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By Louise Baltruschat Hollis
I see you, looking at how much a wedding costs in the UK. Are you getting married, or planning to? Then a big fat congratulations are in order!
But, I know exactly what you are thinking. Weddings equal lots of money and can I actually afford to get married? I want to marry my soul mate but how can we achieve our dream wedding, within our budget?
Do not fret, I am here to help. Let me share with you not only the average wedding costs in the UK, but also some words of wisdom and advice on where to start with all things wedding budget.
Plus, I have a free downloadable budget spreadsheet you can snag, to help you on your way to wedding dreams. Woohoo!
Let’s keep things simple. A legal register office wedding in the UK will set you back £56. Yes, that’s right, when you strip everything back, a wedding only costs £56 in 2026.
But, realistically, not many of us want to go down the route of rocking up to a registry office and doing the deed that simply. We want to mark the occasion, celebrate, feel fantastic and of course, feel the romance.
A UK wedding can cost from £56 all the way up to thousands (if not millions) of pounds depending on what a couple wants and their budget.
If you’re in doubt, take a look at the real budget-friendly weddings I’ve featured. Not only will these weddings show you what can be done, but will give you plenty of ideas and inspiration for a budget-friendly bash.
There is no definitive answer to what is the average cost of a wedding in the UK in 2026. But there have been several surveys conducted and it’s worth considering that the answers are from a select number of couples.
Bridebook’s latest survey is coming out as more expensive than Hitched’s survey, so it just goes to show that finding the average wedding cost in the UK isn’t an easy feat.
What we do know is that it’s common for couples to spend tens of thousands of pounds on their wedding day. But that’s the average and there will be couples spending much, much less than this and wildly over this figure. You know what? That’s totally OK.
If your budget is a little different from the averages, no sweat. You can do this and have your wedding of dreams.
Let’s see if prices have changed over recent years shall we? It looks as though have generally gone up, depending on what the survey included (or excluded).
It’s important to take a pinch of salt with the average wedding cost decreasing and increasing. The pandemic would have had a dramatic impact on wedding budgets in 2020 and 2021 weddings. As has the cost of living and inflation rates in 2022/23.
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Let’s break down some of my estimates for the average costs of individual wedding elements to help you gauge what you can expect to pay for your wedding. I have done a little research and used a little common sense here.
Please note these figures may change and may vary depending on many external factors so do take them with a pinch of salt. Images featured are for illustrative purposes only and are not representative of costs mentioned in this article.
| Wedding Item | Minimum Spend | You Could Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding Ceremony | £46 | £700 |
| Wedding Venue | £200 | £10,000+ |
| Wedding Photography | £800 | £2000+ |
| Wedding Flowers | £400 | £2000+ |
| Catering (depending on guest numbers) | £500 | £2000+ |
| Entertainment | £200 | £1500+ |
| Outfits | £400 | £3000+ |
| Cake | £100 | £500+ |
| Invitations | £1-2 each | £500+ |
| Decor & Details | £400 | £1000+ |
| Transport | £500 | £2500+ |
| Gifts | £20-30 each | £50-100+ each |
| Rings | £300 | £1000+ |
| Honeymoon | £200 | £3000+ |
Your wedding ceremony fees can vary. If you are having a simple register office ceremony it could be as little as £46 or £86 at a registered religious building. But depending on your local council costs may begin at £200 and go up to around £700. You may also wish to buy copies of your marriage certificate at £11 each. Do check with your local government page for up to date, accurate costs.
If you are choosing a Church Of England wedding in 2023, for example, it costs £618 or £564 if you marry in your home parish. However, there may be extras you like which may come at an extra cost.
Perhaps you’d like your ceremony at a venue of your choice? You can expect room fees, alongside registrar or celebrant fees which could cost into the hundreds of pounds.
Photo: Jessica OShaughessy Wedding Photography via Cheshire Woodland Weddings
The wedding venue usually takes up the bulk of a wedding budget. The whole base of the wedding is held at your venue and venues can often provide a lot of services into one package.
