How much will your wedding cost?

Four settings, a range, and the breakdown line by line. No sign-up, no email to leave. Nobody will call you.

20300
Level of service
Where
When
Likely budget

£16,300 to £22,000

Average cost per guest
£239

Total divided by 80, fixed costs included.

One more guest
£93

A meal, drinks, a little décor. A table of ten: £930.

The two figures don’t say the same thing, and that’s the point: the dress and the photographer don’t cost more because a cousin comes.

Where the money goes

Lines ranked from heaviest to lightest.

Catering£5,32028 %

Canapés, wedding breakfast, cake. The line that moves most with guest numbers.

Venue hire£3,33017 %

Hire of the venue, often from Friday to Sunday.

Photo and video£1,90010 %

The only thing you’ll still have in ten years.

Outfits£1,90010 %

Dress, suit, alterations, shoes.

Flowers and décor£1,5008 %

Bouquets, centrepieces, arch, furniture hire.

Drinks£1,3707 %

Wine, fizz, bar. Corkage changes everything: ask the venue.

Rings£1,2406 %

Two bands, sometimes engraved.

Music£9505 %

DJ or band, sound system, dance-floor lighting.

Everything else£8604 %

Transport, favours, entertainment, surprises. There are always some.

Hair and make-up£4803 %

Trials included.

Stationery£2701 %

Printing, envelopes, stamps. Going digital cuts it by half.

What this is worth, and what it isn’t

  • It’s a range, not a quote. Allow ±15% before your first meetings.
  • The honeymoon isn’t included: it’s a separate budget.
  • A June Saturday in London costs nearly a third more than a March Friday elsewhere.
  • Catering and drinks make up almost half the total. That’s where the real savings are.

Now keep it up to date

This estimate is a starting point. On your Weddtap page, the budget fills in as the quotes come in: what’s planned, what’s paid, what’s left. You see the gap instead of discovering it.

Create your page, it’s free

Budget questions

What does the average UK wedding cost?

Around £20,000 for about eighty guests, with huge differences: the same wedding costs nearly a third more on a Saturday in June in London than on a Friday in March elsewhere in the country. Catering and drinks alone make up almost half of the total.

How much does one more guest cost?

Between £50 and £130 depending on the level of service: a meal, drinks, a slice of cake, a little décor. That’s why the guest list comes before everything else: it’s the only lever that moves half the budget.

Should we include the honeymoon?

No, it’s a separate budget, and it’s often decided later. The calculator leaves it out.

How do we cut the bill without it showing?

Three levers, in this order: the date (a Friday or Sunday out of season), the number of guests, and corkage. Bringing your own wine can save thousands of pounds for a hundred and twenty people. Everything else shows.