WedStay Data · Updated October 2026
The 2026 Wedding Weekend Report
The median wedding-venue-with-lodging quote on WedStay is $13,827 for a 2-night buyout hosting 75 guests, with 17 of them sleeping on the property. Cost per guest falls from $461 on the smallest guest lists to $119 on the largest, which is the whole economic case for a buyout and the reason it stops working below a certain size. Drawn from 2,455 priced requests across 110 US properties. Price your own weekend →
- Median venue-plus-lodging quote: $13,827 ($10,238 to $20,315).
- Median cost per attending guest: $187.
- 72% arrive Thursday or Friday, not Saturday.
- The median inquiry lands 360 days out (about 12 months).
- October and September are the top wedding months, 29% combined.
- Top demand: California, Florida, Texas lead the country.
Companion dataset: pair this with the Wedding Venue Cost Index for nightly buyout rates by state, venue type, and country.
Methodology
Pricing figures come from 2,455 venue-plus-lodging requests submitted by 1,932 couples across 110 US properties in 22 states, over the twelve months ending 2026-10-01. Every price was generated by WedStay's pricing engine against the couple's real dates and real guest count, so these are quoted prices rather than survey recall, and none were negotiated or entered by hand. We keep US properties only, require a stated guest count and a stay of one to seven nights, and report medians with an interquartile range because estate pricing is right-skewed. A quote covers exclusive use of the property, all on-site lodging for the stay, the event fee, per-guest charges above base occupancy, cleaning, service and tax. It excludes catering, florals, photography, and anything guests pay for off site. Booking-window and demand figures come from the live inquiry stream and refresh monthly. No individual booking, couple, or per-property rate is ever exposed.
Cite this dataset
The 2026 WedStay Wedding Weekend Report, October 2026. www.thewedstay.com
Download CSVThe headline number
What a wedding weekend costs
One quote covers the venue and the beds. That is the figure below, and it is the reason a buyout can replace two separate budgets: the reception venue and the guest room block that usually sits beside it.
| Measure | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue plus lodging quote | $10,238 | $13,827 | $20,315 |
| Cost per attending guest | $128 | $187 | $307 |
| Guests attending | — | 75 | — |
| Guests sleeping on site | — | 17 | — |
| Nights booked | — | 2 | — |
The middle half of couples are quoted between $10,238 and $20,315. Catering, florals, photography, and travel are not included on either side of any comparison drawn from this figure.
Guest count and lodging
Why the guest list decides everything
A buyout prices mainly on the property, not the headcount, so the same estate spreads across more people as the list grows. Between the smallest and largest bands the median quote rises by 87%, while the guest list grows roughly sevenfold.
| Guest list | Median cost per guest | Requests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 guests | $461 | 262 |
| 40 to 59 guests | $262 | 574 |
| 60 to 79 guests | $192 | 415 |
| 80 to 99 guests | $152 | 219 |
| 100 to 149 guests | $133 | 611 |
| 150 or more guests | $119 | 374 |
| Guest list | Requests | Mean on site | Mean nights | Median quote | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 40 guests | 262 | 14.6 | 2.61 | $10,219 | $461 |
| 40 to 59 guests | 574 | 18.3 | 2.58 | $12,504 | $262 |
| 60 to 79 guests | 415 | 19.9 | 2.64 | $13,127 | $192 |
| 80 to 99 guests | 219 | 20.5 | 2.44 | $13,187 | $152 |
| 100 to 149 guests | 611 | 22 | 2.43 | $14,443 | $133 |
| 150 or more guests | 374 | 33.4 | 2.43 | $19,127 | $119 |
Planning by headcount? See wedding venues by guest count.
The honest limits
When a buyout is the wrong call
The same data that makes the case for a wedding weekend also marks out who should skip one. Three groups in our own numbers are poorly served by a full-property buyout.
- Small guest lists. Under 40 attending guests the median works out to $461 per guest for venue and lodging alone, before a single plate of food. A short guest list is paying estate prices for rooms it will not fill. 18% of the requests in this dataset are for guest lists under 50.
- Local guest lists. In 9.2% of requests, fewer than eight people would stay overnight. Almost none of the lodging gets used, so there is no second budget being absorbed and the buyout competes with a plain venue fee on its own terms.
- One-day weddings. The value here is priced across a median of 2 nights. A couple who genuinely wants a five-hour Saturday and nothing more is buying time they will not use.
