The Most Expensive Parts of a Dream Wedding

When couples are planning a wedding, a common question arises: why are weddings so expensive? The simple answer is that a wedding has many moving parts and requires specific services from different people and businesses to come together for a single date. 

But let’s be honest, that doesn’t really answer the question. Thankfully, that’s where this wedding expense breakdown comes in. It looks at the most expensive aspects of a wedding to help make sense of the costs, but more importantly, to help you accurately budget for your big day.

Venue

A venue sets the tone and theme of a wedding and allows all your other wedding plans and dreams to fall into place. In many ways, finding the right venue is the cornerstone of bringing a dream wedding to life. So, it’s unsurprising that it’s also one of the most expensive components of a wedding, estimated to be about one-third of most wedding budgets. 

But what is it about wedding venues that makes them so expensive? A few factors add to the cost, including venue type, location, size, and the services or equipment included.

From a castle to a barn, each type of venue must be maintained beyond just the wedding day to keep it in good operating condition. So even if you’ve opted for a more relaxed venue, you’ll still encounter fees from the general maintenance (like cleaning or landscaping). Regardless of the type of venue, its location and time of year will also impact the price — just as homes cost more in some places, so does booking a venue. 

A venue typically offers more than just a place to say “I do” or have a grand party; it also might offer other essential elements for a wedding like chairs, tables, table linens, music or audio equipment, and in some cases, even catering. The availability of each of these things inevitably affects the cost of the venue.

Another notable cost-driving factor is the level of exclusivity a venue offers. With a wedding, you’ll get an exclusive room or entire location, and this means the venue is giving up revenue that it might get if it were available to more people (particularly in the case of venue options like a restaurant or golf club).

On average, a wedding venue in the UK will run from £8,000 - £12,000.

Food & Drinks

Following the costs of the venue, and in some cases even exceeding the costs, are the food and drinks you’ll offer your guests. Many couples consider this an essential element of the wedding to focus on because it plays such a big part in creating an enjoyable experience for their guests — even if the cost of a delicious plate of food paired with an excellent wine adds up. 

On average, couples spend about a quarter of their budget on food. As with the venue, there are many elements at play regarding the cost of food for your guests. Everything from the wedding location and season to the number of guests you have will impact catering costs. The average price for catering at a wedding is £70 per person, with most couples spending between £5,000 and £6,000. 

Many couples often opt for a wedding cake, and this too comes with a cost ranging on average between £400 to £500. 

Wedding Attire 

When it comes to what you’ll wear on the big day, the costs can add up to a significant chunk of the budget. A wedding dress typically rings in at over £1,300, while a suit is over £700. Beyond dresses and suits, there’s also the cost of the wedding rings and other accessories, which, while variable, typically falls into the price area of £3,000.

Many wedding parties will also opt for additional things that require professionals, including hair stylists and makeup artists, to be present on the day of the wedding, which roughly adds another £700. 

Photography & Videography

Documenting your wedding day is a top priority for many couples. After all, it’s a huge milestone, and the photos will be cherished for a lifetime. Photography and videography for weddings can end up being a significant part of a budget, but they are worthwhile investments. The cost will depend on the types of photos and videos you want and the reputation and quality of the photographer or videographer. 

On average, a photographer and videographer each fall into the range of £1,500 to £2,000.

Flowers

Last on this list is the expense of the wedding flowers. A florist can be a surprisingly significant expense, costing almost as much as a photographer at around £1,200. The costs here are associated with your florist’s skill and sourcing the right flowers for your wedding vision.

It All Adds Up...

This year, the typical cost for a wedding in the UK is £20,775, a rise from a year ago. But this average makes sense when you consider how much the cost of living has changed and how many different skilled professionals go into making your big day a dream come true.

If seeing all these costs together makes you feel like you can only afford the wedding of your dreams by winning a jackpot through the lottery or a site like casinos.com, you’re not alone. Thankfully, there are many things you can do to help bring wedding costs down if you’re willing to compromise or take on some DIY projects.

And remember, at the end of the day, it’s about creating a day you and your future spouse will cherish. Preparing your budget and mindset before making these expensive decisions can help reduce stress so that you can focus on what’s most important: celebrating this milestone and the start of a new chapter in your lives together.