Wedding Budget Calculator

UK wedding costs vary significantly by region, season and guest count. The calculator breaks your total budget into category allocations based on industry-standard percentage splits derived from annual Hitched survey data. Venue and catering typically consume 55-60% combined, with photography at 8-12%, entertainment at 5-8%, attire and accessories at 6-10%, flowers at 4-7% and transport at 2-3% of the total spend. The Hitched 2025 survey put the average UK wedding at £20,775 excluding rings and honeymoon, with the median couple spending £18,500.

Guest count is the single largest cost driver. The per-head cost comes from dividing your catering budget by guest numbers, typically ranging from £60-£150 per guest for food and drink at UK venues. Evening-only guests are costed at roughly 40% of a full day guest. Reducing your guest list by 20 people can save £2,000-£4,000 depending on your chosen venue tier, which is usually the fastest lever available once a budget has been fixed.

Regional price differences are substantial across the UK. London and the South East command a 25-40% premium over the national average, while Scotland, Wales and Northern England can be 15-25% below it. Saturday summer weddings in peak season, meaning June to September, attract the highest venue hire fees, whereas midweek or winter dates can reduce venue costs by 20-50%. Shifting from a peak Saturday to a midweek winter date is often the largest single saving available without removing anything from the day itself.

A worked budget makes those percentages concrete. A 60-guest wedding at £15,000 can be built as £6,000 on venue and catering, which is £100 a head all in, £1,500 on photography, £600 on flowers, £1,000 on the dress with £400 for the groom, £250 on the cake, £800 on rings, £2,500 on the honeymoon, £200 on stationery, £400 on favours and decor, £300 on transport, £600 on music and £450 held back as contingency. Off-season or midweek venues come in about 30% cheaper, a dry-hire venue paired with your own caterer usually beats a package, greenery instead of flowers saves around £250, and DIY stationery and signage costs time rather than money.

The costs that surprise couples are rarely the big ones. Giving notice at a register office costs £35 per person, so £70 for a couple, and the ceremony itself runs £46-£64, while a Church of England service carries a statutory fee of £570 or more in 2026. Beyond that sit corkage at £8-£15 a bottle if you bring your own, a cake-cutting fee of £2-£5 a slice, a tasting menu at £75-£150 a couple, dress alterations of £100-£300, hair and makeup trials at £100-£200, a videographer at £1,200-£3,500, invitation postage over £100, gift list curation fees and bridal party gifts of £200-£500.

Wedding insurance costs £80-£250 and covers cancellation through illness, supplier failure, venue closure, weather on some policies, and public liability. It does not cover a change of heart. Supplier deposits are typically 25-50% on booking and non-refundable, so spread the risk by paying them on a credit card, where Section 75 protection applies to purchases above £100. Get everything in writing, including the full contract, cancellation terms and force majeure clauses. Many suppliers introduced flex policies after COVID, but the terms vary and repay a careful read before you sign.

Gifts towards a wedding carry their own tax rules. Parents can each give £5,000, grandparents £2,500 and anyone else £1,000 free of Inheritance Tax under the relief for gifts in consideration of marriage, and beyond those limits the usual £3,000 annual exemption applies. Cash handed over on the day is not taxable income for the couple, and payments through a honeymoon registry site count as gifts as well. Married couples can claim Marriage Allowance worth £252 a year, backdated up to four years where they qualify. Civil partnerships have had identical tax treatment to marriage since they were introduced in December 2005.