Are you curious about how much the average wedding in Ireland costs? Earlier this year, we surveyed over 1,900 participants to find out what couples are spending and how much you need to save!
Our survey revealed some fascinating data – for example, larger weddings are back! We loved that couples stated what it was that helped them choose their dream supplier team and venues; it was the reviews! Only 9% of participants based their decisions on price.
Aidan Beatty Photography
- The average budget for a wedding including honeymoon is €29,812, up from last year’s €28,045.
- Friday and Saturday are still the most popular days for weddings (73%), with Thursdays next in line.
- 90% of weddings took place between April and December, with 57% of our participants getting married in 2022 and 24% getting married in 2023.
- The most popular month to pop the question is December (25%). Engagements are very evenly spread throughout the rest of the year.
- Couples are having longer engagements with a massive 47% of engaged couples waiting more than 2 years to get married.
- 5% of couples are enlisting the help of a wedding planner.
- Religious ceremonies are still the most popular (55%), while civil, spiritual and humanist ceremonies are on the rise.
- Larger weddings are back, 153 being the average number of guests.
- 91% of couples paid for the wedding themselves and 30% got a loan to help.
- 45% of couples surveyed went over budget with 84% spending over to 5K more than they had intended to.
- The average age for couples tying the knot is 34 for men and 32 for women.
- 50% of couples chose either 6 or 8 in their wedding party.
- The hotel venue remains the most popular choice at 70%, followed by the country house at 15% and then castles at 10%.
- 42% of couples surveyed have their speeches before the meal.
- The Top 5 wedding counties are Cork, Meath, Kildare, Kerry and then Cavan.
- 85% of couples honeymoon abroad with 65% waiting a few months after the wedding before they head off on their honeymoon.
- 56% of couples will take a mini-moon in Ireland straight after the wedding.
- The most popular honeymoon destinations are the Maldives, USA and Greece.
- The decided factor for which suppliers to book was reviews (58%), favourite choice (33%), with only 9% stating that price was their deciding factor.
- 67% of the couples surveyed paid for accommodation for parents, and 45% paid for accommodation for the wedding party.
- 94% used weddingsonline and the Help I’m Getting Married Facebook group to plan their wedding. 98% would recommend weddingsonline to their friends. The top 3 social media platforms used were Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
David McNeill Photography
How has Covid affected weddings?
- 40% of couples say their wedding was affected by Covid.
- 27% of couples surveyed postponed their wedding, with 16% of them postponing three times.
- 67% postponed so that they could invite more guests.
M & M Photography
The average spend in each category was as follows:
Engagement Rings: €3106
Wedding Rings: €1511
Band: €2232
DJ: €526
Photographer: €1779
Videographer: €1443
Wedding Dress: €1725
Ceremony Music: €473
Drinks Reception Entertainment: €546
Evening Entertainment: €734
Celebrant or other Officiant: €387
Makeup (bride only): €99
Makeup (per bridesmaid): €72
Hairstyling (per bride): €89
Hairstyling (per bridesmaid): €71
Wedding Planner: €1956
Bridesmaid Dresses (per bridesmaid): €212
Beauty Treatments (teeth, botox, tanning): €414
Accessories: €334
Price per suit: €280
Average number of suits bought: 4.5
Photobooth / Selfie mirror: €428
Wedding Car: €518
Wedding Cake: €350
Décor (Ceremony): €462
Décor (Venue): €721
Flowers: €747
Invites: €248
Foodie Treats: €281
Ceremony booklets: €141
Hen & Stag (per person): €204
Favours: €111
Honeymoon: €2872