Hiring a village hall for example could set you back £200 or more. But if you wanted to exclusively hire a country estate, with all the bells and whistles, it could cost £5000, even £10,000 or more.
A lot of official wedding venues charge per head and can include catering, drinks and much more. So it’s a good idea to have a rough guest number in mind when thinking about your wedding costs and location.
Investing in wedding photography and film is important, especially if you have spent thousands on your wedding. You don’t want to forget a single thing and a great pro photographer or filmmaker will capture your day in all its glory. The average cost of full day wedding photography package is £1,112. Any less than this and you need to think about the service they are providing and whether they are a full-time, experienced professional.
In demand, talented photographers and filmmakers can cost thousands, in fact, high profile photographers can charge tens of thousands. So it really depends on what is important to you both.
That being said a healthy budget for a wedding photographer and filmmaker would be in the region of £2000-£5000.
Your wedding flower costs will vary dramatically depending on a few factors:
So it can be tricky, to sum up, the average cost of wedding flowers. However, if you have at least £400 to play with this should enable you to get a little of your wishlist. That being said, it can be easy to spend upwards of £2000 on wedding flowers depending on your vision.
So be prepared to go to your wedding florist with realistic expectations of what your budget can get you, before you set your heart on all the flowers.
Photo: Emma Lawson Photography via Bandstand Wedding
Food and drink are essential for a great wedding reception and your guests will thank you for it. Having a specialist caterer can help you as they may be able to create bespoke options and menus depending on your budget.
Depending on the number of guests you are having you can expect to pay upwards of £1000 for catering. The same goes for your drink budget, if you choose a fine wine with a big price tag, your costs will quickly escalate.
But brew your own sloe gin for example and if you don’t need to pay corkage you can save a lot of money. If you are looking for alternatives a wedding food truck or street food is a great option for tasty, cost-saving cuisine.
Photo: Holly Smith via Rainbow Wedding Forest Inspiration
Wedding entertainment is key for your wedding day atmosphere. For a DJ you can expect to pay at the very least £200 and for a wedding band, you are looking at a minimum of a £1000.
Of course, you may wish to have a solo musician instead, this may cut the cost a little. But if you are looking for other entertainment options the cost can be more bespoke. For example magicians, fire acts or animal visits may really range in price.
Alternatively, your own playlist, fete games and a bouncy castle can all be super entertaining and cost-saving.
When it comes to wedding dresses and wedding suits, the sky is the limit on the cost. The average wedding dress cost comes in at around £1300.
My top advice is not to feel like you have to go for a designer label or couture, bespoke design. If you want to and can afford to then that’s awesome! But if you can’t and it’s giving you stress. Turn to some other options, like pre-loved, high-street or charity shops.
Expect to pay upwards of £200 for a high-street outfit or £1000 and over for more bespoke options. Don’t forget the cost of accessories and alterations too! As well as your immediate wedding party outfits.
You can save money by buying bridesmaid dresses online, as well as all of your outfits in fact.
📌 Try some of these online retailers for cheaper wedding outfits:
Wedding cakes made by pro cake designers can cost upwards of £100-£1000+. However, your wedding cake cost heavily depends on the size of your cake, the flavours and the design you’d like. The more tiers and the more complex the design, the cost can reach into the hundreds or more.
Don’t forget other options for your wedding cake could include supermarket brands, a talented family baker or fun alternatives like brownies, doughnuts or cupcakes.
Photo: Rebecca Carpenter Photography via Hoop Wedding Decor
Wedding stationery is a key first step in the impression and vibe of your wedding that your guests will get. To kick off your wedding on the right foot, having a bespoke design by a stationery designer is a lovely idea.
Stationery is more cost-effective off the peg, so take a look at printable options on places like Etsy or collections that designers already have. For invitations, prices can start at £1-2 per invite but this can range hugely on the options you’d like for your paper goods.
