A bride's parents will still pay the most for their daughter’s wedding, forking out up to 113% more than the parents of the groom, according to new research by short term loan provider Wonga.
The poll of 1,000 adults that included parents of the bride, parents of the groom, best men, maids of honour, bridesmaids, ushers and wedding guests, looked at who pays the most money to be part of the big day.
The tradition of the bride’s parents paying for the entirety of the wedding may be a thing of the past, but the research did reveal significant differences in costs still exist between the in-laws.
The biggest difference in spending was on unexpected costs, such as clothing alterations, venue dressing, pre-wedding party attire and forgotten items. The parents of the bride spend a huge £234.79 compared to £46.12 by the parents of the groom. Other significant differences in spending included the hen or stag party (£193.44 vs £41.65), meals (£448.12 vs £113.26) and the hotel (£232.01 vs £114.74).
Aside from the parents of the bride and groom, the best man tends to spend the most in the run up to the big day. They spend the most on the wedding gift, wedding outfit, drinks, travel, hotel, meals and the stag party, compared to bridesmaids, ushers, wedding guests and the maid of honour.
Bridesmaids will each spend the most on grooming in preparation for the wedding, with hair styling, professional makeup and nails totalling over £100 per bridesmaid.
When it comes to planning ahead financially, maids of honour seem to be the most sensible, with 81% of them saying they budgeted for wedding costs. The majority of parents of the bride, parents of the groom and best men also said they had a pot of money set aside for the big day. In contrast, most bridesmaids, ushers and guests at weddings said they didn’t budget for the wedding.
Total wedding spending:
Parents of the Bride: £2,754.52
Parents of the Groom: £1,292.53
Best Man: £1,027.57
Bridesmaids: £737.67
Ushers: £623.39
Maid of Honour: £426.70
Guest at wedding: £296.59
The top items people expected the couple to pay for were the ushers’ suits, wedding dresses and wedding hair and makeup for the bridal party.
James McMaster, Head of Marketing in the UK at Wonga, said “Wedding season can be a stressful time, and not just for the bride and groom as our research reveals. While it’s fun to celebrate with close friends and love ones, the costs associated with a wedding can soon add up if you haven’t budgeted for them.
“To help plan ahead for any upcoming weddings we’ve created a helpful money saving wedding gift guide to suit every budget: https://www.wonga.com/cashsmart/articles/image-articles/how-to-have-a-wedding-on-a-shoestring/”
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