How much did you budget for your wedding?

[Keurig]

I’m getting married shortly, really low key affair. 3 star hotel, no bridesmaids/groomsmen, no cars, no white dress. Was assured I could do it for about £10K, but final costs will actually be about £25 - 30K. Is it usually a ‘take the first number you thought of and double it’ scenario? This is not a question of affordability, more expectation!

Ours was very recent and cost around £15k total. I’d say it was a fairly average wedding for the number of guests. We had a few nice extras which added a bit and it would have been very easy to continue adding things. It was also a bit cheaper because we were outside of the peak season.

8000 - venue inc DJ, canapés, couple of drinks pp, dinner with wine, evening buffet. 50 day guests, plus extra 25 evening
1000 - fee for wedding ceremony, certificates etc
1000 - flowers
1000 - dress, alterations, shoes etc
250 - bridesmaids outfits
500 - hair and make up
2000 - rings
350 - groom outfit
1200 - music for ceremony
500 - additional drinks in evening
100 - other decorations, invitations etc (mostly hand made)
500 photographer

We had a lowkey wedding about 15 years ago, for £4k. Our reception was in a church hall, a friend did the flowers at cost, I made my dress, my mum made our cake and our wedding invitations, and our music was played from an ipod into the church hall sound system. We had food provided by a local restaurant, and we had 80 guests between us. What you've described isn't what I would think of as lowkey, it sounds fairly fancy with hotel rooms and so on included. Out of my friendship circle, I don't know anyone who paid for rooms for their guests to stay in overnight.

That’s £6k for 50 people - that’s £120 each.

It was a long time ago now but my wedding cost about £200. No matter how much money I had, I could never bring myself to spend a fortune on a huge expensive wedding and I think most weddings are such a waste of money. We had exactly the sort of wedding and reception that WE wanted, and did nothing for show or because of what people might have expected.

My dad spent £100 in Sainsbury's on wine and soft drinks, our mothers prepared a brilliant buffet for £50, my dress cost £20 from a local Indian shop, my flowers were £20, and the register office fee was the only other thing we spent money on, which was only about £20 at that time. We had our reception in the function room above our local pub which we weren't charged for, and
We prepared about eight hours worth of prerecorded tapes of our favourite heavy metal music. A friend had a big white Cadillac which we used to get to and from the register office. It was by far the best wedding I've ever been to 😆

My daughter followed in our footsteps for having a small wedding and got married in Jordan during the lockdown. She had four guests, plus both of us via a Zoom link, and she was radiantly happy.

I think if the OP wants a big wedding, and can afford about £30k, it's her choice. The hotel rooms and brunch have obviously pushed the total up.

That sounds a lot OP. We had a 'big' wedding. Exclusive use barn venue, 100 guests, cottage hire for ourselves, white dress, lots of flowers, bridesmaids and groomsmen etc and it was about £16k. Our biggest cost was food at £5k and venue at £3. My flowers cost half the cost of yours - 4 bridesmaids, my bouquet, flower crown, 6 button holes for the men and 2 for the mums. My cake was made by my mum and her friend. I didn't scrimp on music or food as I wanted people to have a good time so your music cost is reasonable if it's a band.

I wouldn't consider your costs and guest number to be that low key really. I will say I had an absolutely crackin day and don't feel like any of our money was wasted at all.

In 2014 we hired Farnham Castle for our wedding. £5k for the venue. It had rooms for the immediate party, everyone else we suggested premier inn at their cost. Food another 5k including 3 course meal, evening BBQ buffet and canopes. Hired suites from Moss Bros, her dress was a couple of grand, we hired a DJ and band for the day/evening. All in just over 20k. Probably 30k now with inflation. Best day ever. Honeymoon was a week in Bermuda for just over 3k at the time. At the time we were 30, home owners, no kids. Didn't do a videographer, had a photographer. About 120 people I think.
My advice would be venue, food throughout the day and music are key. I'd cut back in other areas.

Maybe I should have said ‘yes it would be appropriate’ to future SIL when she asked if she could wear a hat! I’ll rephrase my language from now on and say it’s not low key after all

It was a long time ago now but my wedding cost about £200

I can beat that. £135.

