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Original poster

How much did your wedding cost?

322 replies

WomanEmpire · 13/03/2018 11:08

Average wedding is around the £27k mark in the U.K. I can't think of a wedding I've attended or known of that could of cost this much? no judgement if people do pay this amount, but it seems pretty crazy! I can't believe that it is the average, unless most are paying £5k and the £1,000,000 do's are throwing off the averages?!

How much did your weddings cost?

OP posts:
fothermuckinnamechange · 13/03/2018 14:26

I've only been married for 3 months so I'm on £455 per day!

I'll come back in 20years!

Seafoodeatit · 13/03/2018 14:27

Small amount, food wise it was around £60 a head including drinks and there were about 20 people. Family circumstances just too difficult to have a big wedding, too many relatives and way out of balance to have a small family one - (for example I have 11 aunts and uncles and DH has just 1)

Original poster
WomanEmpire · 13/03/2018 14:29

Oh my goodness! Did not expect that volume of response. I was away doing our spreadsheet for our wedding costs (it's in a couple months)

We've got 40 ceremony guests and 90 reception guests. Looking around 3.5k in total but that is including rings and all the trimmings.

I also have 9 bridesmaids Blush very fortunate for our favourite bar to be cheap to rent out, we're not doing a free bar only drink on arrival, not a sit down meal it's a buffet and one of the bridesmaids mums is doing the flowers.

OP posts:
Seafoodeatit · 13/03/2018 14:29

I've been married for 7 years, when you consider the whole shebang was around £3k it's pretty cheap!

gillybeanz · 13/03/2018 14:32

less than 1k 25 years ago.
we decided to spend money on something important, like a house Grin

No, we had ds1 so couldn't justify a lot of money that was for just one day.
We had a small ceremony in my childhood church and a small luncheon reception in a barn conversion, later.
I hired the dress, parents paid for photographer and luncheon.
We didn't have a bar, just pointed folk in the region of nearest pub.
Lovely day, the photos are lovely and we are just as much in love as ever.

implantsandaDyson · 13/03/2018 14:33

About £4,500 twenty years ago. 90 guests at a local hotel. My dress, men suits etc were hired. A family friend made the bridesmaid dresses, invitations and other stationery was a gift. We had a 4 course sit down dinner and then an evening buffet for about another 30 or so people. My parents paid £3,000 of it, my in laws paid for the band and the buffet. I think the biggest stand alone cost was the photographer. The church didn't cost us anything - I think we gave the priest £50 and we laid on taxis from the church to the hotel, was literally 5 mins drive away.

I8toys · 13/03/2018 14:38

About £2k in 1996

IMBU · 13/03/2018 14:40

I probably paid around £25k-£30k. In hindsight it was £25k-£35k too much. Should never have married the fucker in the first place.

cheshiremama89 · 13/03/2018 14:53

£35k ish... probably over to be honest Hmm

brogueish · 13/03/2018 14:54

Around £1500 two years ago, and that included everything. We eloped overseas and had a very special "once in a lifetime" holiday.

cheshiremama89 · 13/03/2018 14:55

That didn't include my engagement ring...

Peanutbuttercheese · 13/03/2018 14:59

As it was 20 years ago put the figures in to a historical money calculator.

The amount Would be 4K now.

We had 100 people, a registry office, buffet in village hall and a disco. DH bought all wine and champagne duty free as it was back then. Bridesmaids dresses, photography and hair and make up were all done by friends who did those things for a living. That saved loads.

Best Buy was my dress £100 reduced from around £600.
£1.71 per day.

Merryhobnobs · 13/03/2018 15:01

£600 for rings.
£150 for registrar and ceremony at burgh chambers.
£85 on dress maybe £120 total on other accessories.
£45 on new kilt shoes for DH, he had rest of outfit.
£100 for flowers - bouquet for me and 4 button holes.

£250 on food for the surprise party we had after ceremony (mostly m&s food to order).
I don't know how much drink cost but people did bring their own as they thought it was just a housewarming/1st birthday party for our daughter.

My Mum bought my dress and accessories and she bought me MAC make up and I had a lesson a week before. My sister did my hair. They also sorted out the cakes and brought extra food/drinks. I was taken into the hospital 10 before wedding so may be a bit hazy on some of the costs.

