Average UK Wedding Spend (by region)
Again we looked at the data from around 1,600 wedding insurance policies purchased between January 2011 and March 2012 for weddings taking place during 2012, firstly grouping the data by county and then by geographic region.
As expected, couples in London and the South East are spending more than the national average on their weddings – 42% above and 5% above respectively. Along with the East of England, these were the only regions that spent higher than the national average.
Couples in Northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland were found to be spending the least on their weddings – around 12% below than the national average of £14,441 (including the honeymoon) in the North of England, 14% in Wales and 16% in Northern Ireland.
Full Regional Breakdown
Region | Difference on Average | Average Spend |
---|---|---|
East | 1% above | £14,607 |
East Midlands | 10% below | £13,347 |
London | 42% above | £19,223 |
North East | 12% below | £13,042 |
North West | 12% below | £13,036 |
Northern Ireland | 16% below | £12,666 |
Scotland | 10% below | £13,350 |
South East | 5% above | £14,980 |
South West | 10% below | £13,273 |
Wales | 14% below | £12,871 |
West Midlands | 6% below | £13,788 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 11% below | £13,140 |
Couples in London then are clearly pushing up the national average as a whole by spending on average £6,000 more on their weddings than couples in other parts of the UK.
Whether the higher spend is as a result of increased venue or supplier costs in the capital we’re not sure. Or perhaps brides in other parts of the country are spending less on what could be considered ‘unnecessary’ extras? Maybe couples outside of London are more likely to go down the ‘DIY’ route, making things like invitations, table plans, decorations and cakes themselves?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.

A little bit about Adam Leyton, founder of CompareWeddingInsurance.org.uk
Adam has been working in the wedding industry since 2006. As a keen advocate of wedding insurance, he launched a comparison website in 2009. See his Google+ profile.