Planning a wedding is an exciting, yet somewhat daunting task, and setting a realistic budget is one of the most important steps in the process. With the average UK wedding costing around £18,500 in 2024, there are plenty of ways to work within your financial constraints, whether you’re going for a low-cost, mid-range, or high-end celebration.

This guide will help you break down wedding costs, set a budget, and understand where to allocate your spending based on three budget ranges: under £10k, £10-20k, and £20k+.

1. Setting Your Wedding Budget

Before diving into specifics, it’s important to consider a few key factors when setting your budget:

Who's Paying?

Traditionally, the bride's family covered wedding costs, but in modern times, couples often contribute significantly, or both families may share the expenses. Before setting a budget, discuss financial contributions with all parties involved to get a clear picture of available funds.

One key thing to note with contributions - anyone contributing financially might feel like their thoughts or ideas are more valid than yours. Before accepting money from anyone, decide whether or not you will be comfortable with someone else feeling like they have a say over how you spend the money. It can sometimes be the case when parents contribute, they expect things to be done a certain way.

In an ideal world, contributions would always be given without strings attached, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.

Define Your Priorities & Compromise

Every couple has different priorities for their wedding day. Some may want an extravagant venue, while others prioritise food, photography, or entertainment. Make a list of the most important elements for your wedding, which will help guide how to allocate your budget.

If you’re working with a limited budget, be prepared to compromise.

When planning my own wedding we originally said we wanted:

Saturday, August, Sit-Down Meal

And after doing our research we have now decided:

Any day of the week, August-October, Gourmet Pizza or Food Trucks

Our original ideas just didn’t fit with the budget we settled on, so we had to compromise on some aspects, but in reality we will still have the perfect day!

Estimate Your Guest List

The size of your guest list will dramatically impact your budget. More guests mean higher costs for catering, invitations, seating, and venue space. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll use 80 guests as the average, but scaling this number up or down will influence your final costs.

If you have a large family, this can quickly eat up guest spaces and you may find yourself arguing with parents about inviting distant or estranged relatives. A friend of mine had this conversation with her parents, and her logic was that if she wouldn’t know them “if she passed them on the street”, then she didn’t need to invite them, which I have to agree with!

So many people I’ve spoken to over the years all tell me the same thing about their weddings, that they invited too many people and don’t even keep it in touch with many of their guests!

Plus One’s

Deciding who gets a plus one and who doesn’t can feel like a tricky affair, especially when friends and family are involved. We’ve created a short guide on plus ones to help you know who to give one to and how to communicate it clearly so there is no confusion or awkward conversations!

2. Budget Breakdown by Price Range

Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to spend on different budget levels in the UK for 2024. Each budget includes an estimate of what to allocate to major wedding expenses such as the venue, catering, attire, photography, and more.

Lower-Cost Wedding (Under £10k)

Barley Town House, Royston, Hertfordshire

Planning a wedding on a budget of under £10,000 is very doable in the UK, especially if you’re flexible with your date and willing to get creative. The key to a budget-friendly wedding is to focus on what matters most and cut back on non-essential extras.

I am also well aware that £10,000 is a considerable budget, but considering the AVERAGE wedding is £18,500 (with some sites suggesting a figure closer to an eye-watering £30,000), £10,000 is a reasonable figure to work with, especially when talking about a guest list of around 80 people.

Having a smaller guest list will of course reduce when you need to spend overall so do consider this when reading this guide.

Venue & Catering: £4,000-£5,000

Depending on the venue you choose, this will be your most considerable cost, unless you choose somewhere simple like a village hall.
If you’re in Hertfordshire, Barley Town House is an adorable village hall you can book for a very reasonable amount.
You may need to consider a cheaper time of year to get married as well to reduce costs, but more on that later.
In my experience catering costs vary greatly between venues, which can be extremely frustrating when you’re searching for that perfect venue. When planning my own wedding, one of the first costs I would check on a venue’s website was the food; if it was more than £70pp, I moved on as the venue hire fee would have had to be miniscule in comparison for us to be able to afford it.

Attire: £500-£1,000

Look for sales or sample dresses, or even rent your wedding dress and suit. Many high-street brands like ASOS or Monsoon offer affordable bridal options.
Other sites like Etsy, Lulu’s and Wed2Be also offer more affordable options than the typical bridal boutique.

Photography: £500-£800

Consider hiring a local or emerging photographer or a photography student. Alternatively, ask a talented friend or family member to capture key moments, but be aware that this could impact their enjoyment of the day.

Decor & Flowers: £500-£800

DIY your decorations and floral arrangements with seasonal flowers or use potted plants as both decor and guest favours.

Entertainment: £500

Hire a DJ instead of a live band, or curate your own playlist and use the venue's sound system.

Other Costs: £1,700

This includes invitations (digital options can save costs), hair and makeup, cake, and transportation. Don’t forget to include the registrar fees to actually GET married. This includes the registrar fee on the day, plus the fee to give notice. All fees differ throughout the UK, but they all sit at around £500 or more, depending on location.

Total Estimate: £9,700

Tips

One tip for planning a lower cost wedding is to NOT view any venues that are out of, or at the top of, your price range. You don’t want to view a venue, fall in love with it and imagine your whole day there if you can’t afford it. Every venue that you enquire with will try to entice you with a viewing, but if you’ve viewed their pricing and they’re unrealistic for you, politely decline and move on to the next venue.

Another thing you can do to lower the cost is to take advantage of a low cost registry office ceremony and then have a friend or family member act as your “celebrant” on the day. In Hertfordshire for example, you can have a “You & 2” ceremony for £162, plus the cost of giving notice. One venue quoted us half the price on their ceremony fee as we would already be married and our close friend will be our celebrant which makes the day even more special, so all around, a win-win!

