Top tips to save money on a wedding (2024)

Getting married can be an expensive business. The average cost of a wedding in the UK last year was £20,700 according to wedding planning website Hitched, with the average spend increasing by £2,000 from the previous year. Meanwhile, wedding planning company Bridebook estimates the cost of a wedding plus ring and honeymoon at a hefty £25,952.

High inflation and the cost of living crisis has seen wedding spend soar at a time when households are watching every penny. A third of couples surveyed said they had to increase their budget at least once while planning their wedding, while a quarter had to opt for more ‘DIY’ options than they had originally planned to.

Almost 60 per cent of couples went over their wedding budget, mainly due to the increase in venue and catering costs, with the average wedding venue cost now around £8,800 (up from £8,400 in 2022); catering costs have increased by £10 to £80 per head.

How do couples pay for their weddings?

Hitched found that seven in ten couples surveyed were given money from family to help pay for their wedding, while one in 10 took out a loan to finance their wedding, and another one in 10 used credit cards to spread the costs.

To avoid starting off married life saddled with debt, here are some expert tips to help you save money on the cost of your wedding.

Venue

With wedding venues making up the bulk of the wedding budget, it’s worth considering your options to see where you can save the most money. If you are able to plan a long way in advance, you can draw up a shortlist of several different venues and get quotes from each, as well as prices from the same venue covering different days.

As a general rule, getting married on a Saturday is usually most expensive. If you’re looking to cut costs, consider a Friday or Sunday ceremony – be aware, though, that a Friday wedding means your guests may have to take a day off work.

Consider whether you want to get married in a separate venue to where you hold the wedding reception, as that could impact the cost, both in terms of booking two venues but if you have to provide transport for guests between the two.

For member of a particular religion, getting married in religious venues such as churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and others can costs several hundred pounds, either as a flat fee, suggested donation or pricing structure depending on the size and requirements of the service.

A register office wedding typically costs a few hundred pounds, which is usually composed of a booking fee, ceremony fee, notice of intention to marry and the marriage certificates. The price can vary due to location, date, day of the week and number of guests.

Rather than opting for a grand country house hotel or dedicated wedding venue, have a look at other hospitality venues including pubs, restaurants, village halls, sports clubs and breweries. You can also try and haggle by asking for 10 per cent off the total cost, or break down the package cost by cost and see what items you could do without.

Catering

Food is a large part of the cost of any wedding day, so it pays to be more creative with what you offer your guests. Opt for a reception venue which allows you to arrange your own food, and rather than a traditional three-course sit-down meal, how about a buffet, barbecue, posh street food, picnic or hog roast? It's always worth asking local restaurants if they cater for weddings.

If you’re feeling especially thrifty, you could opt for a picnic in the local park or a garden party as your reception. This would allow you to do your own catering – or get family to help – which would again cut the cost.

While everyone wants to toast the happy couple on their big day, guests these days wouldn’t necessarily expect a couple to pay for alcoholic drinks throughout the evening, especially if they know there’s a tight budget. Some couples opt for a piecemeal approach, such as providing drinks during the meal and up until a certain point in the evening before reverting to a pay bar, or providing beer and wine for free but making guests pay for more expensive shots, co*cktails and spirits.

A good idea is to choose a venue which allows you to bring your own drink, so you can buy more cheaply in bulk from a wholesaler. Even if the venue charges corkage, it often works out much cheaper than buying from the venue which will have its own mark-up on alcohol.

Invitations

While a stiff, white card wedding invitation looks great on a mantlepiece, it is a significant expense which could arguably be put to better use, especially when you factor in the cost of postage and the fact that most people communicate by email these days. You could always do a mixed approach by sending older relatives a card invitation and email younger guests, for whom a technology-based invitation might not seem out of the ordinary.

You can still make an invitation personal to you if you’re sending it online, with pictures or beautiful images, and choosing this option means you can easily link to handy sources of information such as accommodation or transport options.

