The average wedding in the UK now costs £23,250 – almost £6,000 more than in 2021.
That doesn’t tell the full story though, as according to Bridebook, a quarter of couples will spend less than £10,000 on their special day, while 10% have a budget of £5,000 or under.
Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, 10% of nearlyweds are set to fork out over £38,000 for their 2025 nuptials.
But whether your budget is tight or pretty much nonexistent, it’s can be difficult to find out what you actually get for your money.
So to take away the mystery and bust the taboo of talking marriage and money, Metro asked three brides what they spent on their recent weddings, as well as the advice they’d give to others tying the knot.
Budget: £5,000
Catherine Ramm, 52, owner of Dorset Dried Flowers from Corfe Castle, Dorset, got married in 2023.
In total, she and her partner ended up spending less than £6,000 on a large wedding with 120 day guests and 300 evening guests.
As Catherine’s a florist, she was able to do the bouquets and decor herself, while her now-husband is a farmer, meaning they saved on venue costs by holding their ceremony and reception on his land.
The pair’s friends and family also donated services or helped out with mate’s rates on everything from photography to toilets.
‘We had no budget in mind when we started planning,’ Catherine tells Metro. ‘It just sort of evolved, and we had so many people wanting to be involved it was amazing.’
She’s over the moon with how it all turned out, adding: ‘People are still talking about it. We had an amazing time and I don’t think we could have made it any better even if we had thrown more money about it.’
Although Catherine didn’t specifically plan to spend so little on her big day, she does have some advice for others who want to keep costs down.
‘Look at where you aren’t prepared to compromise and where you are,’ she says. ‘There are places you can cut the corners and places you can’t.’
Catherine’s budget breakdown
Venue: £3,500
We paid £3,000 for the marquee on our own land and £500 for a generator. Toilets were donated by a friend.
Registrar/celebrant: £270
We got married officially on the Thursday at Poole registry office, which cost £270. On the Saturday, a friend of ours who is a celebrant did the ceremony as a favour.
Catering: £950
Alongside a hog roast which cost £650, one of our friends on the farm gave us venison, shot and butchered, as a wedding present.
We then had afternoon tea with sandwiches from local baker (£100), scones from local tea rooms (£100), sausage rolls made by a friend, and cupcakes from a local maker £100)
Photography and/or videography: £0
Photography was done by a friend who was a professional photographer years ago, and friends also shared their images.
Flowers and venue decor: £500
This was all done by me, so costs were minimal.
Invitations and stationery: £50
I made the invitations myself using a bespoke stamp which I had made by a company online, then some lovely paper and an ink pad.
Wedding cake: £100
A friend made this for the cost of the ingredients.
Entertainment: £210
We had a singer who was ‘paid’ with four nights free camping on the farm. The band were friends, so we got a discounted rate of £60. We also had a fire dancer which was £150.
Bride and groom attire: £120
My dress cost £100 in a sample sale, and my husband’s suit was £20 on Vinted.
Bridal party and groomsmen attire: £11
My daughter’s bridesmaid dress was £11 on Vinted, and the rest of our children wore suits and dresses they already had.
Transport: £0
We got around the venue on a farm buggy which we already had.
Rings: £0
My husband doesn’t have one as he is a farmer, and he will lose it – it’s also dangerous with machinery. Mine were my engagement rings – he got me three silver rings – and I just used these, as I don’t need any more
TOTAL: £5,711
Average: £20,000
Jasmine Granton, a 31-year-old Digital PR Consultant from Mansfield, got married to her partner of 12 years in November last year.
In total, they spent just under £19,000 on a wedding of 100 guests at the West Mill in Derby.
While she and her now-husband didn’t have a set budget, they ‘didn’t want to spend a fortune’ on the day itself, ideally keeping money aside for the month-long Vietnam honeymoon they’d always dreamed of.
‘Deep down, we did want a big wedding though,’ Jasmine tells Metro. ‘And we both have large families so we were always going to have a guest count of around 100 – which inevitably brings the price up.’
The couple created a spreadsheet listing everything they might need with the maximum they’d be happy to spend on each point. But as anyone who’s planned a wedding knows, some things were more expensive while there were other areas they managed to save.
‘I feel so happy with what we got for our money,’ says Jasmine.
‘Making some pretty big decisions at the start – like having the wedding in winter on a Monday – meant we could make other decisions like booking a photographer and videographer we loved, because for us, the photography was so important.’
Alongside this, she kept costs down by making her own stationery, customising cheaper items, and doing a lot of the planning herself.
She recommends other brides and grooms-to-be stay true to what you want and ‘don’t pay for anything that you feel you’re doing just for the sake of it’ or ‘compromise for other people’.
