In brief: what budget should you set for a UK wedding in 2027?
The two big UK surveys put the average wedding at £20,604 (Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026, around 7,000 couples) and £21,990 (Hitched Wedding Industry Report 2026, 2,020 newlyweds), excluding the honeymoon and engagement ring. That is roughly £270 to £280 per guest. But the average hides huge gaps: a quarter of couples spend £10,000 or less, another quarter £26,000 or more. The number that matters is not the national average but yours, and it depends first on your guest list.
- Your guest count is the biggest lever: it moves catering, venue size, drinks, stationery and favours all at once.
- Venue and catering together take about half of the budget (51% according to Bridebook).
- London weddings cost around 31% more than the UK average; Yorkshire, the North West and the East Midlands are the most affordable regions.
- June, August and September are the priciest months; January is around half the cost of June.
- 56% of couples overspend their original budget (Hitched): plan a reserve from day one.
Want a figure for your wedding rather than a national average? Our wedding budget calculator gives you a range in two minutes, based on your guest count and priorities.
Average wedding cost in the UK: what the surveys say
| Source | Average cost | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 | £20,604 | around 7,000 newly married and planning couples; £278 per guest |
| Hitched Wedding Industry Report 2026 | £21,990 | 2,020 couples married in 2025; £272 per guest |
The two figures are close, which is reassuring, but neither describes a typical couple. Bridebook's spend bands show it clearly: 25% of couples spend £10,000 or under, 40% between £10,001 and £25,999, 25% from £26,000 and 10% over £35,000. Getting married on £10,000 is completely normal.
What a wedding costs by guest count
A wedding budget is a fixed base (outfits, photographer, music, rings: the same whether you invite 40 or 140 people) plus a cost per head (food, drinks, chairs, favours, part of the venue). That is why the cost per guest falls as the guest list grows, as Bridebook's 2026 figures show:
| Guests | Average total | Cost per guest |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | £15,162 | £303 |
| 70 | £21,791 | £311 |
| 100 | £22,510 | £225 |
| 120+ | £26,000 | £217 |
The practical lesson: cutting your list saves money in absolute terms, but never proportionally. Halving the guests does not halve the bill, because the fixed base stays. Note too that 41% of UK receptions now host fewer than 60 guests: small weddings are mainstream.
Splitting the budget line by line
Bridebook's 2026 breakdown gives the share of each family of costs. Here it is applied to a £20,000 budget:
| Line item | Share of budget | On £20,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Venue hire and catering | 51% | £10,200 |
| Outfits (dress, suit, accessories) | 19% | £3,800 |
| Photography and video | 10% | £2,000 |
| Flowers and décor | 7% | £1,400 |
| Music and entertainment | 7% | £1,400 |
| Other (stationery, cake, transport, beauty) | 6% | £1,200 |
And the average spend on the main suppliers (Bridebook 2026): venue excluding catering £6,040, reception catering £5,406, evening food £2,002, dress £1,532, photographer £1,484, videographer £1,514, florist £1,187, reception music £1,061, rings £1,057, menswear £859, celebrant £504, cake £360. A marquee or tipi, when needed, averages £4,633.
The conclusion is simple: venue and catering are half your budget. Negotiating 10% off the catering is worth more than a 30% discount on the flowers. For more detail on these two items, see our guides to wedding catering costs and wedding venue hire costs.
A wedding planner averages £1,543 in Bridebook's supplier figures, a figure that mixes on-the-day coordination with full planning. Full details in our guide to wedding planner costs.
Regional differences: London, Scotland and the rest of the UK
| Region | Average wedding spend (Bridebook 2026) |
|---|---|
| London | £26,986 |
| Scotland | £22,987 |
| South East England | £22,637 |
| South West England | £22,304 |
| West Midlands | £20,006 |
| East of England | £19,794 |
| Wales | £19,175 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | £18,769 |
| Northern Ireland | £18,564 |
| North East England | £18,410 |
| East Midlands | £17,981 |
| North West England | £17,342 |
Hitched finds the same ranking at the top (London £24,622, South East £23,589) and notes that Scotland has the highest spend per guest, at £293. These figures follow where the wedding takes place: many London couples marry in the Cotswolds, Devon or Scotland and take London budgets with them. Moving an hour out of a big city often saves more on the venue than any negotiation, as long as you factor in guest accommodation and supplier travel. To find a professional near you, start with our wedding planner directory.
