Budgeting for your wedding can appear a daunting task at first. Where does one begin? How much does everything typically cost? How much money do I have to work with?! While we have many blogs that will help you navigate this minefield, such as How to Set a Wedding Budget, 3 Tips to Avoid Overspending on Your Wedding, and How to Stick to Your Wedding Budget, finding vendors and handy tips to help keep the budget low are often tricky to come by.
We are aware everyone has different priorities when it comes to planning a wedding, so the average £30K wedding budget just doesn't suit the majority of couples. Luckily, the team at Guides for Brides have your back! From vendors to nifty money saving tips, we have the knowhow when it comes to planning a wedding under £10,000.
Ceremony Fees and Giving Notice
Budget depends on your preference and will range from £150 - 500.
In order for you to have a legally binding marriage or civil partnership ceremony, you'll need to account for giving notice and any ceremony fees. Giving notice is £35 per person and you'll need to do this at least 29 days in advance of saying "I Do".
If you are getting married in a church or wedding venue, ceremony fees are around £500, but will vary depending on where you are getting married. No matter what size of wedding you choose, you will still pay these ceremony fees.
If you are looking to save some money, there is an alternative option. You can get the legal bit sorted by having your ceremony in a Town Hall or Registry Office. You'll still need to give notice, but you'll find that having your legal ceremony mid-morning, in the middle of the week will be significantly less than the ceremony fees at a church or venue. We advise budgeting about £150-£200 in total if you are opting for this choice.
Venue and Catering
Image courtesy of Kemp & Kemp Catering
We recommend budgeting £4,250 for your venue and catering.
As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that about 45% of your overall budget goes towards your venue and catering. The venue and catering tends to be the largest cost in a wedding, hence this budget recommendation.
In order to drastically reduce costs for your venue and catering, it is important to consider when your wedding is being held and who you are inviting. Hosting your wedding mid-week and off-season will quickly cut costs, while having a small guest list can allow for a smaller venue and less people to feed.
It is wise to consider local hotels as a potential wedding destination. Local hotels often come with package deals that will allow you to save money on catering, drinks and entertainment. For budget friendly wedding venues, check out our Budget Wedding Venue selection on the Guides for Brides website.
If you have 40 guests for your wedding breakfast, this will give you a budget for approximately £32 a head. By skipping the starter and only providing a main course you will be able to successfully feed all your guests on a budget. In addition, when deciding venue, it is imperative you check to see if they allow for a buffet-style menu. Swapping out a formal meal for a more relaxed dining experience will drop the cost of catering significantly.
Top tip: welcome guests with a champagne cocktail. This will allow you to stretch the fizz further!
Wedding Attire
We recommend budgeting approximately £1,100.
Wedding Dress -
Your wedding gown can also be a considerably large cost for something you only wear once! However, having a budget-friendly wedding doesn't necessarily mean sacrificing that designer dress you have always dreamt about. By getting in contact with bridal boutiques, they may be able to inform you of any upcoming sample sales or direct you towards their sample rack. For some much-loved bridal boutiques, check out our Wedding Bridal Wear on the Guides for Brides website.
However, having a £10,000 wedding is likely to require you to sacrifice that designer dress you've had saved on your Pinterest for years. However, this is not the end of the world! We understand that on your special day you want to look your best, therefore we have pulled together a selection of stunning gowns under £800 that will make you question why you ever considered a dress so costly!
ASOS - £375
This romantic and whimsical dress is perfect for that feminine bride. The combination of delicate lacing and tulle partner well to create the perfect wedding dress.
Ghost - £495
Timeless and elegant, the Laurel dress is a striking design. The purity of its high-neck collar is offset with a dramatic, diamond-shape cut-out and keyhole detail to the back. Cut into a slim fitting shape, this dress elegantly hugs the figure that will create the perfect silhouette for your big day.
Bridesmaids and Groomsmen -
When choosing your bridesmaids and groomsmen, it is important to keep your wedding budget in the forefront of your mind. The bigger your bridal party, the bigger the cost. With a wedding budget of £10,000, we recommend having around 3 or 4 bridesmaids and groomsmen.
If the groom and groomsmen already own a classic suit, just ask them to wear them so you can spend a little extra getting them matching ties to suit the wedding colour pallet. Furthermore, you can request your bridesmaids wear a dress with a certain colour in it, or ask them to wear a specific dress shape. This will cut the cost as this will require them to bring in their own dresses. With mismatched bridesmaids dresses being a large and popular trend at the moment, this money saving hack will be very effective.
If you are willing to spend a little more on wedding attire, hiring groomsmen's suits is a possible expense on a £10,000 budget. Renting a suit comes in at around £100.
Hair and Makeup -
Unless this is a priority that you are happy to move money around to afford, when planning for a £10,000 wedding budget limit, hiring a professional hair and makeup artist is often an element that needs to be sacrificed. However, with many helpful YouTube videos at your fingertips this is no cause for concern. Just remember to do a few trial runs before the big day so you know how long you need to get ready and have a set routine in place!
Wedding Flowers
We recommend budgeting approximately £350.
Wedding florals can quickly add up. In order to allow for your dream flowers, we have come up with lots of helpful tips to achieve beautiful florals on a budget in our Wedding Under 5K blog. However, if you are willing to splash out a little more on florals we have you covered.
Bouquets for all your bridesmaids can become very expensive therefore you may want to contemplate the advantages of having cheaper blooms for them. For example, gypsophila make a gorgeous bouquet for very little money. With this money saving hack, you may have enough in the budget to commit to floral buttonholes for the groom and groomsmen.
Wedding Cake
We recommend budgeting approximately £175.
The cutting of the cake can be a ceremonial and traditional moment of the wedding day. However, if a tradition feels like an unnecessary expense do NOT feel pressured into complying with the crowd! A lot of couples are tending to swap out the traditional tiered wedding cake for something less formal, such as cupcakes or brownies! Not only are these sweet treats tasty but they are also considerably cheaper.
However if you love this tradition, don't feel restricted by your budget! There are many ways to avoid spending a fortune on a tiered wedding cake while still maintaining this tradition. For example, you can spend a significantly smaller sum of money on a standard tiered cake by decorating the cake yourself! Etsy, along with other brands, have many cheap cake decorations such as cake toppers and ribbon trimming.
In addition, you can add artificial tiers to your cake by building some layers out of polystyrene and covering it in frosting. It will look incredible, and no one will know the difference!
Lola's Cupcakes - £60-£90
We adore Lola's cupcakes for an affordable option for you sweet treats on your wedding day!
For details on some brilliant cake vendors, click this link!
Wedding Photographer
We recommend budgeting approximately £1,000.
You will struggle to find a professional wedding photographer for under £1,000. However, if you find a photographer you love then make sure you have a detailed conversation with them. There are often some hidden costs that can be negotiated, such as not including a photo album.
By suggesting to your photographer that they only capture certain parts of the wedding, such as the ceremony and specific group shots, you will cut costs significantly too. Luckily, with your guests snapping away on their phones for free, there will be no shortage of gorgeous photos from your big day!
For details on some talented photographers, clink this link!
Music and Entertainment
We recommend budgeting approximately £400.
If you haven't opted in for a wedding package, you can hire a DJ for around £500 for an evening party.
By relying on a Spotify or Apple Music playlist for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, you will significantly cut costs. Take a look at our Top 50 Wedding Songs of All Time blog for some music inspiration!
Carry on budgeting with the help of our Wedding Budget Calculator; it will help you prioritise your money and give you a rough guide on how much you should be spending on each supplier.
