Newlyweds are Charged Double the Amount for Event Services at Their Wedding




New research conducted by a professional services marketplace has discovered that newlyweds are being quoted twice as much by wedding service providers, compared to general event providers. 

Geography also plays a part with quotes coming in 21% higher across London and the South East compared to the rest of the UK with the North-East being the least expensive.

According to recent research, the average cost of a British wedding is now £20,500*, with a fifth of people, admitting they borrow money to fund their big day. 

As a nationwide marketplace for local professional services, Bidvine.com wanted to analyse the cost of a range of services, in a bid to find out whether or not services were differently priced when specifically for weddings.





Analysing its database of event and wedding photographers, caterers and music entertainment providers, Bidvine.com discovered that wedding-specific quotes from its service providers were, on average, twice as much as general quotes.

Bidvine.com also asked its wedding service providers why they charge more and discovered that almost all (96%) of them said that weddings are more stressful, time-consuming and require more attention than general events. 

In addition when asked how customers feel about the prices quoted, four-fifths (83%) said that they’ve never received any objection and that customers are happy to pay extra for the ‘wedding experience’.

The research also highlighted the impact location has on event prices. Quotes for wedding services were a fifth (21%) higher in the south-east and London, with the north-east being the least expensive area to get married. 

The average event cost for event photography was £280, significantly less than the average cost for wedding photography, which was £631. 
When analysing the catering quotes, the average price for event catering was £1500, almost half of the cost of wedding catering, which averaged out at £2,650. 

Quotes for music entertainment for a standard event were, on average, £450. Musicians increase their quotes by approximately 40%, averaging £630 per wedding.  




The quotes collected and analysed by Bidvine.com, are total cost quotes, therefore do not take in to account varying elements such as printing, time spent and number of employees.

In response to the research, Bidvine.com has created a guide on ways to reduce the cost of your wedding. To view the guide, visit the Bidvine website


Sohrab Jahanbani, CEO of Bidvine.com, said:

“The results show a stark contrast in prices from general events to weddings. Weddings demand more time, care and attention than a standard event, I think there is a lot more pressure on service providers when catering to a wedding, because everything has to be perfect, it is someone’s big day that will be cherished forever. So although we found it interesting to note the differences in pricing, there’s clearly a reason for the increase.  

“Getting married can be, as all figures show us, a very expensive affair. We have created a cost cutting wedding guide to help couples make savings, though, as every penny counts, especially for the 20% of newlyweds that borrowed money for their big days!”


Do you agree? Were you charged extra for your big day, because you told them you were getting married? And are vendors and service providers right to push up their prices just because it's a wedding?

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