We eloped in the true sense of the word, as in ran off to Scottish register office without telling anybody else.

DD's wedding was about 25k but that was with 150 guests.

I can beat everyone....£9.
The cost of the registry office licence.
Two witnesses.
We had no money and were saving for a house deposit. Still happy, 30 odd years on!

We are getting married soon, and all in it’s about 12k. We chose a small golf club that is fairly new to doing weddings, having ceremony there, wedding breakfast for 60 people, evening pizza for 80. Includes drinks too. Plus we are having cars, Photo Booth, string quartet. Found local flower lady, dj and hair stylist. Doing own make up ☺️ we also bought 7 groomsmen suits! I only wanted to spend 10 but think overall we’ve had good value. (Well, we will see on the day!!)

£900

£400 rings
£100 1 night in a premier inn
£100 petrol (we got married in a place special to us which was about 400 miles away
£125 registrar
£175 for a lovely meal afterwards and a few drinks

We both wore jeans, I wore a 'nice top, dh wore a shirt, which we already had, was just me and my dh, witnesses were from the registrars office. We had fish and chips from the chippy after the ceremony, then a few cocktails in town and a lovely meal in the evening

Hmm think there’s been considerable inflation there. Cheapest room in registry office is £265 here on a weekday plus £75 booking fee plus £35 (each!) for notice appointment. And if you want the certificate that’s £11 a copy.

We paid £710 to have them come to an approved premises on a Saturday. Plus all the standard fees.

Notice seems to be £45 each in my area now. Basic costs from the council website. Even a <10 people ceremony you'll be over a couple of hundred now even if you just wanted to pop down in your jeans then go home afterwards.

I enjoyed my big day and I think our costs were good for the size and since costs have shot up since then. And it was a tiny wedding compared to DH's first one. The debts from his first marriage lasted longer than the relationship did apparently.

28 years ago

wedding reception venue -£2500
my dress and accessories -£500
DH suit- about 200 and he wore it for years afterwards.
My ring- £500
DH’s ring- £30
car-£250
flowers-£100
cake-£100
registry office - I can’t remember
My hair and make up about £100. I had a makeover, bought all the products, practiced at home everyday for a week and used the make up until it all ran out.

Honeymoon- just under £1500

No bridesmaids or hen dos, DH had a night in the pub with his friends.

It's paying for the hotel rooms and the brunch for so many guests. You absolutely did NOT need to do that. I have been to weddings and paid for a night at the venue. I would never have expected NOT to pay for my own room.

So - definitely not a low key wedding, in the terms of what you are spending on it.

Yes, you used to be able to do it cheaply.
Good thing, we had no money to pay for anything more. Or else the house deposit would have taken longer!

So far it's looking at about £5k all in for ours later this year - church, dress, 3x bridesmaids & a flower girl, car (mates rates admittedly), drinks and cakes at church, drinks reception at reception venue, 3 course meal for 40, wine, fizz toast, band (mates rates), 2 drinks per guest (80). Not a hotel though, they are a rip off.

Ok groom and best man wearing suits they own, not paying for flowers as a wedding gift much are savings and we live near the venue so will be going home

That's good going, @mitogoshi !

We budgeted £10k hosting costs, £10k photos, dress, decorations, flowers, suits, music etc. And £10k honeymoon. Managed to do it in pretty luxurious way but that was 10 yrs ago and I got everything for about half price by negotiating/compromising etc.

It's pretty easy to see how you are paying so much. Covering accommodation and brunch and spending £2k on things like flowers is not a no frills wedding.

I've never been to a wedding where the couple paid for my accommodation. That's incredibly generous and costly to you.

To be fair (it’s way down the list on the website), there does still seem to be an option simply for registration with no ceremony or guests (beyond the witnesses) for £46 plus the notice. So that would be minimum £116 plus £11 per certificate. Still quite an increase from £9 though!

@Maireas

Well I have some distinct slightly outing advantages as to getting my costs down, it actually could have been £1500 cheaper but we went for the nicer venue (only £200 room hire but £3k minimum spend)

Indeed! 😄 Mind you, £9 did go further then.