How to Budget for a Wedding in the UK (Without Losing Your Mind)

The average UK wedding now costs a little over £20,000. That number is useful for one thing only: reminding you that it's an average. Plenty of lovely weddings cost £6,000, and plenty cost £60,000. What matters is setting a number you are genuinely comfortable with and then telling every pound where to go. ## Start with the money you actually have Before you look at a single venue, sit down together and work out three figures: savings you're happy to spend, what you can realistically put aside each month until the date, and any contributions family have firmly offered. "Firmly" is doing a lot of work there. Only count money that has been promised, not hinted at. Add them up and that's your budget. Then take 5 to 10 percent off the top and park it as a contingency. You will use it. ## Where the money usually goes For most UK couples the venue and catering take the biggest share, often around 40 to 45 percent together. After that, roughly: - Photography and video: 10 to 12 percent - Outfits, hair and make-up: 8 to 10 percent - Flowers and styling: 6 to 8 percent - Entertainment: 5 to 7 percent - Stationery, cake, favours, transport and rings share what's left These are starting points, not rules. If photos matter more to you than flowers, move the money. Our [wedding budget calculator](/tools/wedding-budget-calculator) splits your total using real UK venue prices from listings on Ever After List. ## Guest numbers are the biggest lever Every extra guest costs you food, drink, a chair, a favour and a bit of the venue. At £90 to £130 a head for a sit-down meal and drinks, cutting 20 guests can save £2,000 or more. It's the hardest conversation and the most effective one. ## Watch for the costs nobody mentions - VAT: check whether quotes include it. Many suppliers are VAT registered and add 20 percent on top. - Corkage if you bring your own drink - Service charges on catering, often 10 to 12.5 percent - Evening food, which people forget about until 9pm - Registrar fees and the notice of marriage fee - Suppliers' travel and accommodation if you're marrying far from them ## Track it as you go Keep every quote, deposit and payment date in one place. Ever After List couples get a free budget tracker in the planning dashboard and the app, and you can share it with your partner so you're both looking at the same numbers. ## When you go over You probably will somewhere. When it happens, take the money from a category you care less about rather than from the contingency. The contingency is for genuine surprises, like the florist's van breaking down, not for upgrading the cake.

How to Budget for a Wedding in the UK (Without Losing Your Mind)

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