How much does a wedding cost on average in Spain? The best tricks to say ‘I do’ without spending a fortune
Sun, flowers, heat… The good weather arrives and couples see the perfect moment to seal their love. The months of June and July are the favorite months of lovers to celebrate their marriages, according to the Essential Wedding Bookpublished by Weddings.net. In these celebrations, emotion occupies a great place, but concern about money also takes special prominence, especially in the moments leading up to it.
Once the decision to get married has been made, comes the most difficult part: organize the event and face the expenses, and inflation doesn’t help. In 2023, the average price of a wedding in Spain rose by 6%. “In my case like wedding planner I have increased the cost because there is a lot of demand and little availability. That is, having 10 weddings is not the same as having more than 30 weddings,” he tells 20 minutes Veronica Almodóvar, wedding planner of Multiverse Events.
Determining the price of a wedding is not easy, as it can vary depending on its characteristics, as well as the time of year in which it is celebrated and the Autonomous Community where it is held. Typically, the price of an average wedding It is between 12,000 and 45,000 euros, according to an analysis carried out by the budget page Chronoshare.
Asturias tops the list of the most expensive places to get married with an average cost per guest of 267 euros. Murcia, for its part, would be the cheapest community with a cost of 134 euros. In between are the Basque Country and Galicia (224 euros), Madrid and Catalonia (207 euros), La Rioja (196 euros), Castilla y León (194 euros), Cantabria (193 euros) and Aragon (177 euros).
“What couples spend the most on is the menu and the open bar, considering that each menu costs around €120/guest plus €50/guest each hour of open bar. For example, at a wedding with 150 guests the menu costs approximately €18,000 + whatever is contracted for an open bar, taking into account that it would be €7,500 per hour for an open bar,” explains Almodóvar.
However, depending on how you want to celebrate the wedding, expenses may vary. If you want to get married in court you will not have to pay anything because it is a public service, however, if it is through the church or through a notary office You could have to pay an amount of between 70 and 400 euros.
For its part, the bride’s dress and the groom’s dress can be between 600 and 1,800 euros and makeup and hairdressing between 120 and 300 euros. In addition, the accessories can range from 400 euros to 800 and the wedding rings are around 350. Other aspects such as the wedding cake (150 euros), the bouquet of flowers (100-300 euros), the gifts for the guests (6 euros per person) or the after party (700 euros), can make the budget grow.
Additionally, although most couples start planning the event with a rough idea of how much they want to spend, they end up giving in and investing more money in their special day. “They always end up spending more than they think. They have an idea, but When they start to do the math, they spend around 5,000 euros more or less,” reveals the wedding planner.
Tips to save on your wedding
Although a wedding can sometimes be a big outlay of money, it is possible to save while planning. To do this, experts recommend setting a realistic goal. You must know how much money you are willing to spend and keep in mind that, although in most cases the gifts cover the money invested in the celebration, there may be a part that you have to pay.
Secondly, it is advisable to open a specific bank account where you can accumulate the money you will invest in the wedding. This will help you be more aware of how much you spend and you can set the limits you consider. Likewise, it would be interesting to deposit a fixed amount into that account each month and review the budget from time to time.
If you want to save, it will also be important to cut back on large expenses. Maybe you have to sacrifice that year’s vacation or start using public transport more instead of the car, although you shouldn’t be obsessed either. Sometimes, people cut back on insurance or reduce coverage, you must be careful not to cancel what you may need and that, in the long term, not having it means incurring a greater expense.
Finally, the most important thing is share the process and objectives together. If one of the members of the couple does not take saving seriously, there is a risk that they will not be able to obtain the necessary money, and it may even cause problems for the couple.