Markets
What a weekend costs by state
Texas is the value market: couples there ask for the largest guest lists and get the lowest per-guest figure at $129. A state appears here only when the cut draws on at least 5 distinct properties and 75 requests, with no single property above 40% of it. Otherwise a published median would describe one estate rather than a market.
| Market | Requests | Properties | Median guests | Median quote | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (national) | 2,455 | 110 | 75 | $13,827 | $187 |
| California | 1,055 | 38 | 75 | $12,645 | $190 |
| Texas | 254 | 12 | 100 | $13,652 | $129 |
| New York | 119 | 6 | 75 | $11,702 | $187 |
Markets held back, and why
- Florida carries the volume (387 requests) but only 9 properties, and its largest property holds 57.4% of the cut. One property drives most of the requests, and the middle half of quotes spans roughly $11,000 to $44,000.
- New Jersey carries the volume (166 requests) but only 3 properties, and its largest property holds 85.5% of the cut. Three properties in the cut, one of them almost all of it.
Explore inventory in the leading markets: California, Florida, and Texas.
Booking windows
How far ahead couples book
The median inquiry lands 360 days before the wedding, and 47% of couples in the priced sample are looking more than twelve months out. The earlier you look, the more of the calendar is still open.
| Location | Median lead | Typical range (25th to 75th) | Inquiries |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (national) | 360 days | 237 to 472 days | 3,707 |
| California | 340 days | 224 to 437 days | 1,277 |
| Florida | 359 days | 239 to 475 days | 516 |
| Texas | 367 days | 237 to 462 days | 283 |
| New Jersey | 339 days | 207 to 473 days | 210 |
| New York | 388 days | 231 to 473 days | 125 |
| Michigan | 363 days | 269 to 421 days | 86 |
| Tennessee | 294 days | 127 to 489 days | 74 |
| Georgia | 407 days | 307 to 520 days | 62 |
| North Carolina | 382 days | 265 to 511 days | 54 |
| Ohio | 408 days | 301 to 487 days | 54 |
| Utah | 234 days | 140 to 376 days | 44 |
| Colorado | 313 days | 225 to 445 days | 37 |
| Arizona | 323 days | 211 to 454 days | 32 |
| South Carolina | 379 days | 279 to 508 days | 30 |
| Illinois | 407 days | 348 to 558 days | 22 |
| Montana | 358 days | 333 to 384 days | 22 |
| Connecticut | 447 days | 261 to 545 days | 14 |
| Idaho | 394 days | 269 to 415 days | 8 |
| Indiana | 77 days | 66 to 263 days | 5 |
| Iowa | 476 days | 451 to 547 days | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 367 days | 334 to 381 days | 5 |
Only locations with at least three records are listed. Lead time is the number of days between the inquiry and the wedding date. For a precise estimate for your dates, use the wedding venue cost calculator.
Seasonality
When couples get married
Demand is seasonal and front-loaded onto the fall. October and September together take 29% of the calendar, which is exactly why those weekends are the first to sell out. Cost per guest moves the other way: it is lowest in March and October and highest in January and February, when guest lists stay large but demand thins.
| Month | Share of requests | Median quote | Per guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2% | $12,340 | $226 |
| February | 4% | $14,795 | $232 |
| March | 8% | $11,780 | $161 |
| April | 9% | $14,150 | $185 |
| May | 11% | $15,622 | $216 |
| June | 9% | $13,365 | $186 |
| July | 8% | $15,480 | $205 |
| August | 8% | $14,750 | $176 |
| September | 14% | $14,150 | $177 |
| October | 15% | $13,068 | $173 |
| November | 8% | $13,959 | $212 |
| December | 4% | $14,226 | $192 |
Share is of priced requests by wedding month. Median quote and per-guest figures reflect the mix of properties and guest counts requested in that month, not a seasonal surcharge.
