How Much Does a UK Wedding Cost?
Understanding typical costs helps you work out how much you might need to borrow. According to wedding industry surveys, UK couples spent an average of around £20,000–£25,000 on their wedding in 2024, with significant regional variation — weddings in London and the South East tend to be considerably more expensive than those elsewhere in the UK.
Major cost areas include: venue hire (often £5,000–£15,000 depending on size and location); catering (£50–£150 per head); photography and videography (£2,000–£5,000); flowers and decor (£1,500–£4,000); the wedding dress and groom's attire (£1,500–£5,000); and the honeymoon (£3,000–£8,000 or more). Entertainment, invitations, wedding favours, hair and makeup, transport, and the rings add further to the total.
Couples who want a modest celebration can keep costs well below £10,000 with careful planning. Others who want a large formal wedding in a licensed venue with extensive catering and a destination honeymoon can spend £50,000 or more. The amount you need to borrow — and the most appropriate borrowing route — will depend heavily on which end of that spectrum you are aiming for.
Before exploring finance options, it is worth identifying which elements of the wedding are most important to you and where you might be able to trim costs. Borrowing less reduces risk and total interest paid regardless of the finance product you choose.
Secured Loan vs Personal Loan vs 0% Credit Card for a Wedding
The right finance product for a wedding depends on the amount you need to borrow and your financial circumstances. For smaller amounts — up to £5,000–£10,000 — a 0% purchase credit card can be an excellent option, allowing you to spread payments interest-free for a promotional period of up to 24 months with some lenders. If you can pay off the balance before the 0% period ends, this is often the cheapest form of borrowing available.
For amounts between £5,000 and £25,000, an unsecured personal loan from a bank or building society is typically the most straightforward and appropriate option. Personal loan rates are competitive for borrowers with good credit, terms of two to five years keep the debt manageable, and crucially, your home is not at risk if circumstances change. Leading personal loan rates for creditworthy borrowers sit between 5% and 10% APR for amounts in this range.
A secured loan becomes relevant primarily when the amount needed exceeds what unsecured lenders will offer — typically above £25,000–£30,000 — or when a borrower has impaired credit and cannot access competitive unsecured rates. The lower monthly payment from spreading costs over a longer term can also be appealing, though this comes at the cost of paying more total interest.
It is important to be clear-eyed about the trade-off: a secured loan puts your home at risk for a wedding, which is a one-day event with no lasting financial asset. If your relationship were to break down or if your financial circumstances were to deteriorate, you would still have the secured debt and the associated risk to your home. This does not mean a secured loan is never the right choice, but it does mean the decision deserves serious consideration.
