Total cost of a wedding

EllieBelly1

Hello All

We are getting married next Aug and are in full swing booking and planning. I am having a few probs budgeting everything. On one hand I think it is only one day and we have a massive mortgage to pay off. On the other hand...I just keep seeing things I like and its the only time we are going to do this so want it to be amazing! I am trying to keep to under £10k without the honeymoon but really struggling to justify the costs. Does anybody mind sharing how much they are paying and making feel a bit happier about shelling out all this money?!

continualdiamond

Its 1 day for the rest of your life, hopefully. Only you can decide what you're happy paying. If you need convincing that your budget is worth it, no one can say whether it is or not cos its your wedding.

Ours cost us just over £2,500 for the whole thing. We ourselves spent about £700. We had the day we wanted with money that allowed us too. We physically didn't have £10k (I don't know if people actually do) and borrowing money was just out of the question for us.

Ours was amazing, it was our wedding, no one elses. I had a moment few weeks back when I thought it wasn't amazing cos it wasn't your 'wedding' people think of when they hear that word. But it was amazing to us, even if it didn't cost that much to what people think you'd spend on a wedding.

White_Sapphire

As long as you can afford what you are spending, that you're spending money on things that are important to you (ie not on something just because you think you're supposed to have it because 'that's what everyone has at weddings'), and that you are shopping around for the best deal and negotiating prices, then you have nothing to worry about.

My and my H2B's wedding is coming in at £9k without Honeymoon. I'm trying to get my entire outfit including underwear, shoes and accessories for less than £250, because our money is going on a meaningful ceremony, and feeding and entertaining our guests, which is more important to me.

MaggieBaking

£3000 - for a 4* Nothern city wedding venue (amazing and the 3 course sit down dinner was incredible). Inc. venue hire, food and a generous drinks package for 60 people. And an evening buffet. (Additional 15 guests in the evening)

£350 - registrar

£300-£400 flowers and table decorations. (Carnations and 80 cm tall centrepieces that lit up in the evening, buttonholes for each guest etc)

£150 Car ("black cab")

Dress - £250 (BHS), fascinator £5, shoes £15

£250 photographer (from before the wedding till after the speeches, including images on disk)

£100 - Make up & hair (by me, not including getting my hair dyed a couple of times before the wedding)

£250 - Mens suits for 3

£105 - for 3 Flower Girls (ebay)

£100 - cupcakes (made by me)

£200 - stationery (not including stamps)

£250 - Magician (gift from parents)

£70 - fudge, served with canapes

£150 - photobooth (made by relatives, photographed by relative)

There were a few additional expenses that I've forgotten the price of, for example:

a Crepe station in the evening
photo frames for the table plan
presents for the children at the wedding
confetti for the tables
Personalised handkerchiefs for some of the women

Came to £7k all together (including hair dye, stamps and so many more things I never knew budgeted for! But excluding honeymoon)

SaLoGo

My OH doesn't want to do a 'budget' but I'm trying to keep it under £8k. Here's my rough estimate:

Church £550 (includes organist & flowers)
Reception venue £3900 (includes 3 course meal for 60 and buffet for 100)
Balloons & centrepieces £150
Cake £300
Invites £50
Cars £500 (Daimler for me & Jag for OH)
Rings £150
Presents £110 (BM's etc)
Flowers £160
Photographer £650
Disposable cameras £30
Dress £500
Shoes £40
Lingerie £30
Tiara £20
Veil £50
Bridesmaid dresses £150
Suits £560 (7 of them)
Hair & make up £100

I think that's everything we've actually looked at the prices of.

Haha, just added that up and it came to bang on £8k lol

I think as long as you are paying what you both feel comfortable spending then you'll be fine!

Jewelleryfan

We are hoping to do it for under 10k possibly about 8/9k. My parents are giving us 5k which covers the evening reception and will leave a few hundred left, OH and I are then paying for everything else and have figured on 5k max but hoping for less.
So far were on track and as I have found my dress for £100 and bought deals or haggled we should be ok
Other things we have so far is photographer and album £400, DJ £270, chair covers £140, stationary £50, we will make our on centrepiece roughly £50, favours £30, flowers £150 ish so as long as everything doesn't come to more than 5k I'll be happy were not having wedding cars, bubbles, master of ceremony, cake knife and stand, disposable cameras and a few other bits

zcrat41

25k ish

Catering and Marquee - 14k (sit down meal for 120 plus canapes and food at night)
Drinks - 3k champagne reception, wine at table (plenty of, we still have 60 bottles left Dad didn't want to run out) Bar with strawberry daiquiries.
Dress - £400
BM dresses - £400
Photographer - £800
Car £250
Cake £300
Hair and make up £300
String Quartet £500
Band £800
Flowers 1k
Church £500 inc bellringers

OH paid for his suits and honeymoon,

But the most important bit of the day was
1) When he said "I do"
2) When the band played S Club 7 "Reach" and all my old Uni friends were dancing around and I couldn't believe how far my life has come since my Uni days and realising just how lucky i was to have my OH.

kacy1988

we're spending £3500 all in

9ja4life

Having 2 weddings. The one abroad in October was £5000 including flights and accommodation. The second one is in April here in the UK and current spend is a little under £8000.

We have bought almost everything and only have the candy/sweets for the candy bar to buy. It is money well spent for us as we wanted all our family to celebrate with us hence one abroad and here.

We have not borrowed or gone in debt. We saved, cut down on travels, weekends away and eating out and to reward ourselves will travel for one month for the honeymoon 4 months after the wedding next year.

It depends on what you want and how you want to do it. No matter how much you spend, it will still be a fabulous and wonderful day.

wanchai_2

OP - ours is coming in at around £9,200 (excl. honeymoon) at present but I am budgeting £800 for contingencies so around £10,000 as well!!

We have the money saved for the wedding and are not borrowing, nor would we do so. I would love to go mad and could easily spend more but we are having the wedding that we can comfortably afford.

NoAngel

Hi OP,

Ours is looking to be around £10k. This is including the honeymoon but excluding the dress as my parents are buying this for me and cake as grandma is buying that. (also getting 1K from OHs parents)

Approximately so far:

£3250 for venue includes: ceremony room, canapes and welcome drink, wedding breakfast for 60 people, evening reception for 100, DJ, first night room.

£375 for registrar (also need to factor in the cost of giving notice, I think about £30 each and marriage certificate)

£800 for photographer

£1000 for rings

£600 for hire of groom and attendants suits and for bridesmaid dresses

£500 approx for for hiring chair covers, making center pieces, stationary etc

£250 for flowers

£2500 for honeymoon (which covers the all inclusive holiday but hoping to get money as gifts for spending!)

We're saving like crazy at the moment! So far have £4700 so we're getting there