Affording a wedding can be daunting, but with a £10,000 wedding budget, it is certainly doable and ensuring you keep track of your money is key to making it work.
It’s easy to get carried away, and often unexpected expenses can be the most challenging part of planning a wedding. Whether you have a £5,000 wedding budget or a £15,000 wedding budget sticking to a detailed plan is the best thing to do.
We’ve mapped out how to plan your dream day with a £10,000 wedding budget so you know exactly what you can afford to spend on each area of your wedding.
Check out our general wedding budget saving tips to help you save on your wedding no matter the amount you are able to spend.
£10,000 Wedding Budget Breakdown
Ceremony Costs- £550
Ceremony fees can vary depending on your location and how you want to say ‘I do’.
If you want to get married in a Church of England parish, the cost is set nationally at £533, and £489 if it is your home parish.
However, you can expect to pay an average of £500 for a basic service across most churches in the UK. There will be added costs for extras such as an organist or for the bells to be rung.
It’s a good idea to consider a civil ceremony when hoping to keep the costs of your wedding down. Calling around your local register offices will give you the best information regarding what you can expect to pay.
Although they aren’t always legally binding, you could also look into alternative wedding ceremonies.
Remaining wedding budget: £9,450
Wedding Venue- £4,000
First of all, check out these questions that you need to ask your wedding venue as it will ensure you are ready to visit a range of venues.
A significant amount of your £10,000 wedding budget will need to be used to hire a wedding venue.
£4000 will certainly secure you a lovely space for your guests to enjoy your big day.
Paul from Saltcote Place advised that asking a venue for the total price, including VAT and any extras is vital to ensuring a problem free experience.
“At Saltcote Place we take the view that the venue fee covers everything, we never do extras. The experience may not live up to the expectation of a venue if extra fees are placed on the bill last minute.”
By considering a hotel or a pub wedding package, you will save a lot of money on catering and you can be assured your guests will have a brilliant time in the laid back environment.
Venues often do last minute deals on dates that have yet to be sold and are coming up, so it’s worth calling round to see what places local to you can do.
Have you considered an unusual wedding venue such as Denbies Wine Estate?
Remaining wedding budget: £5,450
Wedding Dress- £1,000
No bride should feel guilty for spending money on their dream wedding dress.
Our sister site Wedding Style Collective offers an array of dresses for you to search through, along with details of boutiques in and around your area.
You may think that shopping on the high street for your wedding dress will save you money, but it won’t offer the same incredible experience of finding your perfect wedding dress surrounded by industry experts who are dedicated to helping you.
Bridal boutiques often stock bridesmaid dresses too and if you choose to buy them all together you may be able to negotiate a discount.
These 2019 wedding dress trends will inspire you to search for your dream gown.
Remaining wedding budget: £4,450
Photography- £1,000
It may seem that £1,000 is far too much to spend on a couple of wedding photographs, but within the industry, this amount will only cover the basics.
From the outset, be very clear when searching for a photographer that you are on a budget and ask specifically what 10% out of your £10,000 wedding budget can get you.
Douglas from Douglas Fry Photography explains: “Wedding Photography is important, it documents one of the most significant days in a couple’s life. Wedding photography is expensive because to do it properly there are no cheap options. Does your potential photographer have insurance, professional and public liability?
“Experience is vital too, it’s easy just to browse websites where the photographers have cherry-picked one or two nice shots from a few weddings. There should be plenty of complete weddings to browse to show a good standard of photography over the whole day.”
You begin your search in our wedding photography directory.
Remaining wedding budget: £3,450
Accessories- £50
We know that £50 won’t stretch far in terms of your wedding accessories but with a £10,000 wedding budget you need to make sacrifices.
You can probably think of some jewellery that you already own which can offer a timelessly elegant solution to your wedding accessory needs without having to break the bank.
Carefully consider exactly what you need and what else you would simply like. For example, you are going to need wedding shoes, whereas you may just want some new earrings.
