Rooks Writes: The Real Wedding!

In the latest edition of his blog, Finance Coach Chris Rooks talks about the significant financial commitment of a wedding...

Hi there everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the blog. As I write it’s the last of our spring bank holidays so I hope you all made the most of your extra day off as the next one isn’t until the end of August.

I thought for this blog I would pick up on the big event of last weekend that had everyone captivated – no, not Chelsea’s win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final – I’m talking about the Royal Wedding. It’s an event that had the majority of the country awaiting it in eager anticipation and then gripped throughout the day as they watched the ceremony. I have to admit I didn’t see much of proceedings but couldn’t miss a lot of the pictures, videos and news surrounding it before, during and after the event. 

By all accounts it was a wonderful day, and other than the bride and groom it would seem it was the preacher Michael Curry who stole the show with his impassioned sermon. It was also nice to have an event that can be celebrated by the country, and indeed the world, and is a breath of fresh air having a good news story rather than the usual bad stories we’re subjected to.

It’s also something that we can relate to, albeit for the most part on a smaller scale. Most if not all of us have experienced attending a wedding at one point or another in our lives and I would guess a fair proportion of you are married so have also been through the process of organising and paying for your big day. I would also guess though that none of you have spent around £32million on your nuptials!

That being said weddings are still expensive – according to a survey undertaken by the website Hitched, the average cost of a wedding in the UK is £27,161. To put that into context according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) the average UK salary is £27,271 – that means a wedding effectively will set you back a full year’s wages (with a whole £110 to spare!). 

It is a significant financial commitment, although I should also say just because that is the average doesn’t mean an amazing day can’t still be had on a much lower budget. When I was growing up my younger sister dreamed of a big white wedding, which I don’t think is uncommon, and our Dad would always comment how that money could be better spent, for example on a house deposit, and you could still have a fantastic day by “getting hitched at the registry office then heading down the pub for pie and chips after”! I believe it was always said half-seriously and half-jokingly, and when my sister did get married a few years ago in what was a fantastic day which closely mirrored her dream when growing up, I don’t think Dad would have changed a thing especially as you could see the pride as he walked her down the aisle and then gave a glowing and emotional speech at the wedding breakfast.

They may potentially be expensive but approaching them in the right way can make it so much easier to budget and ultimately pay for your big day. My biggest suggestion would always be to sit down as early as possible after getting engaged and run through your finances to understand exactly what you can realistically afford to save per month, and set a date and/or budget accordingly. Once you have that date and budget in mind, never be afraid to haggle to get prices down, and although it’s easier said than done, if you can’t get something for the price you’re willing to pay for it then walk away – there will always be an alternative, and it may even turn out to be better.

I appreciate that can all feel daunting – sifting through your finances and spending can be scary for a lot of people, especially when you’re approaching it to understand how to pay for one of the biggest days of your life. We’re here to help though – at Future Balance we can work with you to get to grips with your finances, work out a budget and saving plan, plus suggest ideas to get more for your money. Alternatively if you just want us to put together a bespoke wedding tracker for you we are more than happy to do that too – just get in touch with us either on the contact page here, by calling us on 01793 731141 or by e-mailing [email protected]. As with everything we do we will always be guided by you, our clients, to help you feel comfortable with whatever you are looking to achieve with your finances.

Whether you use us or not though, we’d always hope that you can make your wedding planning as stress free as possible and again I would reiterate to work out that budget early and stick to it to at least take away the concern of how you will pay for things. Most importantly though if you are getting married soon or are in the process of planning a wedding, then enjoy the process from start to finish and I hope you have the perfect day that you have been dreaming about.

As always if you have any questions, would like more information about Future Balance, or even would like to suggest a future blog topic then drop us a line at [email protected] or contact us via our website here.

Until next time…