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FAQs About Starting to Plan a Wedding
The first thing you need to book for your wedding is the venue. There are over 7500 wedding venues in the UK, giving you plenty of options to choose from for your big day. So, make sure you do your research to find the right wedding venue that fits your style, budget and requirements for capacity, catering and the wedding ceremony.
To give you a starting point, the average UK couple spends around £23,000 on their big day; but the cost of your wedding will depend on your location, the level of luxury you opt for and how many guests you have. There is no right or wrong amount to spend on a wedding day and your wedding budget will wholly depend on your personal circumstances and choices.
Most couples will begin planning a wedding 12-18 months before the big day. This allows you plenty of time to get everything organised, from the big elements like the wedding venue, food and photographer, down to the small details like the cake topper and bridesmaids dresses. However, many couples will also plan well in advance with over 2 years to go before their wedding and others have done it in less than 6 months! It's entirely down to you and your partner, how long you'd like your engagement to be and, of course, the availability of your chosen wedding venue.
Traditionally, the parents of the bride would pay for the wedding, but of course today, that's a little outdated. Many couples will pay for the wedding themselves or receive financial contributions from family members on both sides. In our March 2023 survey, we discovered that over 48% of couples received financial contributions from parents to help pay for their wedding day.