Wedding outfits

Wedding dress prices can vary hugely. If you want something budget friendly, look for high-street stores which offer bridal ranges. Monsoon, Next and Phase Eight all have bridal and bridesmaid ranges.

If you don’t mind your bedroom being your dressing room, look at online retailers offering wedding ranges. ASOS offers an extensive range of wedding dresses and suits. You can get second-hand (let's call them vintage) dresses for bargain prices on eBay or check out Facebook Marketplace. Oxfam even has a dedicated online weddings store which has not only wedding dresses but bridesmaids dresses as well.

If you aren’t fussed about your bridesmaids and/or best man and ushers having identical outfits (which can be a source of dispute anyway), find out if they’d rather wear their own dresses or suits if they have something suitable, or hire rather than buy them. You can always get the ushers to wear a special tie, waistcoat, pocket square or buttonhole to make them clearly part of the wedding party, and bridesmaids can sport uniform bouquets.

Shopping on the high street for bridesmaids dresses will always be cheaper than from specialised bridal boutiques. And if you can't afford to splash out on some statement jewellery, then considering hiring from reputable jewellers such as Garrard or Tiffany & Co, either directly or via online marketplaces such as By Rotation.

Ways to pay

Some venues might give you an early-bird discount if you book early and pay a deposit or part of the cost up front. When it comes to paying for this and other costs, you could consider paying on a cashback credit card which means you could get 5 per cent back on your total spend, as well as having purchase protection for up to £30,000. Just make sure you clear the balance in full by the next payment date otherwise you could be paying interest which would wipe out any savings.

An alternative to taking out a cashback credit card is to sign up to cashback sites like Quidco and Topcashback if you're shopping for items with participating brands online or using a credit card which offers Airmiles to put towards your honeymoon travel.

Music

Instead of hiring a DJ, make a playlist and ask your guests to suggest their favourite songs. Not only should this guarantee a full dance floor, but you’ll have a great wedding day playlist to remind you of your amazing day.

Flowers

If you have green-fingered relatives, they might like to do the flowers for the day, either in the wedding venue or reception or both. And do consider fake flowers such as silk or even paper, as an option, as not only do they work out cheaper but they will last a lot longer than real ones!

Guests

Be selective with your guest list. With an average cost of £80 per head for guests, adding distant friends or relatives can really add up. Experts advise: ‘If you wouldn’t take them out for dinner, don’t invite them to your wedding.’ If family members insist you invite certain people, then you could in fairness ask that they contribute to the cost.

Rings

Go vintage! There are lots of beautiful options to be found in antique shops and antique fairs, often at a fraction of the price of a new ring. Hatton Garden in London is famous for its vintage jewellery shops, but it's also worth considering Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter for a vintage bargain, or find out if there’s a wedding or engagement ring in the family which someone has been saving for such an occasion.

Decoration

If you have a venue to decorate, costs can add up unexpectedly. Consider crafting decorations yourself, or asking family and friends to help. You could easily make your own confetti with flowers from your garden or design table plans with the help of friends and a few glitter gel pens.

You could even join a site like SkillShare. This offers online lessons – some of them free – on skills like flower arranging and illustration, perfect for your wedding bouquet or place setting cards.

Wedding cake

Wedding cakes are famously expensive and there's no denying that wedding cake designers are very skilled in creating masterpieces. But if money is tight, then you can call upon the baking and design skills of friends and family members to do the honours, and have the wedding cake double up as dessert.

If that sounds like an impossible ask, then supermarket cakes are very reasonable and can easily by turned into wedding cakes with a few choice decorations. How about something different such as a tower of cookies, brownies, doughnuts or even a cheese wedding cake - again, all of which can double up as a course in your meal.

One extra cost to consider...

Have you thought about wedding insurance? Only around a quarter of couples getting married hold wedding insurance, but for as little as £39, you could be insured in case of cancellation, curtailment or rearrangement, due to bad weather or natural catastrophe. However, read the small print: if there are weather warnings in place when you purchase the policy, the insurance company may not pay out.