How to create a realistic wedding budget and prioritise your spending

How should you split your wedding budget?

The rough split most planners work with is straightforward.

"As a very general rule of thumb, a couple will spend collectively roughly 50 to 60% of their overall wedding budget on their venue hire and food and drink," explains Bellissimo Weddings. "The remaining 40 to 50% will cover, or should cover, everything else."

Rare Food confirms this approach: "Venue and catering costs tend to be a large percentage of the overall wedding budget. This might come to 50 to 60%. This is usually followed as a priority by photography because those photos stay with you forever."

So if your total budget is £30,000, expect £15,000-£18,000 to go on venue and catering. That leaves £12,000-£15,000 for everything else.

Why is it hard to give specific budget percentages?

Because priorities vary enormously between couples.

"It's very difficult as a planner to give advice on how much you should be spending on different elements," admits Bellissimo Weddings. "It does depend on what the couple's priorities are."

They give photography as an example: "A photographer might cost you £3,000-£4,000 because you're having someone do a fairly simple 8-10 hours with a single shooter and you're using someone local. But then we get couples bringing a photographer they've completely fallen in love with who's based way out of the area, brings a second shooter, and you're having a pre-wedding engagement shoot. You might be factoring in £6,000-£8,000 for your photography."

The difference isn't quality. It's what you've prioritised.

How do you work out your priorities?

Before looking at venues or getting quotes, have an honest conversation.

"Sit down and agree the non-negotiables," advises Rare Food. "For example, celebrating with incredible food and drink in a fantastic location, all captured by a top-tier wedding photographer. Then see which the key priorities are for each of you individually and as a couple."

Fossil Food Catering suggests the same approach: "It's really important that couples should think from the beginning of what are their main priorities when it comes to the budget. Sitting down and saying, okay, I personally really love flowers or the entertainment is really important to me, before they spend anything."

The logic is simple: "That way they can have exactly what's important to them and spend the most part of their budget there, instead of trying to stretch it in lots of different places."

If flowers aren't important to you, don't spend big on flowers just because you think you should. Put that money where it actually matters to you.

What do couples regret spending money on?

The answer is consistent: small details that guests don't notice or remember.

"Couples often regret spending money on the small, detailed areas such as wedding favours, on-the-day stationery, or even unnecessary decor," says Came House.

Favours in particular: "Wedding favours are somewhat a thing of the past. I often find that wedding guests will forget or discard their favours and we're often left to clear them up at the end of the night."

The same applies to stationery: "Bar menus, cocktail menus, place names. There's loads you can put into a day, and I'm personally a big lover of on-the-day stationery. But ultimately, once the wedding comes to an end, the couple are often left with loads of it."

Ask yourself: will guests remember this? Will you care about this in five years? If the answer is no, consider redirecting that money.

Smart ways to stretch your catering budget

Caterers have practical suggestions for getting more from your food spend.

"There's a few things you can do to make your catering budget stretch a little bit further," says Fossil Food Catering.

Dessert as wedding cake: "The giant Pavlovas or Tiramisu trend, you could use that to replace a traditional wedding cake. That way you're getting dessert and a wedding cake under one budget umbrella."

Canapés as starter: "You could use your canapés as a starter course. I really like that for couples that have a nice venue with a really beautiful garden. They're using that space for longer as well as not sitting down as long. It's great for couples that prefer that kind of atmosphere, but also a nice budget saver."

These aren't compromises on quality. They're just smarter ways to achieve what you want.

What should you do if you're not hiring a planner?

Without a planner to guide your research, you'll need to do more legwork yourself.

"If the couple are not hiring a planner, they're going to need to reach out to photographers, videographers, florists, whoever they want to involve in their wedding, and get quotes," says Bellissimo Weddings. "Get ideas of what things are going to cost them and add those elements into a spreadsheet to see where it takes them."

The spreadsheet is essential. Track every quote, every deposit, every payment date. Without this, costs spiral without you noticing.

How do suppliers feel about budget conversations?

Good suppliers want to help you get what you want within your budget.

"They're really welcome to talk to us about help with achieving what they decide, as we can genuinely help them work out where and how to save money," says Rare Food. "Open communication is the key. We can certainly help couples deal with budgeting and prioritising spend to get to a truly happy place."

Being honest about your budget isn't embarrassing. It helps suppliers recommend appropriate options and avoids wasted time on both sides.

Budget Allocation Guide