PLANNING YOUR WEDDING BUDGET
- realistic estimates that will help you stay within the budget -
Due to some popular demand, I want to talk about the important things to you!
Working out your wedding budget is super important and one of the early activities you should put the time aside for to ensure you plan realistically and that you don’t overspend where you don’t want to or need to.
It is very easy to get caught up in the excitement of wedding planning and go overboard before you realise it - I’ve been there just before our wedding in 2018, which is why I now work out a budget with my couples first. This is when we identify your must have’s, wants, desires and priorities. Similarly to mood boards, you’ll very quickly identify what’s important to you and where there is the flexibility to downsize or upgrade.
According to Hitched UK, the average UK wedding is £32,000 including the honeymoon, but statistics vary starting from £20,000. Don’t worry if this is not what you had in mind, but do remain realistic that a wedding could easily cost you a deposit for your first house or a new car.
Would you need help identifying and understanding your budget, message me in the chatbox today – this could be your one-off consultation that will save you a lot of headaches further down the line.
How to assess your budget?
Have an honest conversation together and identify your savings, how much you could contribute to the wedding before your day comes and if there are any other prospective contributors.
The last thing you want is anxiety about where the money comes from to fund your special day.
Once you’ve figured it out, you can start breaking things down into each individual item on your wedding list – you might wonder… how will I know the expected price to pay?
Want to find out more – check out the full blog below.
What can I expect to pay for…?
FLORIST
Flowers such as bouquets and centerpieces are such a personal taste and therefore it is difficult to put an average price tag on these beautiful decorations, however, I can help you with a range of pricing for your estimate. Most prices will vary dependent on the season and therefore the price of the flowers at the market.
Decent-sized bridal bouquets in Edinburgh, Scotland will cost you in the region of £100-125, bridesmaid’s bouquets around £85 a piece, buttonholes and corsages will be around £15 each.
When it comes to centerpieces this is where the real differences happen and this can be influenced by the size of your arrangements, smaller low arrangements will start from £150 each, but the more opulent and sizable arrangements you would like to have, the more you will pay, on average many of my couples work with a budget of £300 to £500 per centerpiece.
Another trick that might help you maximise your wedding budget when it comes to florals is considering seasonal flowers, flowers out of season can be up to 4/5 times as expensive and therefore downsize your arrangement.
Additionally, you might want to consider artificial hire filled in with fresh floral accents – artificial florals nowadays offer higher quality than ever before and almost natural look to build your structure, accented with fresh florals, they can make a truly impressive arrangement and they are a lot more durable when transported or setup outside even in windy conditions.
Are my floral estimates in the region of what you’ve considered for your wedding? Let me know in the comments below.
VENUE HIRE
The biggest element of your wedding budget will be wedding venue-related expenses, and these can vary dramatically.
Hotels and venues with all-inclusive packages might offer more competitive hire rates based on set minimum numbers. On the other hand, exclusive use or dry hire venues might offer you more flexibility and the ability to do your wedding your way!
Venue hires can start from £2,000 for all-inclusive package venues or mid-week hires, to £10,000+ for peak dates and multiple days hires at exclusive-use estates and dry hire venues.
Always check that you understand exactly what they include, because some venues will only offer bare walls and the rest is for you to arrange – so look out for A) accommodation inclusions, B) equipment provisions such as tables, chairs, linens, cutlery, crockery and glassware, C) VAT inclusions and D) additional things you might need to hire such as PA system for your music, staging, lighting, heating, power, toilets, catering units, etc.
Did you know that there’s such a vast choice of options available for you? Chatbox message me today if you’d like a bit of help navigating your way around venue hires, I can also negotiate special rates for you too.
CATERING
This is another area of your wedding that will consume a big part of your budget – quite literally consume, did you see what I’ve done there? 😊
All-inclusive venue package will take care of it all for you, however, you might want to consider upgrades if food is important to you and your guests’ experience – menu tastings are brilliant for that!
External catering can provide you with more flexibility on the format of the dining choices available – anything from buffets, plated or family-style service or even BBQs.
Food catering will range from £100 per person to £150+ per person – it will very much depend on the style of catering, the number of courses, the choice of options on the day, and so on.
On the other hand, you’ll also need to consider your beverages too!
Once again all-inclusive packages will look after the main parts of your wedding from the drinks reception to your meal, after that, you will be offered a bar facility paid for by guests or something called an Account bar where you can provide some or all drinks to your guests on the account.
With dry hire venues, you might need to arrange for a bar service to cover service on the day, glassware, ice, setup and derig – some catering companies will offer this as an extra to their catering, so that you’re not having to source another service separately. Dry hire beverage fees may vary from per spend or per volume corkage to flat service fee – as an average, you’ll be looking at £1,500.00 to £3,000.00
Were you aware of these options and charges to consider for your special day? Give me ❤️ in the comments below if this has helped you to understand your wedding budget better.
WEDDING CAKE
Wedding cakes are also such a personal taste – these days you can have three-dimensional character cakes, naked cakes, statement cakes, cake swings, upside-down cakes, tower cakes, you name it- there’s probably somebody out there who has done it before or would love a challenge.
The average spends I am familiar with working with my couples ranges from £500 to £1,500 and you’ll have plenty of flavour choices available serving an average of 100 guests.
