Your Wedding Budget in 2021

We imagine how confusing it might be to navigate all the incoming info once you start planning your wedding. Our goal is to take care of the most challenging tasks while the couples enjoy the best bits of the process. So, here’s an overview of the main things to consider when deciding on the budget with updated rates for wedding services in Georgia in 2021. We hope it helps you make a positive decision on having your wedding in Georgia with Ori!

The story of Ori started with organizing intimate wedding ceremonies just for two (and this is where the name comes from, since ორი (ori) translates as “two” from Georgian). We got more experienced with time, and added larger events to our portfolio. However, due to the COVID-19 related restrictions, we are once again focused on small events with a limited number of guests now.

Meanwhile, we are very happy that the situation in the world is a little bit more stable than before with Georgian borders open to tourists from several countries, and that we can immerse ourselves much more into doing what we love.

There are several trends in the wedding industry in 2021, that manifested themselves in our experience too. 

The live stream of a wedding that we can organize in any part of Georgia is becoming more and more popular. With high resolution video, several shooting angles, drone and smooth work of professional videographers the final result creates the effect of being present. It allows friends and family to witness the emotions of the person they love, share the unique moments of the ceremony, even from afar. We talked about live stream in more detail in our recent post.

The second trend is about focusing more on the visual and aesthetic side of the event. Even though every wedding is a beautiful occasion and every single time we anticipate the moment of seeing the bride and groom all dressed up and classy, this year we notice that even for a small wedding, the bride and groom opt for outstanding looks, that we would usually see more often at a bigger event. A professional make-up artist and hair stylist are a must in preparing for the big day, and the whole process is captured on photo and video. 

So, let’s break the wedding budget into the main bits and talk through the options in each category. Once again, we’re only giving some guidelines here this time, so please keep in mind that our customer service specialists and coordinators will be glad to tell you about various options in much more detail to help you make the best choice for your ceremony. We’re looking forward to your call, email or a request through the form online 🙂

The formalities may not be fun, but they are still extremely important. Gladly, the official marriage registration procedure in Georgia is one of the easiest, and is recognized in many countries all over the world. The set of documents required by most European countries (like Germany, France, Russia, Ukraine, Poland) costs around $400. It includes application, translation and notary certification of the passports of bride and groom, translation and apostile of the marriage certificate for your country, providing witnesses or translating passports of the witnesses of the couple, transfer of the couple to the ceremony location and shipping the documents to their city once they’re ready, organization fee and tax. This package includes registration in the common main hall of the House of Justice. 

For a number of countries which haven’t signed the Hague Apostile Convention, an additional consulate legalization procedure is required, and therefore should be added to the budget. Its cost depends on the country, and can be $120 in Qatar or $115 in Canada.

The cost of the marriage registration also depends on the Ceremony hall where the wedding will be hosted, as well as the day. For example, rental rate of the private hall in the House of Justice on a weekday starts from $40 ($65 at the weekend), while the rental rate of the Ceremonies Palace on Mtatsminda mountain starts from $130.  

It’s worth mentioning that the registry halls in Georgia were closed for a long time due to the pandemic, and only the common hall of the House of Justice was available. We’re very happy that the situation is finally changing, and now we strongly recommend opting for a registry hall, because it makes the procedure much easier and relaxed.

You might also require additional documents if you have a common underaged child, or if you were married earlier. The translation cost for the birth or divorce certificate starts from $20 per page and depends on the language. For example, translating from Hebrew or Arabic is more expensive — $33 per page.

The rate for the make-up artist and hair stylist services depends on the location of your wedding. For example, the cost of this service in a beauty salon in Tbilisi starts from $110. You could also invite the MUAH artist onsite in your hotel in Tbilisi, the cost in this case starts from $140. 

In our portfolio we also have world-class professional MUAH artists. Creating a bridal look with them in a salon will cost $350, the service onsite for a photoshoot is $400.

When planning a wedding outside Tbilisi, you should keep in mind the transportation expenses with which the cost of a MUAH will be $240, and an onsite service of a world-class professional — $500. The onsite service in the region includes extra expenses on transportation, meals, and compensation for time, since a MUAH specialist could fit 3-4 brides on a regular working day in a salon, and going onsite means only one bride will get the service. 

