THE average cost of Scottish weddings is now in excess of £30,000, a survey of happy couples has revealed.
The eye-watering sum is up more than £1000 in one year, breaking through the £30,000 mark for the first time. The Scottish Wedding Census of 500 newlyweds found they had forked out £31,167 on average in 2016.
The previous year, the average total was £29,904, according to figures compiled by the Scottish Wedding Directory.
But the cost is on course to double within a decade.
When the Scottish Wedding Census started in 2013, the average spend was just £19,500. Experts said the latest figure pointed to a thriving industry in Scotland, now worth close to £1 billion annually.
Natasha Radmehr, editor of the Scottish Wedding Directory, said: “A lot of people will balk at the average wedding spend being so high, but it comes as no surprise – weddings these days are bigger than they’ve ever been.
“Everyone wants to put on a proper party, with couples now able to hire photobooths, street food trucks and even fairground carousels.
“There has also been a rise in the popularity of weekend-long weddings, where couples hire a venue for a few days to eke out the celebrations.
“That bumps up the hire cost considerably, but it also makes the wedding a much more memorable experience.”
The survey found the Scottish wedding industry was worth £911m in 2016.
It discovered 75% of couples agreed a budget but only slightly more than half (51%) stuck to it.
Incredibly, brides now spend an average of £1394 on their wedding dress with women in Glasgow and the south-west paying £1534.
And some brides-to-be were prepared to work for their dream outfit, with 4% saying they had visited or expected to visit 10 or more boutiques and designers in their hunt for a dress.
More couples – perhaps looking to trim costs – are scheduling their big day in autumn as an alternative to the traditional summer do.
Of the newlyweds surveyed, 38% said they had tied the knot between September and November – the same figure as between June and August.
But couples are sticking to tradition in other areas, with more than two out of five marrying on a Saturday.
Venue choices remain part of a long-term trend with hotels again proving the most popular pick (33%). Second was “places of worship” (24%).
Two-thirds of couples had their ceremony and reception in the same location.
But one couple chose to say their vows in one of the oldest warships left in the world, HMS Frigate Unicorn in Dundee – hopefully not a sign of battles in their married life.
Wedding planner Kimmie Brown of Litu said there were still deals to be had to drive costs down as long as couples were prepared to work at it – or hire someone to do it for them.
She said: “The main problem with weddings is it’s a first for most and it’s daunting – couples don’t know where to start and don’t have the time.
“Wedding consultants can be invaluable. It’s another cost, but it will ultimately save couples money.
“One top tip is to keep the numbers of guests down. That significantly reduces cost.”
The Happy Couples
Stef and Ashley Lach
Married 4th February 2017
Cost: £13,000
Groom Stef, a 39-year-old council communications officer originally from South Africa but now living in Glasgow with Scottish wife Ashley, said: “We didn’t want to blow a life savings amount of money on our wedding, which our family helped pay for.
“Although we didn’t want to go overboard we did want to have a memorable day.
“One of the best ways we kept the costs down was to book our big day off-season at House For An Art Lover in Glasgow.
“That saved us 20% in venue costs by booking in February.
“I also got a pal to DJ, one to bake a cake and another to take the pictures.
“There were surprises – I had no idea flowers, makeup and hair could cost so much!
“We also saved a bit by having a mini-honeymoon, which I’m reliably told is called a ‘mini-moon’.
“A lot of our friends and family had come from overseas and we didn’t think it would be fair to them to miss them after they had travelled so far.
“By only going away for three nights to Europe we were able to spend some quality time with them.”
Rachel and Joao Carrapico
Married 27th of July 2017
Cost: £18,000
Masters student Rachel, 22, said: “I met Joao, who is a software engineer aged 24 from Portugal, seven years ago online.
“A couple of years ago he moved to Scotland to study at Stirling Uni and we decided to get married.
“We opted for the Busby Hotel in Clarkston and had 50 guests during the day and another 50 at night.
“The hotel had a wedding co-ordinator, which took a lot of pressure off.
“There were some things that surprised me.
“My dress was around £700 but when you added in things I wasn’t expecting to pay for such as a veil, underskirt and alterations it took the cost up to around £1200.
“We saved some cash by getting some people we know to do hair and pictures but we still went over budget. We originally hoped to spend £10,000!
“Our family were great and helped us pay for the big day, which I don’t think was too extravagant.”
Karen and Gerard Bush
Married 4th October 2016
Cost: £32,000
Photographer Karen, 33, said: “When I married officer manager Gerard, 35, we were very fortunate.
“We had a lovely ceremony at St Margaret’s Church in Johnstone, Renfrewshire followed by a reception at Solsgirth House in Dollar.
“Months later that venue closed leaving a lot of couples out of pocket.
“We were lucky in other ways too.
“While the costs all added up we had a lot of help from family, friends and even colleagues.
“I run a photography business, Heyes Images, and do a lot of weddings.
“Some of the stuff we paid for I did in exchange for me doing jobs at other weddings.
“In all, the day cost between £25,000 and £30,000. On top of that there was £6000 we spent on our honeymoon to Hong Kong and Bali.
“My brother gave me a terrific wedding dress, which was by a famous designer and costs around £5000 – a bit higher than the national average!
“I had to travel to London to get alterations on it done before our big day.
“We also booked the big day for October. But that wasn’t to get a cheaper deal – I thought I’d be quieter with work.
“However, that was far from the case.
“I was inundated with offers and had to turn down a lot due to getting married as well as going on honeymoon.
“I’m not surprised to learn Scots are increasingly getting hitched in October – our summers are such wash-outs couples are beginning to wise up.
“Is spending £30,000 on a wedding too much? No, but Gerard may disagree!
“Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. It really was the best day of our lives.
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