotes you will see elsewhere combine the two, which is why catering estimates so often come in low.
How much does an open bar cost for a wedding in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
An open bar at a Fort Lauderdale, FL wedding costs about $53 per guest, or roughly $6,360 for 120 guests. Serving beer and wine only, with a champagne toast, costs about $30 per guest instead — about $3,600 for the same 120 guests. Choosing beer and wine over a full liquor bar saves roughly $2,760.
Is a food truck cheaper than a caterer for a wedding in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Yes. A food truck at a Fort Lauderdale, FL wedding costs about $80 per guest, against roughly $122 per guest for a full-service caterer. Across 120 guests that saves about $5,040. The tradeoff is service: a food truck is cooked to order and casual, while a caterer brings staff, plated or buffet service, and handles the room.
Should you hire a DJ or a live band for a wedding in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
A wedding DJ in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $2,120. A live band costs about $5,830, which is roughly 2.8 times more. Ceremony and cocktail musicians — a harpist, a violinist, or a string trio — are a third and separate booking at about $1,270. They are different vendors, and many couples in this market hire a DJ for the reception and separate musicians for the ceremony.
How much does a wedding photographer cost in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
A wedding photographer in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $4,770. A videographer is a separate booking at about $4,450. Together they run roughly $9,220.
How much do wedding flowers cost in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Wedding florals in Fort Lauderdale, FL cost about $4,770. That covers bouquets, boutonnières, centerpieces and ceremony arrangements.
How much is bridal hair and makeup in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Bridal hair and makeup in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $690 for the bride alone. Each additional person — a maid of honor, mothers, bridesmaids — adds roughly $212. A bride with four others in the chair spends about $1,538.
How much does a wedding officiant cost in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
A wedding officiant in Fort Lauderdale, FL costs about $420, which typically includes the ceremony and the marriage paperwork.