If you’re going to Georgia in advance to meet the team and check out different venues for the wedding, which is always a great idea, then we also highly recommend adding a trial make-up and hair in your schedule. The cost of it in Tbilisi will be a little over a half of a standard price with a specialist of your choice.

The price of a wedding bouquet and a boutonniere in Georgia depends on the size of the bouquet and the type of flowers chosen. The average cost is around $70-150.

There are many talented photographers in Georgia, and their rates compare well to their colleagues abroad. We recommend only the photographers we’ve tested out and with a broad portfolio. You’ll have the opportunity to talk through all the details of the photoshoot in advance and make sure your dreams and wishes will be fulfilled. In the end you’ll get amazing shots without extra expenses.

A 3-hour photoshoot in Tbilisi costs 250 $, 8 hours — 450 $.

If your event is in Kazbegi, Borjomi, or Signaghi, the duration of the photoshoot is automatically increased to a minimum of 8 hours, with a basic cost of 520 $, which includes transportation and meals for a photographer. 

The rate of a premium photographer, who is distinguished by a broader portfolio and creative approach is $660 in Tbilisi and $700 in the regions for an 8-hour shift. 

We’re also collaborating with the best photographers from all over the world. If you’re looking for not just technically good, but creative shots of your wedding, we’re happy to recommend the best professionals. These are distinguished by a personal approach and going for the most interesting and flattering angles. A world-class photographer’s rate starts from $900 in Tbilisi, and $1000 in the regions.

There are professional videographers in our team who can make a video of your wedding day and edit a 3-5 min video clip to caption all the good memories.

The rate for a short clip in Tbilisi is $420 (including meals for a videographer) and $470 in the regions (including meals and transportation).

You could also go for an additional 30-40 min film to capture the dear memories for all the guests. The package with a short clip and a film costs $500 in Tbilisi, and from $600 in the regions.

The cost of a full package (short clip + film) with a premium class videographer starts from $850.

The cost of the cake again depends on the location. If your venue is outside Tbilisi, then a good share of the cost falls on transportation in a special refrigerator vehicle. Using it is the only way to guarantee the cake will arrive safe and sound. The cost of a cake for 15 people is around $70 + delivery ($20 in Tbilisi and $120 in the regions). A cake for 50 costs $190 + delivery.

An average cost for a festive dinner for two with wine is $80-90.

If you are planning a big family event in a hotel or a restaurant, the terms are specific for each venue but we will be glad to tell you all about it in detail while preparing the quote for your upcoming wedding.

The décor chosen wisely creates a very special atmosphere and bright accents in the wedding photographs. An arch decorated with flowers for a ceremony costs from $360 in Tbilisi, from $520 in the regions and from $650 in Batumi. The cost includes transportation of the flowers and construction shapes (you’ll have several to choose from), assembling and disassembling, the fee of the flower specialists, their transfer and meals.

The premium package with a more sophisticated and richer décor of the ceremony zone costs $660-840. 

If you’ve chosen the sunset time for your ceremony, why not consider decorating with flowers, lights and plenty of long candles. This package can cost $990-1440 (also depends on the location).

The rate for a standard transfer for the couple in Tbilisi around the city starts from $80, the rent of a stylish retro car cost from $420, and from $170 for an executive class car. It includes an 8-hour rent, fuel and driver ($420 for the whole day, hourly rate is lower).

For a wedding with a lot of guests you’ll have to take care of transportation for them. A minivan with 18 pax capacity costs $120, a bus for 45-52 from $255, including fuel. 

The couple’s transfer options for an event outside Tbilisi, in one of the regions, is alike: standard transfer is from $120, a retro car from $500, and $255 for an executive car.

We can also organize comfortable transfer for your guests outside Tbilisi.

Another thing that we can’t recommend enough is concierge service for your guests which includes communication before the wedding, research of all the necessary information for planning their time in Georgia, sharing local tips and recommendations for travelling in Georgia, making appointments with MUAH specialists. The minimum rate is $100, and the final cost depends on the number of guests.

Our goal in this blog post was to go through all the basic options you’ll most probably have to consider for your wedding day. There’ll definitely be further questions to discuss in more detail, so we’ll be glad to hear all your ideas and prepare the best possible set of options accordingly to make your vision of the special day come true. We truly believe that a beautiful ceremony can be affordable to couples with all kinds of budget. We care a lot about the quality of the services, no matter the scale of the event, and it’s lovely to see our now married couples mentioning that in the reviews.