How to plan your dream wedding without breaking the bank
A typical wedding in London costs £36,000. Here’s how to cut costs without ruining your big day
The average cost of a wedding was £21,000 in 2023, according to wedding planning app Bridebook, but that rose to £36,000 if you got married in London. So where can you cut back? “Ditch the wedding favours,” says Elizabeth Anderson in The Times; “these simply get left on the tables or thrown away. Extras such as flip-flops and blankets for sitting outside are also unlikely to be used.” Some couples are also foregoing a cake. With a multi-tier, professionally baked cake costing more than £1,600, it is an easy way to save money. Either opt for a store-bought cake you – or a talented family member or friend – decorate, or have no cake at all.
When you are setting the date, consider that “going out of season can lead to serious savings”, Zoe Burke, editor of Hitched, told the Daily Express. Getting married midweek can slash your venue costs. The average venue will set you back £9,877, including catering, according to Bridebook. A Tuesday wedding cost an overall average of £16,273 last year. A brand-new designer wedding dress can cost thousands, but you can find a far cheaper option on the high street – or buy a “‘pre-loved’ dress”, says Matthew Jenkin in The Guardian. You can search online for second-hand dresses at StillWhite, or Oxfam has a whole section of its website dedicated to weddings, with dresses, accessories and suits.
Cutting your guest list will help. The average couple spent £5,732 on catering for 89 guests last year: £64 a head. Also, look for a venue with in-house catering, as that saves an average £1,200, according to Anderson.
Try 6 free issues of MoneyWeek today
Get unparalleled financial insight, analysis and expert opinion you can profit from.
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Ditch the wedding invitations
When it comes to invitations, scrap the paper and opt for a wedding website instead. You’ll save hundreds of pounds as the websites are usually free. “You can use them to collate your guests’ emails and send out save-the-dates, invitations and thank-you cards,” says Alison Rios McCrone in Metro. “It’s also handy to have one place where attendees can source all the information they need about your big day, and you can easily keep track of everyone coming.”
You can expect to pay around £1,500 for eight hours of a photographer’s time on the day, along with digital prints. Be wary of budget photographers charging £500 or less. “This tends to be the price bracket where photographers over-commit and underperform,” says Anderson. It makes sense to insure your big day. Wedding insurance will cover you if the venue goes bust or a supplier lets you down, but may not pay out if the bride or groom gets cold feet. A policy to cover a £20,000 wedding will cost around £150. Finally, if you’re a guest at a wedding, you can expect to spend an average £400, according to research by Aviva. Guests can cut costs by booking their travel in advance, car sharing and clubbing together with other guests to buy a gift.
This article was first published in MoneyWeek's magazine. Enjoy exclusive early access to news, opinion and analysis from our team of financial experts with a MoneyWeek subscription.
-
Pensioners ‘running down larger pots’ to avoid inheritance tax as rule change loomsChanges to inheritance tax (IHT) rules for unused pension pots from April 2027 could trigger an ‘exodus of large defined contribution pension pots’, as retirees spend their savings rather than leave their loved ones with an IHT bill.
-
Why do experts think emerging markets will outperform?Emerging markets were one of the top-performing themes of 2025, but they could have further to run as global investors diversify
-
Financial education: how to teach your children about moneyFinancial education was added to the national curriculum more than a decade ago, but it doesn’t seem to have done much good. It’s time to take back control
-
Rachel Reeves 'should hand back the cash' from bumper tax haulOpinion Chancellor Rachel Reeves is cheering higher-than-expected tax receipts. But where has the money come from?
-
Why annuities are back in fashion for retireesThe appeal of annuities has been boosted by higher interest rates. So should you buy an annuity with part of your pension savings?
-
Default pension funds: what’s in your workplace pension?Default pension funds will often not be the best option for young savers or experienced investors
-
Plan 2 student loans: a tax on aspiration?The Plan 2 student loan system is not only unfair, but introduces perverse incentives that act as a brake on growth and productivity. Change is overdue, says Simon Wilson
-
Why it might be time to switch your pension strategyYour pension strategy may need tweaking – with many pension experts now arguing that 75 should be the pivotal age in your retirement planning.
-
Rachel Reeves is rediscovering the Laffer curveOpinion If you keep raising taxes, at some point, you start to bring in less revenue. Rachel Reeves has shown the way, says Matthew Lynn
-
ISA reforms will destroy the last relic of the Thatcher eraOpinion With the ISA under attack, the Labour government has now started to destroy the last relic of the Thatcher era, returning the economy to the dysfunctional 1970s
