Wedding costs Rocket as more people get hitched
It’s spring and at this time of year we see a big jump in orders of Wedding Cards & Gifts. With over a quarter of a million weddings each year in England and Wales alone and nigh on 100 guests attending a typical wedding it’s not hard to work out why we’re so busy. If newly Weds receive 100 to 150 cards a piece and get half as many gifts, that’s over 40 million cards to buy and 20 million gifts.
It’s not always been boom-town though. The last thirty-five years have seen a general decline in marriage. Until recently couples getting hitched were at their lowest for a 100 years. Today, though, despite people marrying later in life, getting married is popular again.
Interesting Fact | The most popular age that men and women marry is between 25 & 29.
Latest official figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that couples’ tying the knot in England and Wales has increased 5.3%, to 262,240. With more people getting married away from the traditional church wedding, in castles, stately homes, and so on the event itself is becoming much more appealing. This trend and the liberalisation of marriage that allow couples to be married in more places than ever and with whomever they want, has contributed to the increase since 2007.
Interesting Fact | 7 out of 10 wedding were civil ceremonies a number that has almost doubled in ten yearsNumbers marrying and divorcing 1932 to 2012
The wedding magazine Hitched has also put some figures together and, after factoring in some adjustments of our own, we have put the cost of a typical UK wedding at an eye-popping £33,366. So where’s does all that money get spent?
Well, roughly the cost of a wedding is split three ways: The money dished out getting the 100, or so guests sorted one way or another. Another chunk of cash pays for the Wedding Day itself and the rest spent on the Honeymoon.
Let’s have a closer look where, at what could be a deposit on a house, goes on a Wedding.
Guests - £21,000
• You won’t get much change out of £5K for Travel and Hotels, and you can add another £2K for Food and Drinks
• Stag and Hen Parties will typically set you back £3K and
• Dressing up in some new glad-rags for the big day will add another £6K
• Leaving a whopping £5K on the cost of the gifts guests give to the happy couple.
The Wedding Day - £9605
• Stationery £885
• Wedding Dress, Jewellery, Lingerie and Shoes £1200
• Groom wear £85
• Hairdo and Makeup £175
• Wedding Car £300
• Venue & £1500
• Food and Drink & £2800
• Cake and Flowers £700
• Photographer £1100
• Ceremony, Legal and Insurance Fees £360
• Entertainment £500
The Honeymoon - £2761
Most newlyweds jet-off for a Honeymoon abroad. A quarter head off to Europe, with as many again luxuriating together in the Caribbean. One in 10 venture to Africa with the rest either travelling East, Down Under, or honeymoon at home . Oh, there’s one more group too, the poor souls who don’t get a honeymoon at all.
Interesting Fact | The value the Wedding Industry to the UK economy is £10 Billion
It is a little surprising that the colossal cost of tying the knot isn’t putting people off getting married. The fact remains, though, that 1000s more people are getting married each year in the UK and with the growth of civil ceremonies, more exciting new venues for couples to choose from for their special day and the liberalisation of the law surrounding marriage, the upward trend looks set to continue.