Here you can find a structured answer to a very generic question, commonly asked by newbie couples “How much does the wedding in Sicily typically cost?”
1. The first and foremost part of every wedding in Sicily is food and beverage. The prices may vary significantly, but they follow a common trend: the fewer guests you have, the higher is the price per person. A very few caterers operate with ready-made menu packages, because any local foodie in Sicily believes that an enogastronomic experience must be tailor-made and unique. This belief is tripled if we talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience, such a wedding.
Here are some ranges for different size weddings:
- 1-3 person (elopement): €200-300+ per person
- 5-15 guests: €200-250+ pp
- 20-40 guests: €180-200+ pp
- 50-80 guests: €160-180+ pp
- over 100 guests: €130-160+ pp
Additionally, you should consider a seasonal variation in prices (add 10-20% to weekend weddings in June-September), extras for extra alcohol above the Italian standard of 1/2 bottle of wine per person for the whole dinner, and of course, an open bar option, that is always charged as extra and may vary in prices from Earth to Moon. Rustic agrifarms may charge 20-30% less than standard wedding venues.
Luxury weddings&elopements in Sicily
Just some real cases from my 2024-2025 season:
– a luxury private chef menu for 11 guests little wedding, composed of a little aperitive with light canapes and cocktails and followed by a rich 3-course dinner and wedding cake costed in 2025 €2700 between the chef rate and the necessary rentals (€245 per person).
– 38 guests wedding in a 5-star hotel in Taormina, including staff meals and unlimited 2-hours open bar costed €8670 (approx. €230 pp)
– 100 guests wedding in a castle with standard Italian reception (welcome drinks, cocktail hour with buffet starters, 3-course dinner, wedding cake)- €160 pp. + open bar + staff meals.
2. Photographers’ and videographers’ services may vary from €1800 to €4000+ for standard 8-10 hrs coverage for each supplier. Choosing the locals, you can save a lot on travel fees from abroad and can be sure they will not have problems with legal work permission.
3. Wedding venues hire. The high wedding season on the island is from June to September, at this time the locations are usually overflowing with bookings for weddings, christenings and birthdays, so you should not expect low prices during this period. But the island also lives by tourism, so you can negotiate good rental prices in the off-season from November to April.
Wedding venue hire costs vary greatly; some venues only charge for catering, while others, like castles, may have rental fees of 10-20k. However, Sicily offers numerous options, many of which allow you to save on the rental price and allocate your budget effectively. If you feel overwhelmed by the choices, you definitely need a free initial estimation of your wedding budget, which you can request here.
4. A flight to Sicily might be profitable if you focus on low-cost air companies such as Ryanair and Easyjet and buy tickets at least 6 months before the date. Do not forget that the island has as many as 4 international airports – in Catania, Palermo, Trapani and Comiso – with a lot of direct flights (3-4 hours) from the UK, Ireland, Germany and other European countries. Recently, a direct flight from New York to Catania was introduced. However, standard regular flights might be safer in case of unexpected situations or cancellations.
5. Music prices variations:
– dj: from €800-1500+
– Sicilian folk groups: €500-2k+
– bands: 2-5k and higher
– classical music performers: from €250 per 30 min ceremony to thousands euroes for top luxury artists
6. Stationery.
There are no limits on this as we can talk about luxury options as in the picture (taylor printed napkins, golden guest tags, calligraphed menus, handwritten welcome mirrors etc), that storytell a unique narrative of the couple. Other couples opt for the standard options, using my personal access to Adobe stock graphics, which I provide for all my clients, and creating beautiful mock-ups with minimum effort and saving hundreds on basic designer services.
Which wedding services in Sicily are unlikely to save money in comparison with other countries:
1. Firstly, these are transfers and NCC (transport rent with a personal driver). Transfers here are expensive, for a half-hour transfer you can pay 80-120 euros (standard transfer price for 2-3 people one way from Catania Airport to Taormina). Transportation taxes are high, gasoline is expensive, demand from the locals is low, and you should not expect low prices from licensed drivers. An alternative would be if guests and the couple could hire a car at the airport or choose a venue in a place where a car is not needed, such as Taormina, Syracuse, Giardini Naxos, or Catania.
Some recent weddings transfer costs: within Taormina (or Milazzo) , 60-70 guests wedding: up to €1000 for both ways; €2k for 90 guests wedding for a 30 min distance castle near Catania.
