In short: Two planners publish Antigua wedding budgets. Zeeba Productions says a professionally produced destination wedding for 100 guests starts at US$45,000 (from US$35,000 scaled back); Sparks Weddings says its minimum is US$20,000, even for 20 guests (Sparks blog, first published April 2022). A ruin venue costs US$1,000-2,650 per area (Zeeba) or about US$3,800-5,000 for two areas (Sparks; US$5,000 is our reading of its USD$ 5,00.00). Neither publishes its own planning fee.
Figures are in US dollars as the planners publish them; at the Banguat reference rate of Q7.63682 per US dollar (24 September 2026), US$20,000 is about Q152,700. See today’s exchange rate.
Whole-wedding budgets the planners publish
| Planner | Budget level | Guests | US$ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeeba Productions | Budget wedding | 100 | 20,000 to 35,000 |
| Zeeba Productions | Scaled-back wedding it will plan | not stated | from 35,000 |
| Zeeba Productions | Professionally produced wedding (its 2026 budget proposal) | 100 | from 45,000 |
| Zeeba Productions | Average (mid-budget) destination wedding | 100 | 45,000 to 65,000 |
| Zeeba Productions | Bespoke (premium) wedding | 100 | 80,000 to 120,000 |
| Sparks Weddings | Minimum budget it works with | from 20 | from 20,000 |
What Zeeba’s US$45,000+ budget covers: a single-day event at a single location for 100 guests, with photography and content, planning fees, bridal hair and make-up, welcome sign, cake, ceremony rentals, decoration and musicians, reception rentals and decoration, personalised tableware, appetizers, a plated three-course meal, an open bar, simple stationery, a lounge area, lighting, a DJ with equipment and dance floor, day-of transport, venue rental, and service, cleaning and logistics fees. It does not include parallel events such as a rehearsal dinner or welcome cocktail. Zeeba says the average cost of a destination wedding in Guatemala goes above US$60,000 once a welcome party and farewell brunch are counted.
A worked example Zeeba cites: wedding planner Kay Northrup’s breakdown of a 50-guest wedding at Convento de las Capuchinas in Antigua, with accommodation and a full weekend programme, came to US$76,425 (Zeeba’s post, updated 26 May 2025).
Sparks Weddings puts a typical destination wedding in Antigua at around 50 to 150 guests, against about 200 to 500 at a local Guatemalan wedding.
Venue prices
| Venue type | Price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ruins of Antigua | US$1,000 to US$2,650 per area, plus a damage deposit | Zeeba (post updated 26 May 2025) |
| Ruins of Antigua, two areas | About US$3,800 to US$5,000, venue only; 5 hours per area plus 5 hours of set-up | Sparks Weddings |
| Venue included by the caterer | About 10-15% on top of the food bill, at some venues | Zeeba |
| Private venue menus (food, staff, glassware, basic chairs, soft drinks, corkage, ice, tip) | About US$175 to US$225 per guest | Sparks Weddings |
Sparks prints the upper ruin figure as 5,00.00, which we read as US$5,000. Sparks says hotels bill a service charge of 15-18% on top of their event prices, and that private venues (not hotels) charge for every area and every room on the property whether you use them or not.
Vendor starting prices (US$)
| Vendor | Zeeba Productions | Sparks Weddings |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer | From 2,500 (emerging) and from 5,000 (award-winning) | 4,000 to 10,000+ |
| Videographer | — | 4,000 to 8,000 |
| DJ | From 1,500, lighting included | 2,500 to 3,000 |
| Live band | 2,500 to 4,500 | 1,500 to 3,500 |
| Ceremony musicians | 150 an hour (instrumental) | 400 to 500 an hour (string quartet) |
| Callejoneada with mariachis | — | 700 to 800 an hour |
| Florals | From 15,000 (luxury florals, draping and installation included) | Quoted per wedding |
| Three-course dinner | From 55 per guest, food only | — |
| Cake | From 10 a slice | — |
| Bridal hair and make-up | From 180 | Minimum party size applies |
| Fireworks | From 300 | — |
| Mixologist / show bartender | — | 40 to 60 an hour |
| Guest hotels (three-star) | From about 90 a night | — |
Zeeba presents its figures as starting points for luxury-level service from the vendors it curates. Sparks gives its saxophone-for-cocktail-hour figure (US$200-300) as its own estimate, and says the service was complimentary at the wedding it describes.
