I got married in Romania. Here is your complete Romanian wedding guide!
A two-year pause from events and wedding season is back on!
This year I was fortunate enough to have my wedding in Romania, which is what I learned (and some photos from our wedding).
Locations
Locations in Romania are pretty basic in terms of amenities, so when we started looking for one, we spent almost four months researching. The locations we had in mind were:
Conacul Manasia
It is a beautiful location in a small city 50km from Bucharest. Even if the place is beautiful, there were no hotels in the area to accommodate guests. Additionally, we had to organize transportation for everyone, which was quite complicated.
Renting the place is an additional EUR 3,000 — EUR 5,000 depending on the day and the number of guests. They organized no decors or setup, so you had to bring everything except for the food. You can have a huge event here since everything is outdoors. Inside, the capacity is 60–80 people.
Palatul Primaverii
This one is located on the north side of Bucharest and is quite a unique location. However, they are not thrilled about organizing weddings and have no infrastructure to set up an event. From kitchen to chairs, to lights and all that jazz, you need to bring them. They can host outside 200 people. But, on the other hand, you can have a lovely wedding photoshoot with your spouse there if you let them know in advance. A fee of EUR200 is required, but worth it!
Loft
Impressive outdoor nightclub. It is worth it if you plan to organize your wedding on a Friday or Sunday. The food and the staff are great! Our wedding was on a Saturday so we had to look for another place. They can host 240 people.
Clubul Diplomat
It is great for an indoor wedding and the location looks naturally good. Unfortunately, it is located next to Loft, so the music from Loft will be blasting into Diplomat after sunset. Their capacity is at around 100 people.
Fratelli Social Club
The food, drinks, and services are amazing. The location looks good without any effort and combines indoor/outdoor concepts for events. This was the winning location for us to have our wedding.
What we liked most about this location was its flexibility in ensuring everything was perfect for everyone attending. They are over the top!
Some more facts about this location:
- They can easily host 200 people maximum
- There is a parking lot, and the place is accessible with all means of transportation
- There are an outdoor and two indoor lounge areas for your guests
- Cocktails are great and the food is divine
Palatul Suter
This one is located close to the center of Bucharest. Organizing your wedding there can be nice because you have the whole hotel for yourself (in exchange for a compulsory fee of course). We disliked the menu style and that everything needed to be paid for in advance. However, they were not very flexible regarding the event setup and had a limited capacity of 180 people.
Food
The regular menu at a Romanian wedding consists of:
- Appetizer. Meat, cheese, vegetables. This should be simple and fit most tastes.
- Fish course. Usually, they serve trout, cod, or salmon with a side of vegetables.
- Sarmale. They are a Romanian must-have and consist of minced meat wrapped in vine or cabbage leaves. They come with polenta. Romanians cannot envision a wedding without them.
- Steak. Most weddings serve pork. We chose duck for our wedding. I would avoid beef for weddings since Romanians are not used to beef stakes and like it a bit too overcooked, so your excellent medium-rare beef might not be appreciated.
- Dessert. This is the wedding cake! It has to be good and tasty. You can either get a giant wedding cake or individual portions. I believe individual portions work better because you know that every guest gets the same thing and it is also more accessible for the location to serve it.
I recommend that the food comes from the location of your choice and that the cake is provided by a professional supplier, such as a cake shop.However, they will always make a better cake than the restaurant where the wedding is hosted.
Additionally, it would help if you had some welcome canapes and some food on the table for when everyone arrives. Your relatives coming from far away will appreciate it.
Most weddings also have a candy bar for the guests. It is a guaranteed success. We chose an ice cream bar with fresh gelato and a cigar bar for the guests to enjoy a nice Cuban cigar outdoors.
Music
This is one of the key factors to a good party. I've seen quite a number of approaches for weddings in Romania and I will list them below:
DJ + Vocal Singer
This one is tricky. The singer will have the job of animating the crow,d and it will be difficult to have everyone engaged, dancing, and partying.
Music Band, Lautari (ethnic music singers), and other musical moments
It sounds good to have various moments at your wedding, but you might end up paying a hefty amount for something that will be forgotten in a few months by all your guests. This setup will cost you EUR10,000 or more, and in those 6–8 hours of the party, everyone will feel like they see a show, and not being part of a party.
DJ + Music Band
I believe this is the winning combo. You have 3 live music moments between the food courses, and while people eat, the DJ sets the mood. Also, after the food is gone, the party can go on with an excellent playlist mixed by the DJ. The cost for this is just between the 1st and the 2nd options above but the fun is 100% guaranteed.
Planning
For the wedding of your dreams in Romania, I believe you should start planning about a year in advance. This is necessary because good locations are hard to find and you will want the best of the best for your special event.
I would start with the location and number of guests and build everything around it.
You should not hesitate and get an event planner for the wedding. It will be money well spent and you will be stress-free during your special day.
Photography and video
Initially, I just wanted a photographer for the wedding but after some consideration and recommendations from our planner, I decided to get the video as well. Since many of your older relatives, like your grandma, will join your event, it is great to have a pleasant memory over the years with them at your event.
Finances
This is the part that concerns everyone. How much should you spend on your wedding?
The answer is simple: Spend what you can afford. Your wedding should fit your budget so that it does not affect your finances and future.
The guiding budget, however, from what I have seen at different locations, in 2022 for about 130 guests, is around:
- Food & Drinks: EUR100 -> EUR180 per guest
- Music: EUR 2,000 -> EUR 4,000 (DJ+Band)
- Wedding cake: EUR4.00 -> EUR5.00 per guest
- Ice Cream or Candy bar: around $800
- Photography: EUR1,500 -> EUR3,000
- Videography: EUR1,000 -> EUR4,000
- Flower arrangements, bouquet, and candles for the church: EUR1,500 -> EUR2,000
- Wedding planning: depends on your provider. It varies a lot.
I hope this guide helps you organize your wedding in Romania! For any recommendations, leave a comment below, and I will reply :)
