How much does a wedding cost? Our free wedding cost calculator adds up the venue, food, outfits, photographer and every other item, then shows your cost per guest and how much to save each month. Set your guest list, pick a starting point and change any figure to fit your plans.
How much will your wedding cost?
Set your guest numbers, pick a starting point and change any figure. The calculator works out your total, the cost per guest and how much to save each month.
How to use the wedding cost calculator
Step 1: Enter your guests and date
Type in the number of guests and how many months you have until the big day. Catering is priced per guest, so the total moves as your guest list changes.
Step 2: Choose a starting point
Budget, Typical and Luxury each fill in prices for every item. Typical is based on the average spend in the latest Bridebook and Hitched wedding surveys.
Step 3: Make it your own
Change any box. If a friend is doing the cake or you do not want a videographer, set it to zero. The calculator compares your total with the UK average and shows the monthly saving you need.
How much does a wedding cost in the UK?
The Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average wedding at £20,604 for about 80 guests. Hitched found a similar figure of £21,990. With the Typical settings and 80 guests, the wedding cost calculator comes to about £22,000, or roughly £275 per guest.
Venue hire and catering are by far the biggest costs, and together they usually make up around half the budget. After that come outfits, the photographer, flowers and music. Smaller items such as stationery, the cake and transport add up faster than most couples expect.
Do not forget the legal fees
In England and Wales, you each pay £46.50 to give notice of marriage at your local register office. A simple ceremony at the register office costs £62 on top. If you marry at an approved venue such as a hotel, the registrar fee is set by the local council and is often several hundred pounds. The GOV.UK guide to marriages and civil partnerships explains the rules.
Ways to cut the cost of a wedding
- Trim the guest list. Every extra guest adds food, drink, a chair and stationery. Cutting ten guests can save £1,000 or more.
- Pick an off peak date. Fridays, Sundays and winter months are often far cheaper than a Saturday in summer.
- Choose a dry hire venue. A venue that lets you bring your own caterer and drinks can cut the biggest two costs at once.
- Prioritise what matters. Rank the items in the calculator, then spend more on your top three and less on the rest.
Saving for your wedding
The calculator shows how much to put aside each month to pay in cash by the big day. Keeping that money in a high interest savings account or a cash ISA means it earns interest while you plan. Our guide to how much to save each month helps you balance wedding savings with your other goals.
Try not to borrow for the day itself. Starting married life with a loan or card balance puts pressure on the first years, when many couples are also saving for a home. If a first home is next on your list, our life event money checklist covers every step.
Money jobs after the wedding cost calculator
Once you are married, check whether you can claim Marriage Allowance. If one of you earns less than the Personal Allowance, they can pass £1,260 of it to their partner, which is worth up to £252 a year. You can apply on the GOV.UK Marriage Allowance page.
Also update your will. In England and Wales, getting married cancels any will you made before, unless it was written with the marriage in mind. Our guide to what happens if you die without a will explains why that matters.
More cost calculators
- Baby cost calculator: what the first year with a new baby really costs.
- Dog cost calculator: the start up, yearly and lifetime cost of a dog.
Or browse every calculator, game and download on our free financial tools page.
Wedding cost calculator FAQs
The Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026 puts the average wedding at £20,604 for about 80 guests, while Hitched found an average of £21,990.
Venue hire and catering are usually the two biggest costs, and together they make up around half of a typical wedding budget.
In England and Wales, you each pay £46.50 to give notice, and a simple register office ceremony costs £62. That is £155 in total for a couple.
Divide your total by the months until the wedding. For example, a £22,000 wedding in 18 months needs about £1,220 a month. The wedding cost calculator works this out for you.
Yes. The wedding cost calculator is free, there is no sign up and nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.