If you would like to go for a much more personalised choice, you will be offered upgrades and extras to supplement your vision.
What cakes have you considered for your special day? Let me know in the comment boxes below.
LIVE MUSIC
A very important element of your wedding day, but don’t just focus on your evening entertainment, remember to consider your ceremony music, background music for drinks reception and meal.
Music makes such an integral part of your special day and it can truly make or break the atmosphere of your wedding.
String quartets are very popular to accompany ceremonies and drinks receptions and can offer their services from £650 to £1,000, but if live music isn’t your priority ensure you check your venue for PA system and if you could connect a device to supply some music for these parts of your day.
Nighttime entertainment again is down to each individual preference, some couples will choose Ceilidh only bands, some will select Ceilidh + covers band, others will book a DJ.
Bands start from £1,500 and DJs start from £500 – if you’re going for mix of music such as Ceilidh and covers or band and DJ or DJ + saxophone player – prices will automatically reflect these additional extras. As an average you’re looking at £1,500 to £3,500 for your evening entertainment.
What choice of evening music are you going for? Let me know in the comments below.
CEREMONY
This can vary between belief bodies, independents, and legal fees.
As of January 2023 in Edinburgh, Scotland, your legal fees include – M10 form (Lodging marriage notices) is £90 per couple and marriage certificate is £10 per certificate.
In addition to that you’ll need to pay your ceremony room hire fee and celebrant, registrar or religious officiant fees – these can vary from £450 to £700 per ceremony.
Without these your ceremony will not be legally binding; therefore you need to ensure you cover all fees and remember venues don’t cover legal fees.
If you need help with organizing your ceremony paperwork, go ahead and book one of my one-off consultations today and we can get it all organised for you and have it checked ready to be submitted.
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY / VIDEOGRAPHY
I would almost want to say that wedding photography is the second most important element of your event after the ceremony as photography will remain the biggest tangible memory of your special day and you want to make sure it is captured perfectly.
Therefore, price tag for photography and videography reflects the detailed work it requires – it is the hours of preparing, shooting on the day and then weeks of editing.
Wedding photography can vary from £1,500 to £3,000 on average – this will also depend on the demand, peak/off-peak dates and travel.
Wedding videography can vary from £2,000 to £10,000 on average – this very much relates to the production required for your desired video and if international travel is required, this might also add to the overall cost of production.
Would you need some advice on recommended suppliers? Why not download one of “my resources” available on my website?
HAIR AND MAKEUP
This is an important element of the wedding where all the girls in the wedding party get to relax and unwind ahead of the big day. Don’t sorry boys, you’ll get looked after too!
For wedding trials, you can expect to pay in the region of £85 for hair and £85 for makeup.
For on the day hair and make-up you can be looking at anywhere from £85-100 per service for the Bride and in the region of £75-90 per service for Bridesmaids and Mums. Some bridal salons will charge an additional venue fee if they’ve got to leave the studio to carry out your hair and makeup – this fee can vary from £80-£120.
Have you considered your on-the-day hair and makeup arrangements – how many you’ll need it for? Will you do it at the venue or in the studio? Chatbox message me today if you need a bit of support with this.
HONEYMOON
According to Hitched UK, the average destination honeymoon for UK couples costs nearly £5,000 and although some couple opt in for mini-moon first with an average of £1,100 – you might need to identify your preference on the matter.
Some couples try to finance their wedding entirely from their saving, earnings and family support, while asking guests for contributions towards their dream honeymoon – would you consider that option? Give me Y for yes or N for no in the comment boxes below.
WEDDING RINGS
Weddings traditionally can’t happen without a wedding band, although traditionally, it was the Bridegroom that offer a wedding ring to his Bride, these days you will likely both exchange your rings during a wedding ceremony, but how much do you think you’ll spend on your bands?
The average UK couple invests around £2,500 into their wedding rings – have you considered your options yet?
Why not chat box message me today for a referral to my recommended jewelers to offer you the best deals possible?
WEDDING OUTFITS
So, you’ve always dreamt of this perfect white gown, or maybe not! There will be some considerable amount of time you might want to spend on considering just the perfect fit and feel for your wedding dress.
The same will apply to gent’s outfits, no matter if its suits, kilts or tuxedo, you should consider colours, fits and all the accessories that come with it.
Average UK wedding dress will cost you between £1,000 to £3,000 and bridesmaid’s dresses will range from £100 to £500 each.
Finally, Gents outfits can very, because if you’re hiring you’ll be considering outfits in the region of £125 per hire per outfit, however, tailor-made outfits will start from £500 to £2,000 on average per outfit, this applies to both kilts and tailor-made suits.
Have you booked your dress shopping appointments or kilt fittings? Not sure where to start? Chatbox message me today to take care of it all for you.
COST SAVING
When you’ve assessed your budget and you realise it is a little steep, you might want to reassess a couple of things:
- Consider your guests numbers again – venue and catering will be your higher cost, the more guests you invite, the higher overall cost of the wedding will become – think about it, average wedding guest costs you in the region of £100-£200 per person
- Consider your date – could you move to off-peak dates to benefit from special venue deals or move your wedding back by a year, how much could you save in that extra year?
Would you need more help assessing your wedding budget? Why not book one of my one-off consultation? I can help you make sense of your wedding spending, and often ensure money savings!
MOST FORGOTTEN COSTS
