What a UK wedding costs in 2026, line by line

The average UK wedding costs between £20,604 and £21,990, in the two surveys of 2026 that describe weddings held in 2025. Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026, from more than 7,000 couples, gives the lower figure, and Hitched’s January 2026 survey of 2,020 couples gives the higher one. Bridebook’s 2026 report also found that a quarter of couples marry for £10,000 or less, so treat the average as a guide, not a target.

Why do Bridebook and Hitched give different averages?

They ask different couples in different ways. Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 is based on more than 7,000 UK couples and leaves out the engagement ring and the honeymoon. Hitched’s figure comes from 2,020 newlyweds who married in 2025, published by The Knot Worldwide on 7 January 2026.

Both describe weddings held in 2025, and neither is wrong, so read them as a range. An average is also not a typical wedding: a few very expensive days pull it up, so many weddings cost less than either number.

How much does a wedding cost per guest?

Between £272 and £278 per guest on average: Hitched’s survey published in January 2026 puts it at £272, up 4% from £261 in 2024, and Bridebook’s 2026 figure is £278. Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 also puts the average guest count at 80, with 11% fewer guests at the main reception than in 2024.

The per-guest figure is the total divided by the guests, so it hides two kinds of cost. Some lines grow with every chair: the meal, the drinks, the evening food, the stationery and the postage. Others barely move: the photographer, the band, the dress and the ceremony. That is why halving the guest list rarely halves the bill.

For a quick check of your own list, multiply your guest number by Hitched’s 2026 average of £272. For 100 guests that is £27,200 (our calculation), which tells you early whether the list and the budget agree.

What does each part of a wedding cost?

The venue and the food are the largest lines, about half of the average budget in Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026. Not every couple buys every line, and some rows overlap (a venue with catering already includes the food), so the rows below, from the same report, do not add up to the total.

What does a wedding venue cost?

Bridebook’s 2026 figures put average venue hire at £6,040 without catering and £9,695 with catering. The second figure is the one to compare when a venue quotes a package, because Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 found that 71% of couples chose a venue with in-house catering.

The same report found that 88% of couples expect to find venue prices online, and 81% felt frustrated with venue responses at the start. So ask every venue for the full price list in writing, and ask the same questions of each:

• What is included: tables, chairs, linen, staff, a late licence?
• Is there a minimum number of guests, or a minimum spend on food and drink?
• What does a Friday, a Sunday or a weekday cost?
• Is the service charge in the quote, or added on top?

What do a wedding photographer and videographer cost?

Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average photographer at £1,484 and the average videographer at £1,514, with a typical videography range of £500 to £2,500. Together, photography and film take about a tenth of the average budget, Bridebook’s 2026 report found.

Most of the price is hours. Ask when coverage starts and stops, whether a second photographer is included, and when the edited gallery or film arrives.

What do the dress and the flowers cost?

Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average wedding dress at £1,532 and average flowers at £1,187, with £1,404 more on decor beyond the flowers. Alterations, shoes and a veil usually sit outside the price of the dress, so give them a line of their own.

What do wedding invitations and stationery cost?

Bridebook puts the average UK stationery suite, from save the dates to thank-you cards, at £378 in 2026, down from £413 in its 2025 list. Per invitation, Bridebook’s 2026 guide gives about £1 to £5 for budget printing, £5 to £15 for mid-range and £15 to £30 or more for bespoke work.

Postage now needs a line of its own. From 7 April 2026, Royal Mail charges £1.80 for a first class stamp and 91p for second class. For 80 envelopes, that is £144 first class or £72.80 second class (our calculation from Royal Mail’s 2026 prices). Under Royal Mail’s 2026 rules, a suite thicker than 5 mm becomes a large letter at £3.30 first class. Most couples send one per household, so the real count is lower.

You have three sound routes. A printed suite from a stationer gives each guest a card to keep, and Bridebook’s 2026 guide puts printable and digital options under £100. A designer-made digital invitation, such as Everleigh House’s Signature, from £149, needs no postage, and guests reply on the page. Some couples mix the two: a link for most guests, and a few printed copies for those who prefer paper.

Is a London wedding more expensive?

Yes. Bridebook’s 2026 figures put the average London wedding at £26,986, 31% above the UK average. In Scotland, the average is £22,123 in Hitched’s January 2026 survey and £22,987 in Bridebook’s 2026 figures.

Can you have a wedding for £10,000 or less?

Yes, and many couples do: Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 found that 25% of UK couples married for £10,000 or less. At Hitched’s 2026 average of £272 per guest, £10,000 covers about 36 guests (our calculation), so a short guest list does most of the work.

The legal part costs little: notice of marriage in England costs £46.50 per person from 6 April 2026, according to council fee pages such as Tower Hamlets. After that, a small budget goes furthest on a few things done well:

• A weekday register office ceremony, then lunch in a private room at a restaurant you love.
• One photographer for the ceremony and the meal only.
• A cake from a good local bakery, and flowers bought in season.

How do you set a wedding budget?

Start from the money you have, not from the wedding you saw online, and fix the guest number before you look at venues.

• Agree the total together, and ask family early what they hope to give. Hitched’s survey published in January 2026 found that 61% of couples got money from family.
• Take off a contingency line of about a tenth, and leave it alone until the last month.
• Divide what is left by your guest number. If the result is far below £272, Hitched’s 2026 average per guest, cut the list or change the shape of the day.
• Give about half to the venue and the food, as Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2026 shows, and split the rest by what you care about most.
• Keep every deposit, balance date and final-numbers deadline in one sheet.

The tenth is our advice, not a rule. The reason for it is real: Hitched’s survey published in January 2026 found that 56% of couples went over budget, 32% stayed on budget and 6% came in under.

With the total agreed, put the lines in order: what lasts, what guests feel and what you can skip.