The average cost of a traditional church wedding, including an overseas honeymoon, for the modern bride and groom is £20,000.
Traditionally it was the bride’s family that would pay for their daughter’s wedding, but changes in modern society means the responsibly for the wedding has become less clear.
The modern bride and groom may pay for the whole thing themselves which gives them ultimate control of everything, making the wedding planning process less stressful, as they don’t feel obliged to pander to their families ideas and views. You can also see our wedding planning checklist & spreadsheet here.
Big Day Budget Top Tips
Tip One: You may find it hard to discuss money with your parents, but remember, they want the best for you and will want to help if they can so approach both sets of parents and ask them what their thoughts are about contributing something towards the wedding, they may be offended if you don’t.
Tip Two: Decide on what money you are happy to spend and keep within that budget, don’t be tempted to spend more. If you want to increase spending on a particular item then reduce spending on something else.
Tip Three: Consider opening a separate bank account where you can deposit money to pay for the wedding and keep a track of all expenditure.
Tip Four: Will you need to borrow money? If yes then consider consulting a financial advisor regarding the best way to finance your wedding. A personal loan would be much cheaper than using credit cards.
This is how the average UK wedding cost of £20,000 is spent.
| Reception/food/drink | 40% | £8,000 |
| Venue/ceremony/musicians | 15% | £3,000 |
| Dress/grooms attire | 10% | £2,000 |
| Flowers/transport/entertainment | 10% | £2,000 |
| Photography/video | 7% | £1,250 |
| Invitations/stationery | 3% | £750 |
| Honeymoon | 10% | £2,000 |
| Contingency | 5% | £1,000 |
| Total | 100% | £20,000 |
Tip Five: There will always be things you won’t have budgeted for, so always keep a contingency fund of around £1000 to deal with any unforeseen costs.
Tip Six: Don’t forget to factor in a consideration for the stag weekends budget, which should be carefully planned by the best man. Stag and hen weekends, while being a memorable last big night out, are a crucial part of budgeting for the big day.
Tip Seven: What happens if disaster strikes? If the dress is ruined before the wedding day? If the photographs don’t come out? If the bride, bridegroom or any of their families falls ill, or worse? If the venue for the wedding reception closes? You lose the rings? If you want peace of mind then consider buying wedding insurance. Prices start from around £50 for a basic policy.
Tip Eight: Record what you spend and keep a running total so you can keep to your budget and always get written quotes so there won’t be any surprises.
See also: Our complete guide to wedding favour ideas
Marketing Manager at Poptop – UK Leading Events Planning Concierge Service