A survey recently done in the UK shows that the average cost of a wedding is £18,500 (or about $37,000 or a little less than one year at Duke University). And because the costs are so steep a whole lot of couples are delaying their nuptials. According to the survey 1 in 5 delay their wedding and half of those delay them because of funds. So roughly 10% of couples hold off on getting married because of cost. And another whopping 15% said they would never get married due to cost.
Evidently, the average UK wedding has become 4 times more expensive in the last 20 years (was £4,300). That thumps inflation pretty good. So why the increase in costs? In a word, flair. British brides may have caught a bit of the bridezilla from the US (or developed a new strain on their own). The ice carvings, orchestras, castles, and command Tom Jones performances really add up.
Unfortunately, they really don’t have a Las Vegas in the United Kingdom to elope to. We’ve been to Manchester and there’s no real comparison. We have a feeling that the $37,000 does not include the cost of the ring, [1] so chuck another couple grand in there. Or the cost of an elaborate proposal. [2] Or the honeymoon. Forget it. Getting hitched is too spendy.