2. Another budget category that usually shocks international brides (particularly from the UK and USA) is a MUAH pricings. Allocate for it at least €450 for the hairstyle (with trial) and €350 for a professional make-up artist. We talk about professionals with an international portfolio and who speak good English without a dictionary.
There is no maximum threshold in MUAH pricing as we have a lot of luxury specialists.
If you are going to bring your local MUAH, be sure she/he will be able to follow the timings and not ruin your wedding timeline with delays.
3. Rent castles, yachts and luxury venues. In Sicily, everything associated with a luxury lifestyle and with the premium segment has its price, as elsewhere in the world. Simply because the maintenance of such venues costs a lot of money and the demand is also high. Renting a castle with history and expensive interiors will cost from €6k for exclusive use for only spaces. Renting a sailing yacht for a party, for a marriage proposal starts from 1200 euros; a motorboat costs several times more.
4. Flowers setup.
Sourcing wedding flowers presents unique challenges, as most flowers travel from the Netherlands to Sicily, crossing all of Europe. The post-COVID reality has brought a doubling of prices for all floral materials, while local producers have historically been unreliable in their production. Estimating costs for this category is particularly difficult. It requires, first and foremost, detailed inspirational pictures from the couple, followed by an initial analysis of the flower types, quantities, and seasonality, and finalized by detailed pricing from florists. Without this information, only a very generic estimate is possible.
– an arch: €700-3k+
– a bridal bouquet: €70-400
– bridesmaids’ bouquets: from €30
– table centrepieces: from €40
– imperial table runner: from €70 per meter
– starry sky: from €1200
– luxury 5 candles crystal chandeliers: €100-150 each (rental)
Some recent wedding decor numbers to compare for 70 guests wedding: €2500 in Taormina and €18k in Milazzo.
So, how do you think , is it possible to estimate any “typical” wedding cost in Sicily?
The answer, considering all the variations explained above, of course, is “NO”
So what can you do if you need to understand if it’s worth planning a dream wedding in Sicily before contracting?
Advices:
– To begin, find an expert with at least five years of experience working with local Sicilian vendors and venues. This will help ensure you get the best prices and conditions, which are often unavailable when contacting them directly.
– Request a free of charge wedding budget estimation, explaining in detail your vision, and basic details of your wedding (guest number, period, type of ceremony, vendors details).
– if you opt for elopement or microwedding with up to 20 guests, this page with ready wedding packages can save your and my time.
– Below you can find my starting fees for the full wedding planning service in Sicily, feel free to contact me for a month-of coordination or celebrant services
– Or you may book a paid consultation for only €200 and receive not only personalised advice on how to optimise your budget, but also all the necessary contacts of trusted wedding contractors in Sicily with personal recommendations on how to approach them to get the best conditions for services.
My wedding planning fees in Sicily are customized for each client. The final cost depends on factors like the services you need (full or partial planning, for example), the time of year, how complex your wedding is, travel distances, the number of planning days, and whether I’ll be there in person.
An average full wedding planning cost is typically 10% of the overall budget, but no less than 3000 euros for weddings on the east coast of Sicily between Catania, Etna, and Taormina for the 2026-2027 season. Wedding planning fees for other areas of Sicily will be higher due to extra transport costs.
The standard full wedding planning fee includes:
1. Selection of a venue\church\municipality according to the client’s requirements with a personal site inspection of the best variants.
2. Preparation and optimization of the event budget.
3. Vendors sourcing within the budget, style and client’s requests.
4. Contracting and translations.
5. Event timing and its coordination with contractors.
6. Accommodation and logistics for guests.
7. At least 1 assistant during wedding day (for the minimal Full Wedding Planning fee).
8. Creation of a wedding concept, followed by design project (sketch-designs) with edits (ceremony and reception space)
9. Personal presence and coordination of the entire wedding day (12-14 hrs shift).
10. Post-event support, including rentals/vendors follow-up and returns
Paperwork for civil weddings, a multi-day event planning are not included in the standard full planning fee.
For important budgets an individual flat fee is possible.
Selected services such as:
– partial wedding planning (when a venue has already been selected, for example),
– month-of coordination,
– consultation services for couples and agencies,
– celebrant for a symbolic ceremony
– decor for microweddings
are calculated individually. Request the exact price for the service you need.
Still have questions? Drop me a message, describing the wedding of your dream, and I’m sure we will create together the most beautiful memory in your life!