Jasmine continues: ‘If you don’t want a cake, don’t have one. If you don’t want that long distance friend who hardly makes the effort to see you, don’t invite them.
‘The biggest compliment we got (and still get) about our wedding was that it felt “us”, and that’s because we prioritised the things that made us happy.’
Jasmine’s budget breakdown
Venue: £2,800
Our venue hire was around £2,500. We got married on a Monday in winter which drastically changed the cost, as I believe in peak wedding season it’s closer to £9,000.
We also paid to stay in a large house with our family, but they paid for their rooms so this cost us around £300.
Registrar/celebrant: £450, including licences
Catering: £7,800
In total, food came to £5800 while drinks were £2,000.
Photography and/or videography: £2,400 for both
Flowers and venue decor: £600
I bought most of the decor – including candle holders, mirrors, and candles – secondhand from Facebook Marketplace (£300 in total) and did a lot of upcycling, such as turning the mirror into our welcome sign and seating plan.
We didn’t have flowers around the venue, just lots of candles and mirrors as that’s more our style. In terms of bouquets, I had dry flowers for me and my bridesmaids which came to £300.
Invitations and stationery: £70
I designed these all myself using Canva, so the only cost was for paper and printing.
Wedding cake: Roughly £30
We decided not to have one – who even eats it?! – but had a prosecco tower instead, which just cost us the amount of the few bottles of prosecco as the venue had a no corkage fee
Entertainment: £700
It was £600 for a singer in the day who did a music bingo which was such a party starter, and we somehow got a brilliant DJ for £100!
Bride and groom attire: £1,562
I bought my wedding dress from a website called Stillwhite – it had tags on and was unaltered but cost me £1000 instead of £1800. I then got my veil second hand for £12, my shoes were £50 and my jewellery was kindly gifted to me.
My husband’s suit and shoes came to around £500.
Hair and makeup: £600
Bridal party and groomsmen attire: £1,300
ASOS suits for two best men and two groomsmen and three bridesmaid dresses came to £700.
Transport: £0
We didn’t have any.
Rings: £300
TOTAL: £18,612
Splurge: £50,000
Krissie Williams-Stewart, a 36-year-old homemaker from Coventry got married in December last year.
She and her now-husband Frankie spent £50,000 on their dream wedding, which was held at Merrydale Manor, Cheshire and had 91 guests in attendance.
‘We had a budget in mind from the very start,’ Krissie tells Metro. ‘But I hadn’t ever looked at anything wedding-related before, so I was completely clueless when it came to the real costs of anything.’
Although their big day ended up costing more than double the average, she says ‘it was worth every single penny’.
‘I have absolutely no regrets about what we got for our money,’ adds Krissie. ‘Our day was a complete fairy tale, and my vision completely came to life.’
In terms of advice, she stresses the importance of prioritising.
‘Write down your non-negotiables and focus on those; and then see what you have left for all the other bits,’ she explains. ‘If your dream venue is expensive, then consider a weekday or slightly out of wedding season to get a better price.’
Keep an eye on the ‘little things’ and DIY what you can too, as personal touches from favours to table settings ‘add up fast.’
Krissie continues: ‘As tempting as it is to book everything, you really don’t need to… Guests honestly enjoy mingling and having a chat with each other, so don’t go overboard thinking you need entertainment for every second.
‘We did this, and to be honest, it did make the day seem very busy, as there was so much going on all the time.’
‘That being said, never ever skimp on the photographer,’ she adds. ‘These photos are for life, so it’s definitely worth the investment.’
Krissie’s budget breakdown
Venue: £13,000
Registrar/celebrant: £650
Catering: £12,000
It was £9,000 for food and drinks during the day and £3,000 for the evening.
Photography and/or videography: £3,700
The photographer came to £2,500 and the videographer was £1,200.
Flowers and venue decor: £5,350
We paid £4,500 for all the flowers – including bouquets. Other decorations were hired for £850.
Invitations and stationery: £400
Wedding cake: £300
Entertainment £4,300
A musician for the ceremony was £800, and for the reception was an additional £2,000. Additional entertainment came to £1,500.
Bride and groom attire: £5,400
My wedding dress was £3,500 and accessories were £1,000, while my husband’s suit was £900.
Hair and makeup: £2,200
Hairdressing came to a total of £1,500 and makeup was £700.
Bridal party and groomsmen attire: £1,500
Alongside this, my husband also hand-built a watch for every groomsman and the father of the bride to complete the look!
Transport: £600
Rings £450
Wedding planner: £300
TOTAL: £50,150
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