The average cost of a wedding?

[luckyeight]

Someone told me that they were planning a wedding but the cost would be �4,000 and that was doing it as cheap as possible. What is the average cost of a wedding? My source was talking about a church wedding, with reception etc.

[Catso]

Ours was a registry office job, family only, small reception, no party. It cost us around �1000. (Though I suspect a large part of that was wedding clothes for her!)

[redcrx]

average cost when i got married in 96 was �10,000. With a lot of shopping around i got mine down to �5000 and its was a church wedding with afternoon and eve receptions in a lovely hotel. I even spent �1000 on having my dress designed for me.

[Octavius]

It depends on lots of things, including where. A couple of my friends married 18 months ago and spent in the region of �25k for a civil wedding in the South East/London and to be brutally honest, it wasn't particularly fancy. London weddings cost 15% more than the average UK wedding.

According to a 2004 report from Mintel, the average cost of a wedding was just under �16,000 although research from internet bank Cahoot says the average grand total is closer to �25,000 which works out at a cost of �61 per minute for your wedding day.

[luckyeight]

Can't believe how expensive weddings are! Honestly gobsmacked. I mean you could buy a car or a fab holiday for the next 10 years.... I don't understand where the costs come from.. Apart from clothing, food, flowers and hiring a disco?! I mean 25 grand? For what?

[redcrx]

venue is very expensive, then catering. 100 people for a finger buffet could cost �700-�1000 alone. sit down meal �20-30 per head, wine/champagne etc. There are all sorts of added expenses and you can spend any amount of money.
The church itself cost me �300 just for booking, then bell ringers and organist cost more, add flowers, dresses, suit hire, etc etc and it soon adds up

[loobie]

I know of someone who spent �75,000!!!!!

[kipchik]

Whats wrong with a service,then drinks and buffet in local afterwards!Day should be about their love not how much they can spend!

[sue11]

Did you see the students vets series with the wedding of the vets Emma and her fiance (can't remember his name but also a student vet). Her wedding was done very cheaply with them dressing in grass skirts over swimwear and being bought to their garden wedding in a barge down the river! I would not suggest this is for everyone, but it seemed so wonderfully relaxed and laid back. I think all the guests just enjoyed the garden party afterwards, I don't think anyone really dressed up.
I think they split up a couple of years afterwards(!) so I bet they are glad they did not spend a lot. But all the same if I was to get married again, I would go for a very relaxed informal wedding like this, the wedding buffet would be a barbeque, tell all the guests not to dress up too much and have silly games in the garden afterwards for amusement!
Personally I think people spend far too much on their weddings, especially as 1 in 3 split up a few years afterwards.

[Octavius]

Let�s say�

Invites/placename/order of service � �250
Ceremony (church, bells, organist, flowers, rings, dress and wedding party outfits, wedding car, licence and fees) - �5,000
Photographer (incl album) - �1,000
Evening reception (venue hire, table decs, favours, welcome drinks, 3 course meal for 120 people, wine + corkage, champagne + corkage, evening buffet and DJ) - �6,000
Wedding cake - �250
Gifts - �500

That�s about �13k, obviously you could do without some of that, but equally some of those things will cost you less/a lot more. On top of this you might have enough change left over for a honeymoon. I have been to a wedding where the bride arrived by helicopter��..

[mnko]

Wedding Costs
Registery Office �103.50 (including bands)
Dress �750 ( she went weak at the knees tryin it on)
Grooms Suit �150
limo �400
Hotel, evening buffet 4 100. and honeymoon suite �1300
Flowers �300
Cake �0 ( friend cakemaker)
DJ �300
Rings �500
TOTAL �3803.50

[Nummy]

a friend got married mid-week because costs were cheaper (demand is high for a saturday). However, i do appreciate that this can cause problems for guests.

Another of my friends used to have a beautiful jag. they did it up and decorated it beautifully for use as a wedding car.

As for cake - Marks & Spencer do a plain iced fruit cake in various sizes that can be decorated and stacked...much cheaper than getting a cake made specially.

however i agree some of the costs are ridiculous.

[Hellion]

I had a fab, intimate family and friends wedding at a registry office, my Mum and Aunt did a buffet lunch at home and my mother in law did a buffet supper, with the dress which was made for me, his clothes, flowers and a long weekend in Bath and all the sundries we spent the grand total of �998.07. Admittedly it was 13 years ago but I used the rule of thumb - I'm not inviting anyone who has never fed me at their home - which rules out a surprising number of people and leaves your genuine nearest and dearest. A friend spent �8,000 on hers, started off married life broke and in rented accomodation because they couldn't raise a deposit on a mortgage and eventually got divorced as they were always arguing about having no money!!

[Pippa68]

I have no idea how much my first wedding 18 years ago cost, as my parents paid for it ~ however I do know how much my wedding to Mr P cost last year...�3,000. We wanted a small wedding at the register office & had 50 people in total (including my own family of 7). I was pleased with our budget, and we managed to stick to it as I didn't want to spend more than I would on a good holiday.

We didn't have a photographer, or a disco. Our clothes were bargains(around �400 for me, Mr P & bridesmaids), but just what we wanted and I certainly didn't feel as if we did it all 'on the cheap'. The cakes were M&S, and were fantastic (around �60 for the two). Spent around �300 on flowers, �700 on the reception at a local restaurant/bar. Add on the rings & honeymoon (5 days in New York ~ the guests gifted us with spending money) we didn't spend that much at all..and what we did we considered well worth it!

We knew all the guests very well, and it was no hassle to mingle with them all as there were so few. I would never spend tens of thousands on a wedding ~ it wouldn't be neccessary to me. I reckon your friend has done well to spend �4,000 ~ that is some good budgeting :o)

[Sherry1]

I'm an events coordinator for a hotel on the south coast and �4,000 is a cheap wedding. The trouble is everyone sees pound signs when 'wedding' is mentioned.
I think the next craze here will be themed weddings. Why not go that route and cut out alot of expense. Think trad xmas turkey for winter wedding or seaside theme with BBQ for summer. With council permission (free) you can use a local beach for the reception.There are masses of online site where you can get some amazing ideas. If I can help just yell
Sherry x

[clair3934]

I'm getting married next year and at the moment we estimate it's going to set us back around �8k , my dress alone will cost �1400 to have made the car is �225 cake �245 church �240 church flowers �30 Organist �50 verger �25 then having the banns read in my fiance's church will cos another �35 it's bl**dy pricey getting hitched in a church but then I just love this church I was christned there. the recetion is going to be around �2500 i think not sure yet as we havnt finalised numbers of guest's, then you have to buy gifts for the parents and favours for all your reception guests, all this expense and not a thought of a honeymoon yet!

[luckyeight]

thanks sherry for offering advice :) and thanks everyone - I still can't believe how the costs really do add up... I now know that �4 K is cheap for a wedding!