Weddings
Weddings savings for Canadian households
Weddings expand to fill the budget you do not write down. Pick three priorities, get a real guest count early, and treat venue, food, and photos as the big three. Everything else is optional decoration.
Planning, paperwork and costs
A 2027 line-item budget, off-season dates, vendor contracts, rings, marriage licences, city hall ceremonies, destination weddings and gift amounts, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Wedding budget
Wedding budget 2027
Fixed versus per-guest costs, taxes, service charges and deposits.
Off-season weddings
Winter and off-season weddings
Off-peak dates, minimums, weather costs and holiday decor.
Vendor contracts
Wedding vendor contracts
Deposits, cancellation, service charges and red flags.
Engagement rings
Engagement ring budget
Lab-grown versus natural, the 4Cs, reports and insurance.
Marriage licence
Marriage licence fees by province
What a licence costs, how long it lasts and what to bring.
City hall weddings
City hall and courthouse weddings
Civil ceremony costs, witnesses, photos and a small reception.
Destination weddings
Destination weddings from Canada
Room blocks, legal paperwork, guest costs and insurance.
Wedding gifts
Wedding gift amount
Cash or registry, closeness, travel and tight budgets.
After the wedding
Telling the CRA about your new marital status, how benefits are recalculated for couples and which credits spouses can share, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Venues, dates, food and drink
Venue types and published room rates, Friday and Sunday savings, catering service charges and tax, open versus cash bars, supplying your own alcohol in Ontario, and wedding cake costs, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Venues and vendors
Wedding venue types and costs
Hotels, halls, museums, restaurants and backyards.
Venues and vendors
Friday and Sunday weddings
What you save and what guests give up.
Food and drink
Wedding catering costs
Per-person pricing, service charges and taxes.
Food and drink
Open bar vs cash bar
Formats, pricing, permits and safety.
Food and drink
Buying your own wedding alcohol
Quantities, returns and permits.
Food and drink
Wedding cake costs
Pricing, alternatives and cutting fees.
Flowers, photos, video and music
DIY, bulk and florist flowers, photographer packages and copyright, whether a videographer is worth it, and DJ versus live band with music licensing and noise rules, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Venues and vendors
Wedding flowers: DIY, bulk or florist
Where the budget goes and the workload.
Venues and vendors
Wedding photographer costs
Packages, hours, rights and contracts.
Venues and vendors
Is a videographer worth it?
Films, bundles and alternatives.
Venues and vendors
DJ vs live band
Costs, space, licensing and contracts.
Officiants, insurance, planners and invitations
Who can legally marry you and what officiants charge, wedding cancellation and liability insurance, planners versus day-of coordinators, and invitation postage at Canada Post's published stamp prices, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Legal and admin
Wedding officiant fees
Religious, civil and friends officiating.
Legal and admin
Wedding insurance
Cancellation, liability and exclusions.
Planning
Planner vs day-of coordinator
Full, partial and day-of help compared.
Planning
Invitations and postage
Stamp prices and oversize envelopes.
Attire, rings, names and money after marriage
Wedding dress and suit costs, wedding band metals and quality marks, changing your name after marriage, marriage contracts under Ontario's Family Law Act, and merging finances as a couple, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Attire
Wedding dress costs
Gowns, alterations and resale.
Attire
Suit or tux: rent or buy
Break-even, tailoring and group rentals.
Attire
Formal outfits on a budget
Renting, thrifting and re-wearing, by cost per event.
Attire
Wedding bands
Metals, quality marks and prices.
Legal and admin
Name change after marriage
Documents, fees and order.
Legal and admin
Marriage contracts (prenups)
What they cover and cost.
After the wedding
Merging finances
Accounts, bills, debts and beneficiaries.
Paying for it, guests and parties
Paying for a wedding without debt, credit card points and surcharges, bachelor and bachelorette splits, the real cost of being a guest, tipping vendors, registries versus cash and honeymoon funds, and multi-day weddings, as of 1 Oct 2026.
Planning
Paying for a wedding without debt
Cash budgets and saving timelines.
Planning
Card points on wedding spending
Surcharges, bonuses and protection.
Guests and parties
Bachelor and bachelorette costs
Fair splits and saying no.
Guests and parties
Real cost of being a guest
Gift, travel, hotel and outfit.
Guests and parties
Tipping wedding vendors
Service charges vs gratuities.
Guests and parties
Registry vs cash vs honeymoon fund
Pros, fees and etiquette.
Guests and parties
Multi-day cultural weddings
Budgeting several events.
Elopements, backyards, wills and honeymoons
Eloping in national and city parks, backyard weddings with tent, noise and alcohol rules, what marriage does to a will in Ontario, and honeymoons on a budget, as of 1 Oct 2026.
