How much does the average wedding cost for UK couples?

Thousands of pounds can end up being spent on a whole range of factors, from the venue and clothes to catering.

Couples who are thinking of tying the knot may be wondering what financial costs they may have to deal with for the big day.

Here's what the average cost of a wedding is in the UK currently.

The average cost of wedding dress is more than £1,000 (Image: Canva)

What is the average cost of a wedding in the UK?

According to the wedding planning website Hitched, the average cost of a wedding in the UK in 2022 was £18,400.

They added: "This is 6% up on the average cost of a wedding in 2021, which was £17,300 and up 102% from 2020, when the pandemic restrictions saw wedding spend drop to an average of £9,100."

Having surveyed more than 2,400 couples who got married in 2022 they found the average venue cost was a staggering £8,400.

Obviously, this could vary widely though, as a stately home may cost exceedingly more than a fairly modest venue.

The cost of a wedding venue can be very expensive (Image: Canva)

Other major average costs were for the wedding dress (£1,350), the wedding photographer (£1,300), flowers (£1,050) and catering (around £70 per person).

The average number of wedding guests also rose to 81 in 2022, compared to 72 in 2021, which means the cost of catering would be £5,670 if you did £70 per person.

Around 63% of the couples surveyed had financial contributions from friends and family to pay for the wedding, and that may be a helpful way to save some money for the honeymoon as that's what 58% of couples were also doing.

Hitched added: "Nearly half of all couples (47%) went over their initial wedding budget in 2022.

"Whilst 59% of couples used savings to pay for their wedding, more than one in 10 (11%) took out a loan to cover the costs of their big day in 2022."