Ultimately it all depends on how much cash you have available to spend... But if you're not sure how much you need we'll give you an idea of how much each different aspect of your wedding might cost, so you can work it out depending on your individual budget.
Before you do anything, create a spreadsheet, or a list of some kind so you can keep track of what you spend - this is really important.
According to the Hitched National Wedding Survey 2019, the average total amount spent on a wedding was £31,974 - up an astonishing 54% from £20,799 in just 2014! I've broken down the average percentages of where couples spent their money...
34% was spent on the venue including food & drink
15% on the honeymoon
8% of the budget went on the engagement ring
43% was spent on everything else like photographer, decorations, florist, beauty, attire, entertainment etc.
Right now you might have £5000 saved and you think you will be able to save an extra £10000 by the time your wedding comes around. My biggest tip here is to be realistic, and create another spreadsheet of all of your incoming and outgoing money - if you don't already have it listed somewhere. Look back over previous months so you know it's accurate and work out how much you want or need to save and create a plan for doing so.
Lots of couples receive help from family for their wedding, if you're lucky enough to be receiving a contribution from somebody, have an honest chat with them about how much they plan to give and if they have any expectations on how their money is spent.
Now you know how much you're likely to have, you can work out how much is going to be spent on each item. First, factor in a contingency budget. Put 10-15% aside for a rainy day... or for when you've gone over budget but still need to book suppliers!
The biggest chunk of your budget will go on the venue, food & drink. So you will need to work out your guest list, if each guest is going to cost you £90, you will need to decide if you're able to invite 30 people or 300 people, for example.
Then you will want to decide what you're priorities are - do you dream of a flower-filled barn or is an unlimited free bar more important to you - are you be willing to splash your cash on a fireworks display or would you rather have a videographer instead? You need to sit down together and work out what the most important elements of the day are for you both and allocate a larger chunk of your budget to those areas.
Working out how much you want to spend in advance will put you in a great position when you start asking for quotes from suppliers because you can respond confidently to the numbers they give you. Make sure you ask about VAT, delivery and any other costs to get the full picture from the start.
Update your budget sheet regularly - as you tick things off your list and pay deposits, make sure you include all of the information on your budget tracker.
Keep an eye on your wedding budget vs your savings so you know things are on track and adjust them early if they aren't matching up as they should be. If you book your priority items first then you know you can include these within your budget. The less important parts can come later and less can be spent on those if necessary.
Finally, if you're struggling - you should get help. Ask friends and family who have married recently how much they spent on particular suppliers if you think the prices you're receiving seem too high. And if you don't like the idea of negotiating then consider hiring a wedding planner. It might sound counter-intuitive to spend money to save money, but a wedding planner can do just that and help in lots of other ways too!
You could always book a free call with us to have a chat, we'd love to hear from you.