AI has no idea what your wedding will cost

Photo by Catherine Mead

A bride found her dream venue. A gorgeous, in-demand garden venue in Northern California with a $75K site fee and a strict list of required vendors. Before signing anything, she did what most engaged couples do now: she asked AI to run the numbers.

The estimate came back a little high - but close enough. So she went looking for ways to shave $50K off the low end to make her dream venue work within her budget. There was just one problem. The AI's numbers weren't just a little off. Its high-end estimate landed roughly $300,000 under what this wedding would actually cost, once the venue's real minimums, required vendors, and logistics were figured in.

This wasn't a case of bad luck or bad research. It's a structural blind spot in how AI estimates wedding costs: national averages standing in for local reality, sample quotes being mistaken for all-in minimums, and no understanding of the logistical demands of specific properties. Tenting, power, transportation, satellite kitchens, load-in restrictions... none of it shows up unless someone tells specifically instructs AI to consider it. It’s likely if they already knew what to ask, they probably wouldn’t have needed to ask AI in the first place.

This isn't a story about AI being "wrong." It's a story about why it's wrong, and what that means for anyone using it to build their wedding budget before they start planning of signing a contract with a venue they actually can’t afford.

If you need help trying to determine what your wedding will cost, we can help. Reach out to us for a budget clarity consultation; the perfect antidote for AI budget hallucinations. To read the full article check out my Substack and please subscribe to get these insights delivered directly to your inbox.