Regional demand
Where the demand is
Share of wedding-venue inquiries by state. California, Florida, Texas together account for about 70% of all interest, a coastal, warm-weather tilt that mirrors where destination-style estates cluster.
| State | Share | Inquiries |
|---|---|---|
| California | 43.1% | 1,278 |
| Florida | 17.4% | 516 |
| Texas | 9.5% | 283 |
| New Jersey | 7.1% | 210 |
| New York | 4.2% | 125 |
| Michigan | 2.9% | 86 |
| Tennessee | 2.5% | 74 |
| Georgia | 2.1% | 62 |
| North Carolina | 1.8% | 54 |
| Ohio | 1.8% | 54 |
| Utah | 1.5% | 44 |
| Colorado | 1.2% | 37 |
| Arizona | 1.1% | 32 |
| South Carolina | 1.0% | 30 |
| Illinois | 0.7% | 22 |
| Montana | 0.7% | 22 |
| Connecticut | 0.5% | 14 |
| Idaho | 0.3% | 8 |
| Indiana | 0.2% | 5 |
| Iowa | 0.2% | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 0.2% | 5 |
Only states with at least three inquiries are shown. Demand share and priced-quote coverage differ: a state can draw heavy interest yet still be held back from the pricing table by the disclosure rule above.
What it means for couples
Five takeaways from the data
- Budget around $13,827 for venue and lodging together. That is the median quote for a 2-night buyout at 75 guests, and it replaces both a venue fee and a guest room block.
- Run the per-guest math before you commit. At 75 guests a buyout is competitive; under 40 it rarely is, at $461 per guest for venue and lodging alone.
- Start looking a year out. The median inquiry lands 360 days ahead, so the best dates go to couples who shop early.
- Plan for fall, or dodge it on purpose. October and September alone account for 29% of requests, so an off-peak date buys you more choice.
- Think in nights, not hours. 72% of requested arrivals are a Thursday or Friday, so budget and plan for a full weekend rather than a single ceremony slot.
Questions
Wedding weekend data, answered
- How much does a wedding venue with lodging cost?
- As of October 2026, the median venue-plus-lodging quote on WedStay is $13,827 for a 2-night buyout hosting 75 guests, with 17 of them sleeping on the property. The middle half of quotes runs from $10,238 to $20,315. That single figure covers exclusive use of the estate, all on-site lodging for the stay, the event fee, and taxes and service charges. It does not include catering, florals, photography, or anything guests pay for off site.
- Is a venue buyout cheaper than a venue plus a hotel block?
- It depends almost entirely on guest count. Because a buyout prices on the property rather than the headcount, the cost per attending guest falls from $461 at under 40 guests to $119 at 150 or more guests. Above roughly 60 guests the consolidated figure competes well with a separate venue fee plus a guest room block. Below about 40 guests it usually does not: at $461 per guest for venue and lodging alone, a small guest list is paying estate prices for space it will not fill.
- How far in advance do couples book a wedding venue?
- As of October 2026, the median venue inquiry lands 360 days before the wedding, roughly 12 months out, across 3,707 inquiries. Within the priced sample, 47% of couples are pricing dates more than a year ahead. The practical takeaway: start the venue search about a year out, because the most contested dates are claimed by couples who shop early.
- Is a wedding weekend really a full weekend?
- In the data, yes. 72% of requested arrivals are a Thursday or a Friday rather than a Saturday, and the median request covers 2 nights. Couples are not booking a ceremony slot, they are booking the days around it, which is the clearest behavioral difference between an estate buyout and a traditional venue rental.
- What is the most popular wedding month?
- October and September are the most requested wedding months, together accounting for 29% of priced requests. Fall is the clear peak, which is exactly why those weekends sell out first. Cost per guest is lowest in March and October, and highest in January and February when guest lists stay large but bookings thin out.
- Which states have the most wedding-venue demand?
- California (43.1%), Florida (17.4%) and Texas (9.5%) draw the most wedding-venue demand in WedStay's inquiry data, together making up about 70% of all venue interest. Demand is coastal-led, with warm-weather and destination regions pulling the largest share of couples.
- Where does this wedding data come from?
- Every pricing figure is computed from 2,455 venue-plus-lodging requests submitted by 1,932 couples across 110 US properties in 22 states, over the twelve months ending 2026-10-01. Each price was generated by WedStay's pricing engine against the couple's real dates and real guest count, so these are quoted prices rather than survey recall, and none were negotiated or typed in by the couple. A state is reported only when it draws on at least 5 distinct properties with no single property exceeding 40% of the cut, which is why Florida and New Jersey are shown without a price. No individual booking, couple, or per-property rate is ever exposed.
Plan your own wedding weekend
Price a full-property buyout for your state, guest count, and season, then browse the estates behind these numbers.
Related reading: Wedding Venue Cost Index, wedding weekend planning guide, and the multi-day wedding guide.