When planning a wedding, the question of budgeting and funding is often the first consideration couples make. Traditionally, couples received financial help from family. In fact, the bride’s family was traditionally expected to pay the bulk. However, traditions change, and couples often no longer want to rely on the ‘bank of Mum and Dad’ to fund their wedding day. How then can couples successfully fund a wedding in this day and age?
Research from Hitched puts the average UK wedding cost in 2025 at £23,250, based on a survey of over 3,000 couples. This means that wedding costs in the UK have risen 34% since 2021. Research from Shawbrook also found that nearly two-thirds of couples underestimated the cost of their wedding. This rise in costs poses difficulties. Many couples may even begin to question if it’s possible to successfully fund their dream wedding.
Choosing Where to Trim Your Wedding Budget
Before you begin saving, it’s worth carefully considering aspects of your big day and the areas you’re willing to save on. A good place to begin is by thoroughly researching tips in wedding planning advice columns, which can often help you to consider which areas of the wedding you prioritise.
The most common routes to cutting costs in wedding planning include careful guest selection, which impacts your venue and catering budgets, down to finer details creating like DIY venue decorations and choosing cheaper bridesmaid dresses.
Considering all of these elements is essential to narrowing down an accurate budget. Now you can begin to piece these elements together. Tools like a wedding budget spreadsheet templates, with many available online, can aid in this stage of your planning journey. By following this route, you can ensure you still achieve your dream day, but with carefully considered options.
How to Make Your Wedding Savings Plan Actually Happen
Once you’ve considered your budget and decided what you want your big day to look like, it’s time to consider how you can turn these plans into reality.
According to MoneySuperMarket, using savings is the cheapest option for couples to fund a wedding without family help. This means couples avoid interest charged on loans or credit. With an achievable wedding budget set, you can now begin to consider how to reach this goal.
Automating your savings is one of the most efficient ways to hit your savings goals. This makes saving a non-negotiable, just like paying your important bills and subscriptions. Many people choose to automate their savings so that money is taken on the day they get paid. Choosing this option means you’re less likely to notice the savings payments, or overspend in the month and be unable to put away any money.
Another saving option is to choose a locked savings account, meaning the money you put away for the wedding is locked for a certain amount of time, so there’s no cheeky dipping into the pot. Many popular bank and saving providers now offer this kind of savings accounts. Though, couples should ensure they are saving a sustainable amount to not need to access the account in the case of emergencies.
Instead of working just from savings, some couples may also choose to take out loans or credit. However, couples choosing this route must carefully consider the risks involved. From a recent article in Zola, Erin Lowry, author of the book Broke Millennial, simply argues: “You should not go into debt for your wedding.” Many financial experts agree that while using a loan can offer positives, it can also create issues. Taking out a wedding loan can provide credit history and access to quick cash. Alternatively, potential downsides include encouraging potential overspending and difficulty paying back loan interest, which isn’t the ideal way to begin a new marriage.
There may also be overlooked ways to help fund a wedding, with there being some potential upcoming life changes that could actually help your wedding planning and budgeting. For example, if you are already planning to move house, downsize, or relocate before the wedding or in the coming years, this may be an unexpected way to fund your wedding. Selling a property is one of the most surefire ways to free up capital. This is particularly the case when using a quick house sale service. These companies provide shorter timelines with a sale completed in seven days, no hidden costs, and certainty around available funds, freeing up capital quickly.
Situations like these could apply to couples combining households or relocating to start a family. While selling a house just to fund a wedding is likely not a commonly advised route, if already planning a move soon, it’s certainly something to consider. This could also apply to other assets, such as cars.
With the right planning, funding a wedding without financial assistance from family can become an achievable goal. From saving plans to considering future life plans and finances, there are many routes available for couples to consider.
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