Part 2 of 7 of the free micro weddings guide from The Gallery on Montana. Typical San Antonio micro wedding costs for 20 to 50 guests, line by line, sample budgets at three levels, and the levers that move your total most. Part 2 of the course.
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Costs swing with guest count, season and how much you do yourself. The ranges below are typical for a 20 to 50 person wedding in San Antonio in 2026. Use them for a first draft, then swap in real quotes as they arrive.
Picking one total and hoping it fits is how couples end up over budget. Build it from the lines instead. It shows you right away which choices matter and where you have room to splurge on the things you care about most. Use a shared spreadsheet with three columns: estimate, quote and paid.
| Item | Typical San Antonio range |
|---|---|
| Venue (4 to 6 hour hourly rental) | Varies by space; for The Gallery, see current rates on Peerspace |
| Officiant | $200 to $500 |
| Photographer (3 to 5 hours) | $1,200 to $3,500 |
| Caterer or food truck | $25 to $75 per guest |
| Cake or dessert table | $150 to $600 |
| Florals | $300 to $1,200 |
| Chair and table rentals | $150 to $600 |
| Musician or DJ | $300 to $1,200 |
| Mocktail cart, cider toast or a TABC-certified bartender | $100 to $500 |
| Marriage license (Bexar County) | Roughly $80, less with a premarital course |
Most couples typically land around $4,000 to $12,000 all in. Attire, rings and hair and makeup are personal and sit outside these numbers.
| Line | Lean, 20 guests | Middle, 35 guests | Full, 50 guests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | $600 food truck | $1,750 drop-off dinner | $3,500 served dinner |
| Photographer | $1,200, 3 hours | $2,000, 4 hours | $3,200, 5 hours |
| Florals and decor | $300 | $700 | $1,200 |
| Rentals | $150 | $350 | $600 |
| Music | Playlist and speaker | $400 acoustic set | $1,000 DJ |
| Officiant, cake, toast | $500 | $900 | $1,300 |
Add the venue to each column. These are illustrations, not quotes, but they show how fast food and photo hours scale.
Notice that the lean and full columns differ by thousands of dollars, and almost all of it comes from three lines: food, photography and music. Florals, rentals and the cake barely move the total. If you need to cut, start with the big three and decide which one matters least to you. If you have room to spend, put it into the one you will remember, which for most couples is the food or the photos.
Tip: Ask what the caterer brings. A food truck quote and a full-service caterer quote are not the same thing. Ask whether plates, serving tables, staff, setup and cleanup are included before you compare prices.
Most vendors ask for a 25 to 50 percent deposit to hold the date and the balance one to two weeks out. Put every due date on one calendar. A surprise $2,000 balance two days before the wedding is a stress you can plan away.
Keep a 10 percent buffer. Add 10 percent on top of your total for things you have not thought of yet. If you do not spend it, it pays for a nice brunch the day after.
Once you have a draft budget, the next chapter puts every booking in order.
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