A small wedding in Bucks County runs $700 to $22,000, depending almost entirely on guest count. Ten people can cost under $2,000. Fifty people lands closer to $12,000–$22,000. The legal minimum — an $85 license and a self-uniting ceremony — is what makes the bottom of that range possible.
| Guests | Typical all-in |
|---|---|
| 2 (just you) | $700 – $2,000 |
| 10 | $1,500 – $4,000 |
| 20 | $4,000 – $10,000 |
| 30 | $7,000 – $14,000 |
| 50 | $12,000 – $22,000 |
For comparison: a full 100–150 guest wedding in Bucks County runs $32,000 to $48,000.
Where the money actually goes
The counterintuitive thing about small weddings is that cost per guest goes up as guest count goes down, even though total cost falls.
That's because most of a wedding budget is fixed. Photography costs the same for 10 people as 100. So does the officiant, the license, the attire, the cake, and the coordination.
Fixed costs — don't change with headcount:
| Marriage license | $85 |
| Officiant (optional in PA) | $0 – $400 |
| Photographer | $600 – $1,500 for elopement coverage |
| Attire + alterations | $500 – $3,500 |
| Rings | Varies |
| Certified copies | $25 each after the first |
Variable costs — scale with guests, roughly $150 to $300 per person all-in:
Food, bar, rentals, cake, favors, and per-person venue fees.
The practical implication: below about 15 guests, adding a few people barely moves the total. Between 25 and 50, every additional person is real money. That's the band where the guest list conversation actually matters financially.
By format
Just the two of you — $700 to $2,000
- Marriage license: $85
- Self-uniting ceremony: $0
- Venue package: $0 (public land or private property) to $595
- Photographer for one hour: $400 – $800
- Nice dinner afterward: $150 – $300
The absolute floor is $85. A self-uniting license used in a park or a backyard is a complete, legal wedding with no other required cost.
10 guests — $1,500 to $4,000
Add: a venue that can hold everyone, lunch or dinner for the group, and usually flowers.
At this size a restaurant private room is often the best value in Bucks County — no venue fee if you meet a food and beverage minimum.
20–25 guests — $4,000 to $10,000
The band where a real venue starts making sense. You'll want a proper ceremony site, seated dining, and probably a cake.
Weekday venue packages in Bucks County covering ceremony and private lunch for this size run roughly $2,000 to $4,000, plus food, photography, and florals.
40–50 guests — $12,000 to $22,000
Approaching a standard wedding structurally. You'll need a venue with real capacity, likely a bar package, possibly music.
Still 50–65% below a full 150-guest wedding, but the fixed-cost advantage is fading. This is the size where a weekday date makes the biggest difference.
What to cut, in order
If you're working to a number, cut in this sequence. It's ordered by savings-per-unit-of-regret.
1. Guest count. Nothing else comes close. Each person is $150–$300.
2. The day. Weekday over Saturday saves 40%+ on the venue. Off-season adds another 15–25%.
3. The officiant. Pennsylvania's self-uniting license makes this a genuine $150–$400 saving with no compromise. How it works →
4. Time of day. Lunch costs less than dinner. Shorter bar service costs less than longer.
5. Flowers. The single easiest cut nobody notices. A bouquet and boutonniere instead of installations saves $1,500–$3,000.
6. Format. Cocktail reception instead of seated dinner.
7. Photography hours. Two hours of good coverage beats eight hours of stretched budget.
Don't cut: the photos entirely, or the food quality. Those are the two things people remember, and both scale down well without scaling out.
What small weddings still cost that people forget
- Service charge and tax — typically ~21% service plus 6% PA sales tax on food and beverage
- Vendor meals — even one photographer eats
- Certified marriage copies — $25 each beyond the first
- Alterations — frequently $500+
- Rentals if you're using private property — chairs, tables, and a rain plan add up fast
- Permits for public land
- Postage and stationery — smaller, but not free
Is a small wedding actually cheaper per person?
No, and it's worth knowing this before you start comparing.
A 20-guest wedding at $8,000 is $400 per person. A 150-guest wedding at $45,000 is $300 per person. The small wedding costs less in total and more per head, because the fixed costs have fewer people to spread across.
Which means the argument for a small wedding isn't efficiency — it's that you spend less money overall, and can spend it better. The same $8,000 buys a genuinely excellent experience for 20 people or a mediocre one for 80.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small wedding cost in Bucks County? $700 to $22,000 depending on guest count. Ten guests typically runs $1,500 to $4,000; fifty guests runs $12,000 to $22,000. The legal minimum is the $85 marriage license.
What's the cheapest way to get married in Bucks County? A self-uniting license used somewhere you already have access to. Total cost: $85. No officiant required, no venue fee.
How much does a 20-person wedding cost? Typically $4,000 to $10,000 in Bucks County, covering venue, food, photography, and florals. A weekday date can put you at the low end of that.
Is a small wedding cheaper per guest? No — it's more per guest but less in total, because fixed costs like photography and attire spread across fewer people. The advantage is total spend, not efficiency.
Do you need to hire an officiant? No. Pennsylvania issues self-uniting marriage licenses, saving $150 to $400 with no compromise to the ceremony.
How much should we budget per guest for a small wedding? $150 to $300 per person in variable costs, on top of fixed costs of roughly $1,500 to $5,000 regardless of headcount.
What's the biggest saving available? Guest count, then the day of the week. Cutting 20 people saves $3,000 to $6,000; moving from Saturday to a weekday saves 40%+ on the venue.
Small weddings at The Arbor
The Arbor at The Bucks Club is a wedding venue in Jamison, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Weekday packages from $595 for a small ceremony up to $3,995 for 40 guests with private dining — booked online, no tour required.
Cost figures derived from published Philadelphia-metro and Pennsylvania market data. Marriage license fee confirmed against the Bucks County Register of Wills published schedule, August 2026.
Last updated: August 2026