Custom designs can be more expensive and may have a one-off design fee, before the price per item.
📌 Check out these online retailers for wedding stationery:
Photo: Michelle Huggleston Photography via Disco Ball Wedding Inspiration
When it comes to wedding decor and wedding centrepieces, you can go all out on the cost or rein it in and keep things simple. It’s easy to spend upwards of £400 on decor items and it can escalate with the more things you add. For example, balloon installations will set you back hundreds, decor hire can cost a similar amount.
Even if you go DIY, costs can add up when you are making things en masse for example multiple wedding favours at £1 each, can end up costing hundreds. So be realistic about your costs before you DIY. Hiring can actually save money and having a pro help you style your day is always a bonus.
Think about your guest numbers, the number of tables and place settings. This will all increase your decor costs.
📌 Where to find wedding decor online:
Photo: Finn and the Fox Photography via Wilderness Wedding Ideas
If you are thinking about transport for you, don’t forget about transport for your guests too. A wedding car can cost around £500, but it depends on the vehicle and your location. Again for large transport it could cost more, but then there are also cheaper, but less glam options that don’t need to cost you as much.
Photo: Lauren Knuckey Photography via Outdoor Bach Wedding
Wedding gifting can get expensive. If you are thinking of buying luxurious gifts for one another, this can make a big dent in your budget. It’s also worth thinking about all those gifts for your wedding party you may wish to buy such as bridesmaid gifts.
You could budget £20-30 per person, but you may wish to do something a little more wow.
Your wedding rings are the one physical thing you have lasting after your wedding, which you will be wearing every single day. Don’t scrimp on your ring as you want to love it for all of time.
However, you don’t have to spend thousands on a ring. With cheaper metals or gems a ring can cost as little as £150-300, but plain bands can cost upwards of £500 and gemstone rings even more. It all depends on the size and materials you choose.
📌 Where to buy wedding rings online:
Photo: Victoria Crocker Photography via Burgundy Wedding Theme
We all know the expenses involved with travelling and a camping trip for a honeymoon could set you back as little as £200. But if you are looking for an extravagant, jet-setting, five-star honeymoon, you could spend at least £3000 or more.
Photo: Sarah Taylor Photo & Film via Van Life Wedding Inspiration
There are no rules about who pays for a wedding. It’s completely down to your family dynamics and your own financial situation.
In years past, a bride’s parents would pay for the wedding. But in 2021, most couples cover the cost of their wedding themselves.
A wedding can be as affordable as you want it to be. Again, there are no rules that you have to pay a certain amount to have an amazing wedding day.
That being said, different couples have different ways of affording their wedding. From saving and borrowing to being given money or keeping their wedding plans really simple. Why not take a look at my budget wedding ideas to help you stretch yours?
There are many different ways to finance a wedding. First and foremost, please never feel pressured to spend beyond your means.
No wedding is worth getting into financial stress for and it won’t be the best start to married life. You could:
Saving for a wedding is not always easy. But it’s time for a financial audit.
It may seem scary but it’s incredibly simple. All you need to do is sit down together and look at your bank accounts. Create a spreadsheet with all of your outgoings and track where you spend your money.
You then may be able to cut some costs and create a goal of how much you can save each month. This will help to determine your wedding budget and your wedding date too, depending on how long it will take you to save up.
All in all, when it comes to asking, how much does a wedding cost? The answer is not quite a simple one. The old saying how long is a piece of string comes to mind.
There are so many moving factors in the price of a wedding. The most important thing is to sit down together and work out what your priorities are together, then allocate how much you are prepared to spend on your wedding.
Don’t underestimate the value of your time and hiring a professional wedding supplier either. Wedding suppliers pour their heart and soul into their craft and more often than not, spend more time on weddings than events and parties.
Never, ever be pressured into any financial worry. You want to start married life in the best possible place you can.
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