Don’t forget, it’s actually a wedding tradition to borrow something on your big day so why not borrow that piece of your friend’s jewellery you’ve been eyeing up?
Remaining wedding budget: £3,400
Hair and Beauty- £150
Your bridal makeup is bound to be an important part of your day, but don’t feel pressured into hiring a professional if you’re quite happy doing it yourself.
If you are comfortable with a beauty blender and you’re happy to follow these wedding makeup tips, then why not take a couple of attempts to perfect your bridal look on your own.
If doing your own hair and makeup is a no go then put your trust in the professionals and request to proceed without a trial, this way you can save money by not paying for a preview.
You could even make helping with your hair and making one of your bridesmaid’s duties!
Remaining wedding budget: £3,250
Bridesmaids and Groomsmen- £500
The majority of brides want an entourage of bridesmaids to walk down the aisle with them, however, there are costs that come with that.
Before finding the perfect way to ask your girls to be bridesmaids, consider if you want to provide them with dresses and flowers or even the smaller things like buying them a thank you gift, it will all come out of your £10,000 wedding budget.
£500 will grab you some beautiful dresses from independent boutiques to match any wedding theme and luckily groomsmen can look smart in a shirt and tie with the added touch of a buttonhole flower which really sets off the wedding vibe.
Remaining wedding budget: £2,750
Groomswear- £500
£500 of your wedding budget will guarantee you a lovely suit no matter your style.
By allocating £500 of your £10,000 wedding budget you can look at getting a tailored suit that can be cherished and worn for years to come.
If you need to stretch your money a little further why not hire a suit? You can get a top quality piece without the hefty price tag attached.
Remaining wedding budget: £2,250
Wedding Cake- £150
It doesn’t matter if you plan on having a cheese tower or a traditional fruit cake, the feature of a wedding ‘cake’ is essential.
£150 will get you a very basic wedding cake, possibly one that comes undecorated. However, you should consider a single tier cake with a naked finish and a mix of cupcakes to hand to your guests.
You could find the best baker on your wedding guest list and ask them to gift you your wedding cake.
There’s plenty of alternative wedding cake ideas for you to pick from.
Remaining wedding budget: £2,100
Flowers- £250
A bridal bouquet is a wedding tradition that your budget should always include.
There are ways to ensure your wedding flowers don’t break the bank, like only having a bridal bouquet for yourself and a small bunch for your bridesmaids.
Flowers can be pricey but a good florist will be sure to stick to your budget and they will still look beautiful. Check out our list of wedding florists who can help you make the pick.
Remaining wedding budget: £1,850
Entertainment- £600
You could allow wedding entertainment to take up much more of your £10,000 wedding budget, but there are a few things you can do yourself too.
A Spotify playlist full of your favourite love songs will work perfectly whilst your guests dine and it’s a lot friendlier to your budget than a string quartet.
£600 will allow you to hire a DJ or a wedding entertainer, there’s plenty to choose from on our guide to the perfect wedding entertainment.
Remaining wedding budget: £1,250
Wedding Stationery: £250
Don’t forget you’ll need to send invites out to ensure your guests turn up to your big day and invitations cost money.
Wedding stationery can range from save the date cards, invitations, table signs, an order of service notice and many more. Although, not all wedding stationery products are necessary and you should really consider what is vital for your wedding day.
If you send out your wedding invitations as early as possible, a save the date notice isn’t vital, nor is an order of service if you need to save on your budget.
These DIY wedding ideas will inspire you to make your own invitations!
Remaining wedding budget: £1,000
Honeymoon: £1,000
After all this wedding planning, you are going to want a lovely break to celebrate your marriage with your significant other.
Your honeymoon is time for just you and your partner, so it’s important not to miss it out of your £10,000 wedding budget.
These incredible mini-moon breaks will be perfect, or if you want some guaranteed sunshine, why not browse these beautiful honeymoons in Italy.