The planner’s own fee
Neither planner publishes its fee as a figure or a percentage on the pages we read. Zeeba includes wedding planning fees as a line inside its US$45,000+ budget, and sells a budget-planning consultation whose page shows no price. Sparks Weddings sells a custom wedding budget for US$299.99, covering a cost breakdown for Antigua or Lake Atitlán, vendor recommendations and guidance on trade-offs, for the wedding day only.
Before you sign: six questions
- Is the planning fee a flat amount or a percentage, and is it separate from the vendor invoices?
- Which venue areas and hours are included? Sparks says a ruin area comes with 5 hours plus 5 hours of set-up.
- Can we have a live band at this venue? Sparks says live bands are not allowed in the ruins.
- Are tax and service charge in the quote? Sparks says hotels add a 15-18% service charge.
- Who handles the civil marriage? See our pages on marriage between foreigners in Guatemala and marrying a Guatemalan as a US citizen.
- What is the deposit and the cancellation policy for each vendor?
Related pages
- Photographer prices (local packages)
- Private chef prices
- Event catering prices
- Event and party rental prices
- Service prices hub
Sources
All read 25 September 2026.
- Zeeba Productions: Guatemala wedding cost
- Zeeba Productions: Is Guatemala a cheaper wedding destination? (8 February 2024, updated 26 May 2025)
- Zeeba Productions: budget planning consultation
- Sparks Weddings: Antigua Guatemala wedding costs (first published 19 April 2022; the page metadata shows an update on 22 July 2026)
- Sparks Weddings: our budgets
- Quetzal conversion: Banguat reference exchange rate, Q7.63682 per US dollar
Prices are as each planner published them and change without notice; get every figure in a written quote.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a destination wedding in Antigua Guatemala cost?
Zeeba Productions, an Antigua wedding planner, says on its cost page (read 25 September 2026) that a professionally produced destination wedding for 100 guests starts at US$45,000, that the average cost of a destination wedding in Guatemala exceeds US$60,000 once a welcome party and farewell brunch are counted, and that it can do a scaled-back wedding from US$35,000. Sparks Weddings says its minimum budget is US$20,000, even for an intimate wedding of 20 guests (Sparks blog, first published April 2022).
What does a wedding planner charge in Guatemala?
Neither of the two planners we read publishes its planning fee as a number or a percentage. Zeeba lists planning fees as one line inside its US$45,000+ budget for 100 guests. Sparks Weddings sells a custom wedding budget for US$299.99. Ask any planner for the fee in writing, separate from the vendor costs.
How much does it cost to get married in the ruins of Antigua?
Zeeba Productions puts a ruin in Antigua at US$1,000 to US$2,650 per area, plus a damage deposit (post updated 26 May 2025). Sparks Weddings (blog, first published April 2022) says couples usually reserve two areas and that the total is around US$3,800 to US$5,000, for the venue only (the source prints the upper figure as USD$ 5,00.00, which we read as US$5,000), with five hours per area plus five hours of set-up; Sparks also says live bands are not allowed in the ruins.
How much is a wedding photographer for a destination wedding in Guatemala?
Zeeba Productions says that, for luxury-level destination weddings (Zeeba’s curated vendors), award-winning photographers in Guatemala start at US$5,000 and emerging photographers at US$2,500. Sparks Weddings gives US$4,000 to US$10,000 or more for photography and US$4,000 to US$8,000 for video. These are destination-wedding figures from planners; our photographer page covers local packages priced in quetzales.
