Money • 7 min read
How to budget for your wedding
A practical UK framework: what things cost, what order to book them in, and where the hidden money goes.
Start from the number you can genuinely spend, not from an average you read online. Then split it before you fall in love with anything — because the first booking you make sets the ceiling for everything after it.
A workable split
For a typical UK full-day wedding, this allocation holds up well and is easy to flex:
- Venue hire: 20-25%
- Food and drink: 30-35%
- Photography and film: 10-12%
- Entertainment and production: 8-12%
- Flowers, styling and stationery: 8-10%
- Attire, rings and beauty: 8-10%
- Contingency: 8-10% — untouched until the final month
The costs people forget
Almost every overspend in the UK comes from the same short list: VAT quoted separately, service charge on catering, corkage, overtime beyond midnight, supplier meals, generators and loos on a dry-hire site, insurance, and the cost of getting guests home.
Ask every supplier for a quote that is inclusive of VAT, delivery, setup, breakdown and overtime rates. A cheaper headline price with three exclusions is not cheaper.
Levers that actually move the number
Guest count is the single most powerful lever — each head carries food, drink, china, chairs, favours and cake. After that comes the date: a Friday in March can cost 30% less than a Saturday in September at the same venue. Then the format: a long lunch with an early finish, or a drinks-and-canapé reception, costs materially less than a full sit-down with an evening buffet.
Finally, protect the contingency. Wedding insurance is inexpensive in the UK and covers supplier failure and cancellation; pay deposits by credit card where possible for the additional protection.
