Howdy! As the title says I’m American and marrying a British man. We’re planning to have a ceremony in the UK (likely around the Dover/kent area) for his family.
We’ll already be legally married in the US and doing something small here, so this would just be a ceremony/reception over there. We’re thinking around 40 guests max.
I’m not very familiar with UK wedding costs or what’s considered “affordable,” so I’m trying to get a realistic idea. I’d like to keep things on the more budget friendly side, but my fiancé and I aren’t totally aligned on what that looks like.
His mom mentioned around £10-15k as a general expectation, while he feels like we could do it for less. I don’t necessarily disagree, but for the kind of wedding he’s envisioning (full reception, more guests, great photographer, etc.), I’m not sure how realistic that is.
I’d personally be happy with something simpler or smaller, but he wants more of a full experience. He also suggested having his sisters help plan and sort of act as coordinators… which I appreciate, but I’d prefer to stay more hands on with planning since I already have a vision for it if we are going to.
I’d really appreciate any insight on:
-What’s actually considered a reasonable/average budget in that area?
-What kind of wedding you can realistically get for £10k–£15k?
-Any tips for keeping costs down without sacrificing too much
-Also common catering places and costs maybe?
Thanks so much in advance!