How to avoid overspending on your wedding budget

It is a special time for you and your partner, planning the perfect event to celebrate your love with friends and family. However, it can often become stressful as people try to fit such a big event into their budgets. With the average wedding for 2025 coming to a total of £20,822, getting everything from drinks to décor can be a chore.

Lake District Country Hotels, providers of wedding venues in the Lake District, pair with James Beckett, financial coach and founder of MoneyStocker.com, to help you budget your way to your big day.  

Amy Jenkin, Group Marketing Manager at wedding venue experts: Lake District Country Hotels says: “Planning a wedding isn’t only about finding a venue that speaks to you, the perfect clothes, or who should sit next to your grandma. It involves a lot of financial planning too, which can quickly become overwhelming if you don’t know what you should and shouldn’t splurge on.

“It pays to be savvy with your budget. For example, there’s big cost savings to be made by opting to marry on a weekday rather than the weekend. Choosing to marry on a Tuesday rather than a Saturday, could help you pair back your costs across your suppliers, saving around £4,000 on average.

“Recent findings indicate that engaged couples are under increased financial pressures, with a third of couples planning to use loans to finance their weddings in 2027 and beyond. It’s important to give careful consideration to you wedding budget, decide what’s realistic for you as a couple and to manage it tightly from start to finish.

“Keeping in budget can be difficult when you want to make the big day as special as possible, but with some sage advice, you can make sure you’re getting the most out of the moment without breaking the bank.”

Start with a budget

It goes without saying, you will need a budget. Knowing how much you can afford will include a couple of things such as who is paying for the wedding, what savings you have put aside, and whether you have any other expenses such as a new home to account for.

You will want to make sure you’re choosing a budget that works for your lifestyle, not for the day. While it could be tempting to choose a budget that makes the event as big as possible, if it causes you issues for your honeymoon, new home, or more, is it really worth it?

James says: “Even if you have no idea how much a wedding costs, start by thinking about how much money you are truly willing to part with. Once you start looking, it's easy for the scope of the wedding to slowly creep up, to the point that you look back and wonder how you arrived at such a lofty price tag.

“In some cases, you may need financial help to fund the wedding. A dream wedding is important to many, but it's almost never worth getting into tremendous debt for one day. It's always better to push the wedding further out and start saving early if you can.”

If you’re unwilling to compromise on the size of your wedding, but you’re not in the position to afford it, spending time saving is a good idea. You don’t need to rush into your big day. Instead, push the date back a year or two to give you and your partner the best chance of afford it. After all, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event!

Don’t be caught out by last-minute expenses

Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. From double-booked make-up artists to delayed deliveries meaning you have to make last-minute buys, there are plenty of things you will need to fork out for last minute.

James continues: “There is a lot to think about with wedding planning. It's not impossible that you will forget a few things when planning your budget. Having a separate pot of money forces you to reduce your budget slightly, rather than later going over budget and overspending when inevitable last-minute costs arise.

“Having a separate pot of money can also reduce the stress you have about potentially extending yourself into debt. Weddings are stressful enough to organise without having to worry about unexpected costs you can't afford.”

Decide what's important

When it comes to your big day, you might have to prioritise some things, whether it is swapping a band for a DJ to put more budget into your venue or making it a smaller event with fewer people to fund your dream wedding.

James starts: “This is your big day, so it might feel wrong to compromise at all. Of course, we would like everything to be perfect with a thousand roses, an award-winning wedding photographer (with an award-winning price tag), and a banquet that people will marvel over for decades to come. But everyone that plans a wedding has to compromise somewhere.

“Make a list of the things you absolutely cannot compromise on, a list of things that are important, and a list of things that you are more indifferent about. You can think about them as 'Must-haves', 'Nice-to-haves' and 'Could-haves'.”

Spend some time sitting with your partner and deciding what means the most to you. It is okay to have your wants, you just need to budget accordingly, and compromising is an essential part. Not to mention, this is a great opportunity for you and your partner to enhance your communication before the marriage.

“An important part of this process is to communicate with your partner. It may seem obvious, but sometimes a person leads the charge on the planning and overlooks certain aspects that the other person deems important to them. Just having these slightly awkward conversations about budget can save you thousands; get it all out in the open,” James says.

Do some DIY

Another way to easily stay within budget is to do as much of the work you can yourself. This includes making your own centrepieces, invitations, or simply picking your own playlist instead of relying on a DJ or band who might not 100% fit your perfect, and eclectic, tunes!

DIY can be a cheap, easy, and even fun way to celebrate your wedding in the run-up to the big day. Spend time with your friends and family creating your seating plan or even spend that quality time with your partner.

James says: “Not everything needs to be outsourced. A good example of this is making your own wedding favours - there are plenty of guides and ideas online.

“You might have a family member or friend that can help with name plates or that does videography. You'll find that people are more than willing to help or are even flattered you ask. You might get a discount on their service, or you might not. Either way, you can be sure they will give you their absolute best. It makes the day even more special knowing your closest family and friends had a small but important part in making it happen.”

Ignore the comments

Staying within budget isn’t always everyone’s idea of a big wedding, and this can mean some loved ones feel the need to comment on what they believe to be missing from the big day. Don’t worry. Trust in the knowledge that you and your partner have made the perfect wedding for you and ignore what anyone else has to say – it is your moment, not theirs.

James says: “One thing I have found, as many others have too, is that everyone will have an opinion about how much you are spending on your wedding. And it comes from both ends of the spectrum.

“You will get opinions. Just try to remember that they are doing it out of love. If they are contributing to the wedding, you are somewhat obliged to hear their opinion as a courtesy. Even if you just want to focus on being excited for your big day.”

Hearing them out doesn’t mean taking it to heart though. At the end of the day, everyone will just want you and your partner to be happy – and this is all that truly matters.

Your wedding day can easily start adding up after a few decisions, with everything from your catering to cars costing you a chunk of your savings. But by setting a realistic budget, focusing on what you truly want, and being prepared for those last-minute dilemmas, you will be in a much more comfortable – and stress-free – place.