WhyteKnyght · 13/03/2018 15:30

Around £12K. Silly money really, but it was a lovely wedding day and my parents paid for half of it. The vast bulk of the cost was in feeding and watering the 90 or so guests at around £100 a head plus a few extras for them. Then dress with alterations, outfit for DH, bridesmaids' dresses, flowers, cake, donation for the priest etc accounted for the rest (photographer was paid for by PIL). It felt scarily expensive but I think we did pretty well at avoiding costs we didn't want to pay (e.g. we had no live band, no wedding cars, no hair and makeup artists, no decorations other than the beautiful venue itself and the wedding flowers) and managed a few things homemade (invitations), second hand (my dress), or in the sales (bridesmaids' dresses) as appropriate without skimping on the things that mattered to us (I didn't want any evening-only guests, for example, or to have fewer bridesmaids than I had, and the venue was a significant one for me and DH). Actually, the only thing I regret is not paying for a video of the service, as it went by in a bit of a blur and I would love to be able to watch it all again for the memories.

I don't know how much DB's wedding was, but I imagine closer to the 27K mark than the 12K mark that ours was. The cost of their venue, catering etc must have been pretty staggering (was all beautifully done, though), and DSIL definitely budgeted a lot more than I did for her dress, bridesmaids' outfits, hair and makeup etc. I guess it all adds up.

blinkineckmum · 13/03/2018 15:35

Mine was £7k. That included rings, honeymoon, everything. I regret not spending a bit more on booze. We provided champagne toasts and wine with the meal but the bar was paying. We got a lot free (I did my make-up, my sister did my hair, friend did photography etc). But I think the guests had a good time.

WhyteKnyght · 13/03/2018 15:38

Oh, I forgot the honeymoon and also DH's wedding ring (mine were inherited so no cost there). So probably closer to 13K all in, or 14K-ish if you include the photographer we didn't pay for. Gosh. It's a lot!

MikeAlphaMikeAlpha · 13/03/2018 15:44

£10k, Went to Vegas took our best buds with us and had an amazing time. I think weddings are down to personal choice, i've been to lovely registry office weddings and stately home weddings, most expensive was just shy of £50k. It's more about personal choice and sticking to your means, definitely not worth getting into debt over one day of your life.

LexieLulu · 13/03/2018 15:50

I got married in Vegas, wedding in little white chapel was a few hundred dollars.

Dress was from eBay, cost about £80.

Holiday cost about £1800 for the two of us. Plus spends x

Justabadwife · 13/03/2018 15:51

Probably close to 15k, that's all in, 100 day guests plus an additional 60 night guests, venue, dress, suits, champagne lake cruise, and lots of alcohol.❤
It was amazing, the best day ever.

applesauce1 · 13/03/2018 15:56

About £13,000
We had a church wedding (artificial flowers part of the church package - very affordable) and a reception in a manor house for over 100 guests. We had 8 months to plan so made super quick decisions mainly based on what was affordable. I did all of the wedding stationery myself including design and printing (that saved us an enormous amount). Borrowed a family friend's car, made a photo booth myself, did centre pieces our selves and had a great deal on the venue as it was under renovation and we booked it before it was finished.
Oh and instead of booking a 'wedding videographer', we booked a much cheaper freelance videographer who I ended up over-paying as he daily rate was so ridiculously low and he did such an amazing job.
None of that includes the honeymoon though...

Honestly, I would have been just as happy eloping and doing it in a registry office. A lot of our decisions were based on what our families wanted. We didn't mind either way as long as we were married at the end of it :)

BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou · 13/03/2018 16:29

So using that inflation adjuster mine was £2200 in today’s money but I didn’t include my rings in that.y engagement ring was £140, wedding ring £20.

Dress and veil £180. Flowers £80. Church fees £30. Photos £300. Car £50. DH wore a suit he already had. Fabric for bridesmaids dresses £60 (dresses made for free). The rest of the money went on a local hall, meal for 30 guests, evening disco with buffet food provided by us and family.

Honeymoon not included as FIL paid - four nights in the Forest of Dean.

Catinthebath · 13/03/2018 16:31

Mine cost £400, an elopement. I’ve been to a £50k wedding and found the level of stage management off putting. Felt very stilted.

DrCoconut · 13/03/2018 16:42

£2,500 in 2006. Included a city break honeymoon. I'm now in the process of divorcing him and hoping this doesn't cost me more to get out of than it cost to get into!

LambMadras · 13/03/2018 16:43

20k in 2012

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