Bridebook, the world’s leading wedding planning app, has revealed its 2025 UK Wedding Report.
Drawing insights from over 7,000 UK couples married or engaged during 2024, the report highlights the evolving dynamics of wedding planning, offering a snapshot of spending habits, trends and shifting generational priorities.
The survey found that the average cost of weddings has risen again, with couples now spending an average of £20,822, this has increased by a massive 31% in the past 5 years.
However, the survey results showed that there was a wider range in spending than previous years. Some couples embrace lavish celebrations, with 25% spending over £27k, while others use savvy strategies with 26% spending under £10k.
Couples have been willing to become more flexible in order to find the cheapest venue options and dates. This has allowed couples to still get married with similar lower end budgets to 2017. Despite this flexibility, 62% of couples went over their budget for their big day.
34% of couples now borrow money to fund their weddings, underscoring the ever-present financial pressures of achieving a dream day, compared to 49% of couples who paid for their weddings themselves
The survey showed that couples rely on borrowing and disposable monthly income to the same degree, irrespective of the overall wedding cost. The main difference between low and high budget weddings, is how much of their existing savings the couples spend.
Hamish Shephard, Founder of Bridebook, comments: “The growing costs of weddings makes it increasingly more important for couples to plan and budget their finances for their big day. Using budget planning tools can help immensely to make sure that you can achieve your dream wedding, whilst sticking to your achievable finance goals. It also means that providing clear, upfront pricing has never been more important for venues. Couples are making decisions based on transparency and trust, and venues that offer indicative pricing are much more likely to win bookings.”
Shephard concludes: “Bridebook’s 2025 UK Wedding Report reflects a wedding industry at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Couples are honouring the past while embracing the flexibility and creativity afforded by today’s technology and shifting cultural values. As we look ahead, it’s clear that weddings will continue to evolve in exciting and meaningful ways.”
