Let’s discover how much a wedding costs and what you should budget when it comes to wedding expenses!
Hi ladies!
Today on the blog I’m going to talk all about wedding expenses and budgets! Let’s face it: this is the first thing everyone thinks about the morning after the proposal, isn’t it? So, you are going to get married but you don’t have the slightest idea how much the whole wedding experience will cost? No problem, let’s look into it together!
A wedding budget can vary deeply depending on the number of guests invited, the couple’s preferences, and the quality of every item or accessory.
We can split the main items of expenditure into 3 categories:
- bridal dress: 20%
- wedding ceremony: 20%
- wedding reception: 60%
In addition to such groups, that we can think of as the “big three” of every wedding, we have to take into account further expenses that are subject to several price fluctuations:
- Photography and videography
- Accommodation for the night
- Honeymoon travel
- Wedding invitations
- Car hire
- Wedding favors
Let’s analyse the average prices of a 100-person wedding, creating a true-to-life demo to finally discover how much an average wedding does cost in the UK!
Wedding Invitations
Invitations, envelops and stamps: from a minimum of £ 400 up to £ 700.
Bride costs for the wedding
- Wedding dress: from a minimum of £ 3,000 to a maximum of £ 7,000
- Shoes: from a minimum of £ 150 to a maximum of £ 500
- Wedding gloves and lingerie: from a minimum of £ 0 (if you are not going to use them) to a maximum of £ 1,000
- Hairstyle & make-up: from a minimum of £ 300 to a maximum of £ 1,200
- Beauty treatment: up to £ 600
Groom costs for the wedding
- Suit: from a minimum of £ 1,700 to a maximum of £ 4,600
- Shoes: from a minimum of £ 150 to a maximum of £ 500
- Beauty treatment: up to £ 600
Page boy and flower girl costs for the wedding
- Clothes and accessories: up to £ 1,200
Wedding ceremony costs
- Wedding rings: from a minimum of £ 700 to a maximum of £ 3,400
- Photos and videos: from a minimum of £ 1,400 to a maximum of £ 4,000
- Car hire: up to £ 1,700
- Church fees : from a minimum of £ 150 to a maximum of £ 500
Wedding reception costs
- Wedding venue (if rented): up to £ 5,700
- Catering/Restaurant for 100 guests: from a minimum of £ 6,000 up to £ 11,000
- Wedding tableau: da un min. di £ 150 to a maximum of £ 500
- Wedding favours: da un min. di £ 570 to a maximum of £ 2,900
- Entertainment/DJ/Music: from a minimum of £ 850 to a maximum of £ 2,300
- Wedding Copyright Licence: about £ 150- 200
Wedding decor and flower costs
- Wedding bouquet: from a minimum of £ 170 to a maximum of £ 600
- Church/City hall: from a minimum of £ 460 to a maximum of £ 2,300
- Wedding reception: from a minimum of £ 1,000 to a maximum of £ 3,400
If you made it this far, I bet right now you’re no longer wondering how much a wedding costs, but thinking my oh my, a wedding really does cost!!
Ok, but how much does a wedding cost in conclusion?!
At the end of our true-to-life demo, the total amount spent for our 100-person wedding goes from a minimum of £17,300 up to a maximum of £56,250, with an average wedding budget in 2017 being £27,000.
| Average wedding | Luxury wedding | |
| Wedding Invitations | ||
| Invitations, envelopes and stamps | 400£ | 700£ |
| Bride costs for the wedding | ||
| Wedding dress | 3,000£ | 7,000£ |
| Shoes | 150£ | 500£ |
| Gloves and lingerie | 0£ | 1,000£ |
| Hairstyle & make-up | 300£ | 1,200£ |
| Beauty treatment | 0£ | 600£ |
| Groom costs for the wedding | ||
| Suit | 1,700£ | 4,600£ |
| Shoes | 150£ | 500£ |
| Beauty treatment | 0£ | 600£ |
| Page boy and flower girl | ||
| Clothes and accessories | 0£ | 1,200£ |
| Wedding ceremony costs | ||
| Wedding rings | 700£ | 3,400£ |
| Photography | 1,400£ | 4,000£ |
| Car hire | 0£ | 1,700£ |
| Offerte religious wedding | 150£ | 500£ |
| Wedding reception costs | ||
| Wedding venue | 0£ | 5,700 |
| Catering/Restaurant (100 guests) | 6,000£ | 11,000 |
| Tableau | 150£ | 3,50£ |
| Wedding favours | 570£ | 2,900£ |
| Entertainment/Music/DJ | 850£ | 2,300£ |
| Music Copyright Licence | 150£ | 200£ |
| Flower decorations | ||
| Wedding bouquet | 170£ | 600£ |
| Church/City hall | 460£ | 2,300£ |
| Wedding reception | 1,000£ | 3,400£ |
| Total | 17,300£ | 56,250£ |
How to save money on your wedding
In order to save money on your invitations and thank-you notes, Given2 helps you by freely providing you with your own wedding website. What’s more, with our online wedding list we have our couples save time and money on the gifts too! In fact, our search engine helps you find discounted products (you can save up to 50% of the original amount!) and cuts down the time needed to manage the whole thing.
Your guests will also benefit from Given2, since they will be able to send you money directly on your bank account without extra fees or middleman commissions. They will also have the opportunity to send you a customized message along with their wedding present!
If you’d like to save extra money, you can think of planning your honeymoon at a later stage, when your economies will allow. As regards invitations and wedding favours, why don’t you try and do them yourself? You’ll cut down the budget and they’ll be original and unique! As for the car used at the wedding, you can ask a friend to borrow theirs, and instead of paying a professional photographer, you can ask a friend who’s good ad taking pictures!
The secret? Planning your budget thoroughly and in advance!
However, you have to keep in mind that a wedding is always expensive, in one way or another. My advice is to plan your budget well in advance:
- Establish your wedding priorities alongside your partner and then fix a not-to-exceed budget;
- Try and stick to your budget, even better if you plan to stay under budget of about 20%, and… good luck with it!
What do you think? Did you manage to stay in budget? How much did you spend for your wedding? Or, if you have to get married soon, how much have you budgeted? Let me know by leaving a comment down below! 😊