The price guide, explained

Wedding pricing has always been almost impossible to compare. Every venue quotes differently: some per head, some as a room hire, some bundle catering, some don’t. So we do one simple thing to make venues comparable, and this page explains exactly what it is and how it works.

One number, one standard wedding

The price guide is a single estimate of what one standard wedding would cost at a venue. Every venue is measured against the exact same wedding, so a couple can line two venues up side by side and the numbers actually mean the same thing. It is not the only way a wedding can be priced, it is a common yardstick, the way a “drive-away price” lets you compare cars.

90 guestsThe Australian average wedding size.
Saturday, peak seasonThe most in-demand day, so it reflects a venue’s standard top rate.
Catering includedFood and beverage for all 90 guests, the biggest line in most weddings.
Exclusive useThe whole venue for your event, not a shared space.
8 hoursA typical ceremony-to-end-of-reception hire duration.

How it’s calculated

The venue provides the figure. When you list, you tell us what that standard wedding — 90 guests, a peak-season Saturday, catering included, exclusive use, eight hours — would come to at your venue, all in. That is the number couples see as the price guide.

We don’t invent it, mark it up, or take a cut of it. Because every venue is answering the same question, the guide stays fair: a genuinely more affordable venue looks more affordable, and a premium venue reads as premium, for the right reasons rather than because it happened to quote in a cheaper-looking format.

Why we do it

For couples: it lets them shortlist venues within budget before they reach out, instead of sending a dozen enquiries and waiting to find out who they can afford.

For venues: it means the enquiries you do get are from couples who can genuinely afford you. You may hear from fewer people overall, but far less of your time goes into quoting couples who were only ever going to say the price was out of reach. Less time wasted, on both sides.

What it isn’t

The price guide is an estimate for comparison, not a quote. A real wedding rarely matches the standard one exactly: guest numbers, the day of the week, the season, and what’s included all move the final figure. Every venue sets its own actual pricing, and couples should always confirm the real cost with the venue directly. The guide is there to get the right couples and the right venues talking in the first place.

Listing your venue?

You’ll enter your price guide when you create your listing. If you’d rather not display pricing, you can leave it blank. Questions about how to set yours? Email hello@weddingmap.com.au.

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