Now much will my wedding cost me?

As a wedding photographer probably the most talked about topic when I am amongst friends is the current cost of weddings. When talking to brides and grooms they almost always tell me that they went ‘over budget’ on spending for their wedding day.

I have done a little research into how much a ‘typical’ weddings in the UK costs and thought I’d share my findings with you. (Marie Claire Magazine did a survey of over 100 wedding couples and found the percentage of total budget spent on each item – We have used these percentages and applied them to the widely published average wedding cost of £16,000)

Remember though, these figures are an average. Many people spend much more, and many people much less. Church weddings usually cost more than a registry office wedding etc etc. and hotel weddings vary in price enormously. In my opinion spending more money doesn’t necessarily mean a better wedding. (I personally spent just £5,000 in total on  my wedding recently and had a fantastic time – although I must admit I didn’t have to pay for the wedding photography!).

Here are the results of my research

Average total cost of a wedding  -  £16,000

Ceremony

Registrar fee, musicians/organist, ring pillows etc   £480 ( 3%)

Reception

Reception Venue, Food, Drinks, Cake, Favors etc  £7,680 (48%)

Attire

Dress, veil, undergarments and hosiery, shoes, accessories, jewelry, hair and makeup, Groom’s Outfit, shoes, cuff links, etc   £1,600 (10%)

Rings

His and her rings, engraving £480 (3%)

Flowers

Ceremony, bride’s bouquet, maid-of-honor and bridesmaid bouquets, corsages and button-holes, centerpieces, etc £1,280 (8%)

Music

Musicians, Band and/or DJ, etc  £1,280 (8%)

Photography

Photographer and Videographer’s fees, albums, disposable cameras etc   £1,920 (12%)

Transportation

Transportation for bride and wedding party £320 ( 2%)

Stationery

Invitations, response cards, thank you notes, postage, calligraphy, guest book   £480 (3%)

Gifts

For Bridesmaid and groomsmen, parents, childen etc £480 (3%)

Of course these figures don’t include honeymoon, hen party, stag party and other expenses.

I hope it helps in giving prospective brides and grooms an idea of how much other people spend.

Can’t believe how much people spend on flowers !!