3 things no one tells you when it comes to setting your wedding budget

2024 is set to be a bumper year for weddings. In addition to the usual 275,000 or so which take place in the UK each year, the big day is finally coming around for a lot of couples who had to postpone because of the pandemic.

Unfortunately, the cost of living crisis is squeezing all those couple's budgets tighter than ever so we've asked Isabel Smith, wedding industry veteran and founder of www.wed-start.co.uk, to offer her advice on setting (and sticking to!) that spreadsheet.

Today, Isabel let's us in on the things no-one ever tells you when you're setting your wedding budget: When I tell people I'm a wedding planner, one of the first questions I always get asked is "what does a wedding cost these days?" Much like the proverbial piece of string, there isn't an easy answer – it costs whatever the couple ends up spending.

But for most couples, that final figure doesn't become clear until most of the planning is done – or even until after the wedding itself. And it's not usually because they didn't plan their budget out, it's because of three simple, if painful truths:

1) Your initial budget simply won't include everything
There is a lot of fantastic advice out there to help you plan your wedding, including some brilliant resources for budgeting, but I am yet to find a free budget planner, which includes absolutely everything you'll end up paying for.

The big-ticket items will be there – venue, dress/suit, and photographer – but not in enough detail. Bridesmaid's attire is a good example. The spreadsheet will include rows for dresses, and sometime hair and make-up, but what about jewellery, shoes and bags? I'm not suggesting it is your responsibility to pay for any or all of those items, but if you do plan to (footwear for your junior bridesmaids for example), you need to factor those costs in so your budget doesn't spiral.

Food and beverage is another one. One row of a spreadsheet is fine if you are opting for a package (and that package happens to meet your needs), but every addition (canapes, upgrades to wines, evening catering) needs to be included if you are going to accurately track your spending.

You'll also encounter costs that don't appear in the spreadsheet at all! I see it less and less (thankfully) but some suppliers still list their wedding prices excluding VAT. What's on the rise however is the American practice of venues and caterers adding a compulsory gratuity onto the bill (often a percentage of the food and beverage spend), which I think is outrageous! Staff costs should be built into the venue hire fee, and tips should be entirely at your discretion. It's one to watch out for.

THE SOLUTION: Build a really healthy contingency into your budget from day 1. At least 10%

Other surprise costs often include:
- Confetti and other small decorative details you just can't resist!
- Last minute taxis for great Aunt Flo who thought she could grab a lift to the reception
- Booking the bridal suite the night before the wedding so you don't have a gap during check out/check in just as you are trying to get ready!
- Thank you gifts for parents/attendants

2. Budget breakdowns are based on 'the average' wedding
Even if you've managed to include everything in your budget spreadsheet, you've got to figure out how much you are actually going to spend on each item. The best budget resources I have seen let you enter your total budget into a box at the top, and it populates the rest of the spreadsheet with a recommended amount to spend on each item. This is a fantastic starting point, but remember that these figures are based on averages.

Most couples spend around 50% of their total budget on their reception venue, food and beverages. But are you most couples? If you're more about the evening entertainment than a three course sit down, that 50% allocation might not be appropriate for you. A real fashionista might spend more than the average on their outfit – that's got to come from somewhere else in the budget.

A few other averages:
- Photographer: 10-12%
- Entertainment: 8-10%
- Cake: 2%
- Stationery:3%

THE SOLUTION: Before you start booking anything, do some deep research on the costs of a few key items so you can tweak all the budget figures to suit your wedding plans.

3. Some things will cost more than you expected
Whether it's because you've forgotten something, underestimated the cost of an item, or because you've fallen in love with something that's over budget, even with the best planning in the world, you are very likely going to spend more than you planned to on something as you go.

Flowers and décor is often the main surprise. I come across a lot of "but I only want a few bouquets and 10 centrepieces – it can't cost much", not realising just how much planning and expertise goes into making arrangements that will look great all day.

Sticker shock can often hit on:
- The church. So many people think that a church wedding is (or should be) free. That's simply not the case.
- Wedding insurance. If we learned anything from the pandemic, it was the value of this investment!
- Alterations. Suits and dresses rarely have the cost of fitting/s included.

THE SOLUTION: Book your suppliers in order of priority so if you overspend on something early on, it will be something that matters to you and you can simply lower the budget for the less vital items.

Above all, remember that your wedding isn't something worth getting into debt over, so budget to what you can afford and try to keep in mind what the wedding is really all about!