Wedding Ideas: Budgets

We can help you work out how much you will need to spend and on what.

Who Should Be Paying for the Wedding?

Back in the day, it was assumed and expected that the bride's parents would cover a significant portion of the wedding celebration. Fortunately, customs and traditions have changed for good. Today, while the bride's parents can choose to take the onus on themselves and the groom's parents also often voluntarily step up to make contributions; most couples volunteer to cover a significant portion of the wedding cost. This is especially done if the families involved are considering taking wedding loans.

12 hidden wedding costs to include in your budget

When planning a wedding, there are a million and one things to think about. While you might have budgeted for big-ticket items like the venue and dress using our handy budget calculator, there are some hidden wedding costs that can sneak up on you. Here are the top twelve that catch couples out...

Wedding budget calculator | Guides for Brides

The Guides for Brides Wedding Budget Calculator

If you want to know how much to spend on your wedding day, then what better way than with our free wedding budget calculator? We'll take your budget and split it between your wedding venue and suppliers to let you know how much you should be spending on each category. It's the easiest way to keep track of your wedding finances and stay on track with your budget.

How to plan an incredible wedding on a budget

If you're a bride on a budget, then it can sometimes seem impossible to plan the kind of extravagant weddings you see on Instagram and Pinterest. Don't panic - with a bit of planning, you can create an incredible, personal wedding day that your guests will love without breaking the bank. Guest writer Sophia Smith shares her ideas for an amazing wedding on a budget...

What does the groom traditionally pay for?

Although these days couples tend to split the wedding bill evenly (or head to the bank of mum and dad), there are traditional rules when it comes to who pays for what. Read More

Get Savvy: The Best Ways to Pay for Your Wedding

So, you've got the longest wish list in the world for your wedding and fabulous #goal worthy ideas from countless sources of inspiration (GfB, wink!)... Where on earth does the money come into all of this?

Wedding Finance

One of the most important things to address early on in wedding planning is your wedding finance - as of 2017, the national average wedding spend was quoted as being around £27,000. However, we found that our budget-savvy brides spent a lot less than this, with an average spend of £16,500. As most couples don't have this kind of money lying around, it's crucial to address up front how you intend to finance your wedding.

Who pays for what?

Traditionally the cost of the wedding was split between the bride's parents and the groom. As women have become more independent and financially secure, the current trend is for the bride and groom to pay for as much as they can, with help from both families as and when appropriate. This can vary greatly as to each person's financial status and the requirements of the wedding itself, but if you're interested in what traditional wedding etiquette dictates, this is what each person would traditionally pay for...