The Ultimate Guide to a £25,000 Wedding Budget
£25,000 appears a lot of money but it's easy to get carried away - that's why we've created a budget breakdown to guide you along the way
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According to our 21st Century Bridewedding survey, the average wedding cost in the UK is £32,273.
As much as this may sound, it’s really easy to over-spend in places where you shouldn’t! If your wedding budget is coming in at just under the average figure at £25,000 then our helpful guide will help you know where to spend your money.
Venue – £8,500
Image: Froyle Park – Hampshire
The venue will most likely be one of the biggest chunks of your budget, so having £8,500 to spend on it can make life a lot easier. With a bit more budget than most people, you can afford to look at stately home wedding venues. These prices may still be a bit high so look out for deals in months like April and October which fall in mid-wedding-season as opposed to a more peak time.
Ceremony Fees – £500
The cost of your ceremony fees will always be around £500 whether you’re planning a £3,000 wedding or a £300,000 wedding so be sure to set this amount aside.
The Dress – £1,750
With a £1,750 budget, you can afford to get yourself a really gorgeous elegant wedding dress. Most bridal shops will stock dresses between £950 and £2,000 which gives you plenty of choice within your budget. As gorgeous as the dress itself will be, make sure you put some extra money aside in case of any alterations especially if your gown has a really intricate pattern or lace stitching that can be hard to alter.
Wedding Shoes – £120
£120 may not be quite enough to get your hands on a pair of designer wedding shoes but it will certainly buy you a gorgeous pair of killer heels to walk down the aisle in. High end retailers and specialist wedding heel brands will have gorgeous designs that will have you spoiled for choice with a budget like this.
READ MORE: 19 High Street Wedding Shoes That Look Seriously High End
Accessories – £130
With a larger wedding dress budget of £1,750 – it is less likely that you will need lots of accessories to go with your outfit but £130 can go a long way when it comes to jewellery. If you want a minimal look, shop around for diamond studs and a dainty necklace set from brands such as Swarovski and Pandora who will have beautiful sparkly choices for you.
Bridesmaids – £350
A budget of £350 for your bridesmaids can work really well. If you are having the UK average of three bridesmaids, you can buy beautiful bridesmaid dresses for under £100 – like this gorgeous bridesmaid gown from Oasis.
Grooms Wear – £400
Renting your groomsmen suits can easily be done at a budget of £400. High street wedding suit stores usually rent suits out at around £100 each and will do deals such as ‘rent four suits, get the fifth free’ which gives you plenty of dapper wear for the groom, two ushers, father of the bride and father of the groom.
Hair and Makeup – £300
Being able to splash out more money on hair and makeup is a luxury that comes with a £25,000 wedding budget. £300 should comfortably buy you the pleasure of having a hair and make-up trial (or two) before the big day so you can pinpoint, experience and master the exact look you want.
READ MORE: Browse Wedding Hair & Make Up Artists
Photographer – £2,000
This budget gives you room to opt for slightly higher priced packages and even buy extras such as multiple copies of the photo album, a pre-wedding day shoot and even digital copies of the album. Each photographer will price their packages differently and offer different levels of service so make sure you look for the one that best suits you and your partner.
Reception Décor – £400
Image: Wedhead Styling and Hire
To make your gorgeous wedding venue look extra special, set aside around £400 to decorate it. This can be spent on glitzy table cloths, personalised centrepieces or as many paper pompoms as your hearts could possibly desire. With such a big décor budget, the possibilities are endless and if you consider DIY wedding décor ideas, the budget will stretch even further.
Flowers – £1,000
Image: La Belle Floral Design
With all wedding flowers, it’s nice to have a slightly more extravagant bouquet for the bride and more modest ones for the bridesmaids. However you decide to do it, with a sum of £900, it’s worth going to a florist and seeing what they can do for that price. As the budget is fairly high for, you may be able to get buttonhole flowers and some extra added details in your bouquets.
READ MORE: Expert Advice on Choosing Your Wedding Flowers
Stationery – £300
Image: PaperGrace
Spending £300 on your wedding stationery gives you enough budget to send out invitations, thank you cards and possibly even enough to include your table place cards. Look for a stationery company who you love enough to do everything for you and that may help keep the price within budget.
Catering – £5,500
If you are having a big wedding, you can feed 80 guests at £65 a head for £5,200 or alternatively 65 guests for £80 a head. By sticking to these numbers it gives you £300 to play around with and have as a cushion in case there are any added costs for special dietary requirements or extra people. Paying between £65 and £85 per head is a reasonable price which many venues should be able to comply with.
Cake – £500
You will be able to find lots of gorgeous wedding cakes for under £500 with plenty of suppliers and even supermarket wedding cakes that look incredibly stunning and fit this price range. We would advise looking for cakes around the two/three tier height for extra style (and slices!).
Entertainment – £1,000
A £1,000 entertainment budget is the perfect amount. You will have plenty of options to have a live band for a few hours or a DJ for the whole reception. This may even leave you with a little left over budget to add something extra special for some ceremony harpist music or a live singer for when you walk down the aisle.
Thank You Gifts – £250
Image: Wue at Not on the Highstreet
A luxury of having £25,000 to spend on your wedding is that you get to pay out that little bit extra and buy some thank you gifts for the people who have helped you plan every last detail of your wedding. Allocating around £50 a present will cover your maid of honour, parents and ushers. If you have more people to buy for, there are plenty of gorgeous gifts you can get for around £15-20 which means you can treat more people!
READ MORE: Bridesmaid Thank You Gifts
Honeymoon – £2,000
Setting aside £2,000 for your honeymoon gives you lots of options for an extravagant weekend away or a shorter trip to one of the best honeymoon destinations. Be sure to check out our honeymoon packing hacks to make sure you’re ultra-prepared for the trip!
Total – £25,000
Now you have the budget all worked out, have a look at ways to personalise your wedding – it will make all the difference!
