Over half of weddings now feature homemade invitations, stationery and favours, according to the latest findings from over 2,000 brides and grooms-to-be in our latest survey. The UK Wedding Statistics 2017 report covers everything from new social media trends to colours, themes and the average cost of a wedding. Here’s the highlights with some interesting new findings.
UK wedding statistics highlights
DIY weddings trend
DIY weddings are not just for arty brides who like crafting. There are now so many easy ways to make your wedding completely personal and unique with craft accessories and online tutorials. It can cut costs, provide a wonderful bonding experience with close friends and family and it’s great fun!
We asked, “What did you do yourself or with help from friends and family?” to which a massive 62% of brides said they made their own favours and 56% told us they made their own invitations and other wedding stationery.
Half of couples (49%) made their own decorations and an impressive 40% made their own wedding cake, showing that DIY weddings are still extremely popular. Only 10% told us they did their own catering while 12% said they did no wedding DIY at all.
Average cost of a wedding
The average cost of a wedding is now £15,000 with almost a quarter of all couples (24%) telling us they spent £10-15k on their wedding day.
Most popular wedding themes
The most popular theme was rustic/ woodland with 16% of weddings following this theme. The next most popular theme was classic/traditional at 13%, showing the ivory gown will never go out of fashion, followed closely by vintage with 11% of couples having vintage style or vintage-inspired weddings.
A surprising 21% said they did not have a wedding theme at all perhaps proving that a unique wedding is what couples want most of all. And 14% said they had an unusual wedding theme, including ‘Disney’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Dr Who’, ‘Geek’ and ‘Gothic’.
Most popular wedding ceremony locations
61% of couples said they married in UK civil ceremonies, and of those: 20% chose a hotel followed by a further 18% who married in a country house or manor house. Another 13% got married in a barn with just 5% choosing their local register office and 3% saying ‘I do’ in a castle.
A thoroughly modern 10% of couples chose to marry in ‘alternative wedding locations’ including the garden of a relative or friend, local zoo, railway station or iconic building.
A quarter of couples married in a religious ceremony with 26% marrying in a church or other place of worship. Just 5% of couples surveyed got married abroad.
Most popular colour schemes
We asked respondents to tell us each colour that applied to their colour scheme so many selected a colour and a neutral, such as pink and white.
A very traditional 74% chose white, ivory or champagne for their primary wedding colour while 36% chose pink and a further 34% chose blue. A colourful 20% of couples surveyed chose purple and 20% chose gold, while only 4% chose black for their wedding.
Social media wedding trends
A huge 35% of people updated their relationship status within 24 hours of getting engaged with a very keen 11% updating it within the hour! A quarter (24%) took a week to update theirs while 21% didn’t do so at all.
Entertainment
The most popular wedding entertainment with 71% of weddings was a DJ, followed by a live band/ musician at 47% of weddings. A photo booth was hired by 40% while just 13% booked a traditional toast master.
Most people (25%) spent between £200-500 on their wedding entertainment while a further 16% spent £500-750 and another 13% spent £750-1,000. 15% spent over £1,000 on their entertainment bookings.
Wedding industry expert, Kate Thompson said,
“Over half of weddings now feature some homemade element, with an incredible 56% of brides making their own wedding invitations, table planners and thank you cards, and 62% now making their own favours. The trend for homemade weddings is definitely on the rise, perhaps in part thanks to Confetti’s DIY wedding accessories and tutorials.”
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Editor’s notes
Full report available from [email protected]
Confetti.co.uk is the UK’s largest wedding accessories retailer and the ultimate resource for anyone planning a wedding. Launched in 1999, the brand is a trusted favourite with its unique and distinctive range of wedding products exclusive to the UK online, wedding supplier directory and free wedding planning tools. Confetti’s annual Win Your Wedding competition is the highest valued wedding competition in the UK, offering one lucky couple the chance to have a celebrity-worthy wedding free of charge. The competition is free to enter and open to UK residents over the age of 18 years old.
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