Independent wedding price research · Free to use · No vendor-paid rankings

The wedding price desk

Know what the quote really costs.

Upload a vendor proposal or paste an email. We separate quoted facts from estimates, compare the price with local benchmarks, and show what to ask before you sign.

Check my quote Search venues

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Scan a vendor quote

PDF, JPG, PNG, WebP, TXT or CSV up to 15 MB. Image reading can take a moment on the first scan.

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Quote text

Your quote is processed in this browser and is not saved by VowLedger.

Your quote check will appear here

We’ll show the detected total, benchmark difference, price lines and costs that may need clarification.

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Match

Flag

Reading the results

Four evidence labels. No false precision.

“100% reviewed” tracks the lines you checked; it cannot prove a vendor omitted nothing.

Confirmed

Copied from a cited source or reviewed quote line.

Calculated

Arithmetic using the inputs shown on screen.

Estimated

A planning model or benchmark—not an exact price.

Unknown

The available document or source does not answer it.

Benchmark library

The data behind each scan

U.S. averages based on weddings held in 2025, state venue data, 28 metro markets and 74 source-linked price snapshots for named venues. These are reference points, not fair-price guarantees.

Vendor	2026 benchmark	Often missed	Source
Reception venue Venue & food	$12,900 national average	Service charges, rentals, security, cleanup and required vendors	View
Catering Venue & food	$80 per guest	Staffing, bar service, cake cutting, service charge and tax	View
Wedding cake Venue & food	$540 national average	Delivery, setup, stand rental and venue cutting fees	View
Photographer Creative team	$3,000 national average	Second shooter, overtime, travel, albums and usage rights	View
Videographer Creative team	$2,300 national average	Raw footage, drone coverage, travel and edit revisions	View
Wedding planner Creative team	$2,100 national average	Service level, assistant hours, travel and rehearsal coverage	View
Flowers Creative team	$2,800 national average	Delivery, installation, teardown, vessel rental and substitutions	View
Live band Entertainment	$4,500 national average	Sound equipment, meals, breaks, travel and overtime	View
Reception DJ Entertainment	$1,800 national average	Ceremony audio, lighting, travel, setup and overtime	View
Wedding dress Style & details	$2,100 national average	Alterations, rush fees, accessories, preservation and tax	View
Transportation Style & details	$1,100 national average	Minimum hours, gratuity, fuel surcharge, wait time and parking	View
Invitations & stationery Style & details	$510 national average	Postage, envelopes, inserts, menus, place cards and rush fees	View
Wedding favors Style & details	$480 national average	Customization, packaging, shipping and quantity minimums	View
Hairstylist Style & details	$150 per person	Trial, travel, early-start fee, extensions and gratuity	View
Makeup artist Style & details	$150 per person	Trial, travel, lashes, touch-ups, early start and gratuity	View

How benchmark signals work

The scanner first builds a local planning range. A quote must fall outside that range before it is flagged; 25% beyond the nearest edge is marked “far” above or below.

The band is a transparent comparison rule, not a statistical outlier test or a judgment about the vendor.

What the scan checks

VowLedger identifies likely total and line-item prices, infers the vendor category, detects guest count, state or metro, and looks for a named venue in the quote.

It also surfaces hours, staffing, travel, timing, rentals, service style and required fees when they appear. These variables provide context; the scanner does not invent a dollar premium for them.

Rental-only venue prices are used only when the scanner can isolate a comparable rental or site-fee line. Always correct the category, venue, location or total if the quote’s formatting confused the scanner.

Data provenance

Transparent enough to challenge, update and improve.

Market

United States

Currency

USD

Named venues

Benchmark checked

2026-08-30

Local markets

50 states + DC + 28 metros

The Knot 2026 Real Weddings Study Zola Wedding Cost Index methodology

Expected bands are transparent planning ranges, not statistical confidence intervals or vendor appraisals. Public prices are snapshots and may exclude upgrades, peak dates, service charges or minimums. Confirm directly with the venue.

Planning guides

Understand the quote before you compare it.

Source-linked explanations for venue pricing, vendor benchmarks and apples-to-apples proposal comparisons.

Browse all guides

Comparison method

Run every proposal through the same reality check.

Keep the category, location and guest count consistent for a cleaner comparison.

Scan another quote

Know what the quote really costs.

Your quote check will appear here

Four evidence labels. No false precision.

The data behind each scan

Understand the quote before you compare it.

How to compare vendor quotes

What a venue price includes

Wedding vendor cost guide

Run every proposal through the same reality check.