Why are tickets so expensive?

This is such a valid question, and I want to answer it with honesty and transparency. Retreats, in general, are considered a luxury experience because they require a very high upfront investment in services, spaces, and people — and mother–daughter retreats are unique in that nearly all costs are doubled.

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Most venues, caterers, and vendors charge per person, not per family. There are no discounts for children or pairs, which means every mother–daughter pair is effectively paying 2x the standard retreat cost from the start.

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Venue costs are the biggest expense. To host a retreat like this, I have to buy out an entire property to create a safe, private, and cohesive experience. A two-night buyout typically ranges from $8,000–$20,000, often starting with just 6–8 rooms. Venues are used to pricing retreats assuming two adults sharing per room, not a parent paying for themselves and their child. Venues calculate pricing as if the cost is split across double the adults — a single adult paying to split the cost with another single adult in one room, this is the normal retreat scenario. So for example, a retreat assumes 14 adult tickets will share across 7 rooms, meaning that for your mother-daughter pair, you are paying double for the entire room.

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Even for retreats where I’m not buying out overnight accommodations or providing full meals, there are still significant venue costs. Renting a dedicated meeting space for multiple days can range anywhere from $1,200–$4,200, just for the space itself — before adding materials, staffing, or any additional services. Creating a private, comfortable environment where families can gather without interruption is still a meaningful investment, even in non-overnight formats. 

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Food is another major investment. Retreat catering is very different from a restaurant meal. Caterers and private chefs charge $75–$150 per person per meal regardless of age because they’re providing full-service experiences: menu design, grocery sourcing, prep time, additional staff, keeping food hot, renting equipment like hot plates, plus travel and gratuity. These costs add up quickly when feeding families for multiple days.​

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Another piece people don’t often see is marketing. About 95% of families find me through Facebook/Meta ads, and based on years of data, it costs roughly $300 in advertising for every single person who purchases a ticket — whether that ticket is $20 or $2,000. That cost is required just to reach the right families and let them know these experiences exist.

Lastly, I pay my team and myself. The work doesn’t start the weekend of the retreat — I spend 10–15 hours every week for the whole year managing 2–3 large retreats and multiple smaller events throughout the year. That includes answering questions, managing email campaigns and automations, coordinating logistics, marketing, and personally responding to social media comments and messages with care and intention (this takes hours a day!).

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With my background in education, wellness, and years of designing intentional programming, these experiences are not  something you’d casually find on a typical vacation itinerary. Each workshop is thoughtfully crafted to support social-emotional growth, creative expression, and meaningful mother–daughter connection. The art, theater, and music components are rooted in educational practice and wellness principles — designed with purpose, progression, and depth. This is why they go far beyond an average art workshop; they are curated, developmentally aware experiences built to create lasting impact from an educational expert. 

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I truly wish I could offer these retreats for less. I explore dozens of venues and options every year trying to make them as accessible as possible. But this pricing reflects the real costs of creating a safe, intentional, high-quality experience for families — and the reality of what it takes to sustain this work right now.