The team at Bridebook.com have published their most comprehensive UK Wedding Report to date, and their 9th annual edition, providing valuable data with input from 6,800 engaged and newlywed couples. Here are some of the more interesting facts and figures that stood out to me.
The average spend remains steady compared to last year at £20,822, (excluding honeymoon and engagement rings; including, it's around £26,500). A quarter of couples are marrying for £10k or less, consistent with 2017. However, couples are still investing in weddings with a 25% increase in spend for mid to high-cost weddings since 2021.
The average spend on professional photography was £1,482. This compares with spend on florists at £1,132 decorations at £1271 and ceremony music at £821; 70% of couples book a photographer for a full day, which ranged from £646 - £2,500).
Personality and feeling comfortable with their photographer is as important as price and style for couples when selecting their photographer.
Natural and Candid photo styles remain the most popular photographic styles, though the traditional style is more popular amongst Gen Z couples.
The average age of couples getting married has remained constant after steadily increasing over the past decades, with the average age on the wedding day being 34.
Average engagement length continues to drop, with 64% of engagements in 2024 less than 24 months - average engagement length being 23 months amongst Gen-Z.
August remains the peak month for weddings and 51% of weddings were on a Saturday. Over 1 in 3 Gen Z couples choose to marry between Monday & Thursday, in part, this is due to the predominance of working from home.
Since Covid, hotels have been the most popular venue type, surpassing barns and country houses. 2024 is no different.
Average guest numbers have remained relatively steady. Although there has been a marginal increase in guest numbers, they still remain significantly below pre-Covid levels. The average number of guests for a wedding reception is 73, with additional evening guests averaging 41, same as last year.
26% of engaged couples intend to use AI as part of their wedding planning, notably for drafting speeches, vows, thank you notes and also invitation.
An awesome three-peat!
I won my third Best of Bridebook Platinum Award in 2025, making it three years in a row, being honoured with the highest distinction on the trusted wedding planning website and app. I'm also ranked #1 amongst Warwickshire wedding photographers!
Get in touch with me if you need a highly-rated professional photography, who not only takes amazing award winning photos, but is also a really nice guy and great to have around on a wedding day. Just take a look at what other couples have had to say about me!