Weddings tend to be pretty expensive. The price of organizing the whole event varies depending on numerous things, including reception venue, reception band, wedding dress and suit, photographer and so on. We wondered how much an average wedding costs these days.
Luckily there is a market research firm the Wedding Report, which tracks and forecast wedding-related things, including the one many wonder the most about, which is spending within the wedding industry. Unfortunately, this firm operates only for the United States, so if that is where you plan on to host a wedding, make sure you examine their data and analysis by state.
We made a list of the things you should keep in mind when planning a wedding, which include the most expensive and the least expensive wedding features, so let’s begin.
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Reception Venue
source:varunajithesh.com
According to the reports, the reception venue is usually the most expensive wedding feature. It contains the list of above average expenses that add up quickly, and those include bar service, catered food, venue rental, and equipment rentals. It has been reported that an average reception venue in the United States costs $13,385, while in the United Kingdom it is £11,111.
Engagement Ring
source:silver-stonejewellery.co.uk
Engagement ring can be found in numerous shapes, sizes, and prices. There may be more variability in price with those rings than almost anything else. The price varies from $100 to $1 million in the U.S. The average price of and engagement ring in the UK is £2,657.
Reception Band
source:wowvipevents.com
Music plays big part at any event, and so it does at a wedding reception too. People usually choose between two options: a band and a DJ. When it comes to the U.S. an average cost of having a band at your reception is $3,469, while an average price to have a DJ spin your night away is about 70% cheaper, or $1,000 for the night. In the UK, people spend on average £1,014 for the music on their wedding.
Photographer
source:lendingpoint.com
These days having a good picture means a lot, so hiring a photographer is an important part of wedding expenses. In the U.S. that will cost you $2,440 on average, and that doesn’t even include the cost of a videographer. In the UK that price is £1,166 and plus £1,027 if you want videographer too.
A Church Wedding
source:zola.com
The average church wedding costs about £500. But, there can be extras on top of this, such as flowers, having the bells rung and having use of the organ and choir. More importantly, there are strict rules around who can get married in a church, so it’s a good idea to look into this if you want a religious service.
A Registry Office Wedding
source:weheartpictures.com
Having your ceremony at the local registry office costs about about £50. This is a pretty standard price, but some might charge more at weekends.
There are also some of the less expensive wedding features, which are important too, and those include transportation, wedding cake, and invitations.
Transportation
source:theknot.com
An average price of transportation is about $700.
Wedding Cake
source:fergusonplarre.com.au
The average expenditure is $3.90 per piece of wedding cake. On some weddings there is a tradition where certain guests bring cakes, so that is a way of saving up some money. Other way to avoid this expense is to order a half slice for each guest insted of a full slice.
Invitations
source:lovinginvitations.ie
In the U.S. invitations cost $6.32 per invite on average (assuming most people come as couples), though much fancier invitations can command $15 or more per invite. Similar prices are in the UK. Some people try to save up on this feature by sending an e-mail invitations.
A Wedding Dress
source:essensedesigns.com
Last but not least, is the most important wedding feature for a bride, and you guessed it right: it is a wedding dress. This is also the one area where brides aren’t into saving money, and need to get that one dress they want. An average price of this feature is £1,385.
Source: weddingstats.org
