How to be smart with your wedding budget, save money and still have the day of your dreams

Couples who got engaged during the busy Christmas period now find themselves swapping glasses of congratulatory prosecco for wedding planning spreadsheets.

While Covid couples had it tough in terms of restrictions put on their big day, those saying post-pandemic “I do’s” have to contend with inflation and the cost of living crisis. Not only is it more difficult to save up for your target wedding budget but it may also not stretch as far as you would like with wedding service providers having to pass on higher costs to customers.

Bridebook.com’s 2024 UK Wedding Industry Report found that “despite the cost of living crisis, wedding spending rose £1,500 (€1,753) year on year... surpassing £20,000 for the first time” in the eight years of the annual report to hit an average of £20,775.

However, according to industry experts, those saying “I do” after a period of inflation can still have the day of their dreams, if they keep the following in mind.

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Guard your guest list

The good news is inflation has been forecasted to drop over the next two years by the Central Bank of Ireland and the ESRI, seeing a steady decline from the 2022 peak. The bad news is 2024/2025 brides and grooms might not see that reflected in their wedding invoices as much as they had hoped.

For example, Borris House, a luxury country house and wedding venue in Co Carlow, increased the advertised wedding package price by €20 per head from €130 to €150 during the summer season between 2020 and 2023. According to a brochure, the 2024 price has increased again by another €5. Using that latest figure, a July wedding for €150 per head could be €750 more expensive with the difference of a year.

Weekend summer wedding packages at Sligo’s Markree Castle in 2025 have seen a €6 per head increase on 2024 according to the latest brochure. Accommodation rates at the property have climbed from €225 to €245.

The wedding reception represents the largest cost centre in the budget and with venues exposed to inflation, rising staffing costs and the VAT rate change (from the temporary 9 per cent rate during Covid back up to 13.5 per cent) so planning for per head price increases is key to staying on budget.

For Nessa Kearney, wedding coordinator at Druids Glen Hotel and Golf Resort, reducing the guest list is the first place couples should start in terms of managing their budget. “People seem to think they have to invite the world and its mother – distant relations, neighbours but they shouldn’t feel they have to,” she says. “Couples end up with a per head cost for 200 when they could have had 100 guests.”

Kearney says couples shouldn’t feel obligated to invite everyone who ever invited your parents to a wedding. “People aren’t offended... because while a wedding is an expense to the couple getting married it’s also an expense for the guests coming.”

Slimmed-down guest lists during Covid reset social expectations around weddings so future couples should take advantage and invite only those they truly know and love. Not only to reduce costs but to boost their enjoyment of the day by spending more time on the dance floor instead of walking around shaking hands with people you haven’t seen for years.

One Fab Day editor Jessica O’Sullivan advises couples to “pick your venue first then do your guest list accordingly” rather than risk “ending up with a wedding you don’t want” because you’re forced to pick a venue that can fit everyone rather than your tastes.

“Post-pandemic couples are really doing it their own way and the venue has become really important,” she says, citing the rise of high-end restaurants that only seat 50 as dream venues.

On the flip side, if a venue comes with a caveat that requires a minimum number of guests such as 130-150 to go ahead, Kearney advises to politely ask if they will consider bringing that amount down. Particularly if you can have a wedding midweek or in the cheaper winter months as these are usually quieter dates the venue may be trying to fill, giving you more negotiating power.

Prioritise what’s important

Once the guest list has been edited, Kearney says “spend the money where it really matters – on food and music”.

While every couple will have their own ideas on what makes their wedding special and what to prioritise in their budget, for wedding planning veteran Kearney, the choice is simple.

“What gets talked about and remembered for years to come after the wedding is where you need to put money and that is food, drink and the party – as in your band, entertainment or DJ,” she says.

“Keep it simple and remember traditions have changed so if you don’t want to, you don’t have to have a cake that costs €500-€600 that’s left there at the end of the night.”

Kearney’s money-saving tips include using a mock cake for display purposes while serving a cheaper tray bake, skipping elaborate floral arrangements “that go in the bin the next day”, and questioning if you need to add in all the extras like a champagne toast.

“By that point, the wine is flowing, people are buying drinks so there’s no need to spend €2,000 on a toast drink if you don’t want to – can you remember at the last wedding you went to if you were given champagne for the speeches? No, exactly.”

Simple choices like having the ceremony and reception in the same place eliminate other costs like hiring cars, which means more money towards booking your favourite ABBA tribute act instead.

Instagram, Pinterest and other forms of social media can become a form of competitive pressure to buy into every passing wedding fad as an essential “must-have”.

While O’Sullivan says she’s at risk of “sounding like the fun police” there are “lots of things that people spend a lot on” that can be cut with minimal impact on the big day.

“The bride is the main culprit especially when weddings have become multi-event occasions with hen parties, rehearsal dinners, day twos and all those things now require new outfits,” she says. “Do you need three personalised bridesmaid robes or a clutch that says “Mrs” on it that you will never use again?”

This is where raiding the cupboards of friends who have already been married comes in handy, says O’Sullivan, with sustainable recycling not just saving you a fortune in white outfits but also table decor.

“If your friend has already been married chances are they have hundreds of votive candle holders sitting in their shed that they don’t know what to do with.”

While Kearney advises brides to get creative and draw on the talents of friends and family to make things, O’Sullivan is more wary of the true costs of DIY. “Don’t think DIY is going to give you savings, even if the materials are cheaper, factor in what it costs to pay yourself for those hours making things until 2am after work,” she says.

The key is to re-examine if all wedding “must haves” are actually your wedding “must haves”.

Keep on top of the numbers

Once couples have an idea of how much they want to spend, they should know the number on the spreadsheet might not match the amount they end up spending.

O’Sullivan advises nearly-weds to build in an extra “12.5 per cent contingency fund to pay for extras” that might unexpectedly pop up on the way.

She urges couples to be “realistic” about their total figures and where the money is coming from – family, personal loans, current savings or projected future savings. Relying on cash gifts from guests to cover costs is “the worst way to finance a wedding” given couples have already outlaid expenses without a guaranteed return.

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In order not to get overwhelmed and lost in the lead-up with all the different invoices coming in, O’Sullivan recommends spending “15 mins once a week to catch up spending on the budget spreadsheet”. That way there should be no nasty surprises at the end.

Finally, check your contracts with vendors and suppliers for inflation clauses, which give them the right to increase their prices above what couples initially agreed to when they first signed their deal.

“While most of them act in good faith at the time and stick with the original price when you get down into the T&Cs many have an inflation clause, so just know it’s there,” says O’Sullivan.

While wedding budgets might stretch a little bit less than they used to, couples don’t have to compromise on quality if they figure out what’s important to them. The key is to have the guest list they want and stay on top of the details.