One last tip, consider getting your cake from somewhere like Waitrose. You can easily decorate with fresh or faux flowers on the day and get a cake topper from Etsy to make it personal.

Planning a wedding for less than £10,000 seems reasonable, but just be prepared you may need to compromise in certain areas and potentially do a lot of the decorating yourself!

Mid-Range Wedding (£10-20k)

A mid-range wedding budget allows for more flexibility and options, balancing between a beautiful venue and high-quality details. At this range, you’ll be able to spend more on personal touches and a broader range of services.

Venue & Catering: £8,000-£10,000

Choose a dedicated wedding venue, country house, or stylish barn that includes catering. Some venues offer midweek or off-season discounts, so flexibility with the date can help keep costs down. Even with, what looks to be a healthy budget for 80 people, this can go quickly if catering costs are £100pp, which is pretty typical of many venues.
Be sure to look closely at the costs associated with venue hire, food and alcohol before choosing a venue and putting down a deposit.

Attire: £2,000-£3,000

Splurge a bit more on a designer dress and custom suit or tuxedo. You can still find bargains at bridal boutiques, especially during sales.

Photography/Videography: £1,500-£2,000

Book an experienced wedding photographer and consider adding videography for an additional cost. Some photographers will offer all inclusive packages which can save money versus getting both a videographer and photographer separately. Just watch any reels they may have before booking a combined service, if video is very important to you.
The photos and video from the day will be a lovely keepsake, so it’s worth spending a bit more on this to get exactly what you want.

Decor & Flowers: £1,000-£2,000

With a mid-range budget, you can potentially invest in professional florals and decor. Work with a florist to incorporate seasonal flowers, which can help reduce costs. Decor could also include fairy lights or lanterns, drapery, and chair covers to elevate the look.

Entertainment: £800-£1,200

Hire a live band for part of the night and a DJ for later, or keep it simple with a great DJ for the entire event to reduce costs.

Other Costs: £2,000-£2,500

This includes invitations, favours, hair and makeup, the cake, registry office fees, and transportation. You can afford to splurge on a few extras, like bespoke stationery or a custom cake design.

Total Estimate: £15,300 - £20,700

High-End Wedding (£20k+)

While this budget may not sound “high-end”, for most of us, dropping £20,000+ on a single day seems unrealistic, unless we’re having significant help from parents or other family members. If you have this kind of budget, depending on your number of guests, you will have a lot of flexibility in venue choice and other services.

Venue & Catering: £15,000+

Opt for a luxury venue such as a historic estate, castle, or high-end hotel. These venues often provide exclusive use, high-end catering, and impeccable service. You can choose a sit-down three-course meal with premium wines and cocktails.

Attire: £5,000+

Go for a designer gown or custom-made dress and a tailored suit. This budget allows for more intricate designs and luxury fabrics.

Photography/Videography: £3,000+

Book one of the top wedding photographers and a videographer to capture every detail of your day, including aerial drone footage and a highlight reel. At this price, they will usually have multiple photographers capturing even more moments throughout the day.

Decor & Flowers: £3,000+

Work with a professional wedding planner and florist to create a bespoke design for your day. Think large floral installations, luxury linens, and ambient lighting.

Entertainment: £2,000+

Book a live band for the reception and string quartet for the ceremony, and a DJ or even a celebrity performer for the reception, if your budget stretches that far!

Other Costs: £5,000+

This covers luxury invitations, registry office fees, custom-made wedding favours, hair and makeup, transportation (like a classic car or even a horse-drawn carriage), and a show-stopping wedding cake.

Total Estimate: £25,000+

3. How to Allocate Your Budget

Here’s a rough percentage guide to help you allocate your budget based on your priorities:

Venue & Catering: 40-50%
Photography & Videography: 10-15%
Attire: 8-12%
Decor & Flowers: 8-10%
Entertainment: 8-10%
Miscellaneous (Cake, Registry Office Fees, Invitations, Favours, etc.): 10-15%

4. Cheaper Days of the Week and Times of the Year

To save money, consider having your wedding on a weekday or during the off-peak season. The most popular and expensive times to get married in the UK are Saturdays in the summer months (June to August). However, choosing a midweek date or a winter wedding (November to March) can save you a significant amount of money on your venue, catering, and even vendors.

Venues often offer discounted rates for Friday or Sunday weddings, and midweek weddings can save you up to 30% off peak prices. You may also find it easier to book popular venues and suppliers during these times.

To stay on budget, my partner and I decided we would consider off peak days during our preferred season (summer) or our preferred days (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) in October. This opened up our options a lot more once we decided on this compromise.

5. Deciding on the Guest List

Your guest list has a direct impact on the cost of your wedding, as it affects catering, seating, invitations, and favours. Here’s how to manage it:

Start with your dream list: Write down everyone you’d like to invite, including family, friends, and plus-ones.
Prioritise key guests: Group guests into categories such as immediate family, close friends, extended family, and work colleagues/friends. Prioritise those you can't imagine celebrating without.
Trim down where needed: If you’re on a tight budget, cutting down your guest list can make a huge difference in overall costs. Consider inviting fewer people to the day event and more to an evening reception.

Final Thoughts

Setting a wedding budget is one of the first – and most important – steps in your planning process. Whether you’re aiming for a budget-friendly celebration under £10k, a mid-range wedding, or an extravagant event, allocating your spending based on your priorities will help you create the day you’ve always dreamed of. Be flexible, plan ahead, and focus on what’s most meaningful to you, and your wedding day will be truly unforgettable.

Wedding Planning: Setting A Budget