Season and day: the cheapest free lever
According to Bridebook, couples marrying in January spend on average £11,000, against £23,809 in June. February (£17,563), March (£18,813) and October (£17,873) also come in well below the summer peak (June, August, September). Fewer than half of UK weddings now take place on a Saturday, and midweek weddings are growing fast: venues and suppliers routinely discount Mondays to Thursdays. Changing the date is the only saving that acts on every supplier at once, at no cost.
The hidden costs that blow the budget
Budgets rarely overrun on the big items, which you watch closely. They overrun on the small ones no quote highlights:
- VAT. Some suppliers quote excluding VAT: check, because 20% on a catering quote is a big surprise.
- Service charge and corkage. Venues often add a 10–12.5% service charge, and corkage of around £10–20 per bottle if you bring your own wine.
- Overtime. The band plays past midnight, the photographer stays for the first dance: overtime is decided on the night and never negotiated.
- Evening food. Bridebook averages £2,002 for evening catering, a line many first budgets forget.
- Accommodation and transport for you, close family or suppliers, plus the morning-after breakfast.
- Accessories and alterations: shoes, veil, jewellery, a second outfit (Bridebook: £449 on average for accessories).
The most useful rule in this article: keep 10–15% of your budget unallocated. With 56% of couples overspending, that reserve is what stops you cutting something you love three weeks before the wedding.
Small budget: the 3 trade-offs that genuinely work
1. Change the day or the season
A Thursday in March or a Friday in October costs nothing like a Saturday in June. It is the biggest saving available, and it is free.
2. Choose a format, not just a venue
A register office ceremony followed by a pub or restaurant reception, a lunch rather than a dinner, a sharing feast or food trucks rather than a three-course plated meal: the format is decided early and shapes the whole budget.
3. Cut the list, but properly
Removing ten guests saves a few thousand pounds at most. Going from 120 to 60 opens up completely different venues and changes the whole picture. If you reduce numbers, do it early and decisively.
One false economy to avoid: skipping professional help altogether. An on-the-day coordinator costs far less than full planning and protects the day itself, while a planner who knows local supplier rates often negotiates back a good part of their fee.
Estimate your budget in 2 minutes
Every figure here is a national average. Yours depends on your region, guest count, date, format and the two or three things you will not compromise on. Our wedding budget calculator is free, needs no sign-up and gives you a line-by-line range in two minutes.
Frequently asked questions about wedding budgets
How much does a wedding for 100 guests cost in the UK?
Around £22,500 on average according to Bridebook (£225 per guest), with a realistic range of roughly £15,000 to £30,000 depending on region, season and format. A midweek winter wedding outside London sits at the bottom of that range, a June Saturday in London or the South East at the top.
How do you work out your wedding budget?
Start from the money you genuinely have, family contributions included (61% of UK couples receive help, according to Hitched). Set aside 10–15% as a reserve. Allocate about half of the rest to venue and catering, then share out the remainder using the table above. Finally, check your figure against your guest list: if the cost per head looks unrealistic, it is the list that needs revisiting.
How do you cut your wedding budget?
In order of effectiveness: change the date (midweek, off-season), change the format (lunch, buffet, relaxed reception), reduce the guest list significantly, move away from London or a big city, then negotiate with suppliers. Savings on stationery or favours come last: they are a small share of the budget.
How much should you spend on wedding flowers?
Flowers and décor take about 7% of the budget, or £1,400 on a £20,000 wedding. The average florist spend is £1,187 (Bridebook 2026). Choosing British, in-season flowers is the most effective way to get more for the same money.
