Image via Charlotte Patmore Photography
There are so many blog posts about how much an average wedding costs in the UK. At the moment, large wedding blogs say that an average wedding in the UK is around £17K. But this is somewhat misleading. Yes, if you're planning to DIY your wedding or have a small, no-frills, cookie-cutter wedding in a venue that churns them out over and over again, this might be true. But if you're looking for something a bit different, if you're planning a large wedding, if you had a gorgeous venue in mind, and if you need help planning and styling your wedding, it will cost you considerably more.
Your wedding budget calculator sheet should include:
Venue
Wedding attire
Rings
Photographer
Videographer
Catering
Booze
Transport
Accommodation
Production (lighting, rigging, set design)
Floristry
Decor & Props
Stationery & Signage
Entertainment
Cake
Officiant
Honeymoon
I have so many couples contacting me asking for wedding planning and styling help, but a large number of those couples have an unrealistic wedding budget.
It honestly breaks my heart when I have to tell people that they can't afford me, or their wedding for that matter.
To help you work out approximately how much your wedding will cost you, at least here down south, here is the quickest way you can calculate your spending:
Wedding budget breakdown - simplified
Let's say an average straightforward wedding costs 30K for 100 guests. I'm saying straightforward here as I'll explain what else will influence the budget later on.
From my experience, this breaks it down to spending £300 per guest, all-inclusive (wedding day cost).
Your budget will increase with the number of guests you have, naturally.
This is the simplest way of knowing straight away what the final figure will look like. But this figure DOES NOT include your wedding attire, accommodation (if you're travelling to get married in a different town or from a foreign country), and your honeymoon. This is simply how much you'll spend on the day at your wedding venue.
Other factors influencing your wedding budget
Your cost will be influenced by other factors too - status/calibre of your:
Wedding venue
Catering
Florist
Photographer
Videographer
Production
Props (decor)
The complexity and size of your wedding
All of the above vary considerably according to the status of the venue, the photographer's calibre, the catering company, the amount and intricacy of your flower design (and who that florist is), how much production and set design you'll require, what kind of furniture and props you want for the look, the quality of your tableware and dining furniture, multiple venue setups (ceremony and reception), and people power required - coordination, stylists, setup staff numbers, caterer staffing, for example.
Wedding planner costs in the UK
If you need help organising, designing and planning your wedding, wedding planner/stylist costs will be calculated as per and ON TOP of your overall budget.
Most wedding planners have a minimum spend as a starting price, no matter the size of the wedding, and then calculate their proposals to around 10-15% of your overall budget. This is important to know before you contact a wedding planner to have an idea about how much that wedding planner will charge you. It is always good to research and compare prices, as wedding planners vary in pricing too.
What kind of planning does Whole Lotta Love offer?
If you landed on this blog, chances are you like our aesthetic and are interested in finding out what our services will cost you.
It is imperative that our aesthetics align, as this is what we specialise in and are best at. There is no point in getting in touch if you want to have a traditional wedding using an all-white, neutral, or monochrome colour palette. We don't niche in those. We LOVE colour!
Our niche is colourful, retro-inspired, design-led and modern.
Our ideal clients put the look and style on top of their wedding planning list, using the traditional wedding template but putting an unconventional twist on it.
We aim to be different and very design-led. There are plenty of wedding planners who niche in different styles, so find one that fits in with who you are as a couple. This way, you will get precisely what you want and work with a like-minded planner/stylist.
You would have seen the three packages we offer here:
On-the-day Coordination - this package is for those who got the styling and planning sorted but need help running the day. We offer this as a stand-alone package for London and surrounding areas, or as an add-on to our other two packages in London and beyond. Prices will increase according to the size of your wedding, i.e. the people power needed to coordinate your day. Small weddings will need one coordinator, but more complex or large weddings will require at least two, for example, and will include expenses on top (travel and accommodation).
Styling - this package is for those who have the planning and logistics under control but need help in bringing their vision to life. We would work together on the aesthetics, design your wedding together, bring in the suppliers who will execute this vision perfectly (we will brief all suppliers connected to styling), and style/set up the venue for you. We DO NOT get involved in any planning, logistics or coordination whatsoever. We do offer advice and guidance on how best to do this thought, so don't worry if you get stuck. It just means that you are responsible for all venue and supplier correspondence and organisation.
The Full Sher-Bang - Full Wedding Planning and Design - is exactly what it says on the tin. We are involved, from the start, in organising, planning, supplier negotiations, supplier recommendations and coordination, correspondence, design and styling. I often get asked what is the difference between the Styling package and The Full Sher-Bang, and the answer is simple - MY TIME. This is the all-singing all-dancing package where all the aspects of your wedding are overseen/organised/planned and designed by us. It will give you a piece of mind by taking the stress out of the planning, saving you precious time and money. Price negotiations are our forte.
All of our packages guarantee to elevate your wedding and make it even better than you've imagined.
How do we calculate our prices?
You will notice that every package has a price with the word FROM in front of it. This is an indication of what our minimum prices start from.
ALL weddings differ in complexity, our time and the people power required to make it what it needs to be, so we will calculate our cost accordingly.
We do not charge for discovery calls or proposals, so your enquiring is completely complimentary. It's always good to meet the person whom you intrusting with planning and styling your special day. Some planners might quote you more and some less, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are the perfect match for you.
If you want to find out more, book yourself in for a no-obligation discovery call.
I am looking forward to it already.
Whole Lotta Love,
Zuza x
P.S. (Subscribe to our mailer where we talk about all things wedding design and planning for modern design-led couples and receive our FREE Wedding Planning Guide, here )