One of the main questions I get asked..
as an elopement photographer is how much can I expect an elopement to cost? And honestly it's quite a difficult one to answer!
An elopement can cost as little or as much as you want it to. It's 100% your day, your way so will vary depending on what type of service, accommodation, activities and suppliers you want. I've worked on elopements that cost less then £3k and elopements that couples have spent close to £20k on - it's completely down to the individual couples.
But I also know that answer isn't exactly helpful for you is it! So lets give you a run down of what I'd say a typical elopement costs.
- Legal & celebrants fees: A marriage licence in the UK is £35 per person unless you’re not a UK citizen in which case it’s £47. A rough price for a basic ceremony in a registry office is £57 and you’ll also need to cover room charges which can vary depending on location but lets assume £200. If you decide on a 2-part wedding day that also includes a celebrant led ceremony at a location like on a beach for example you will also have to factor in costs for a celebrant which on average is around £500
- Photographer. Costs for photography can vary drastically depending on experience, location and other factors. If photography is important to you then a budget of around £1,000 - £2,000 will get you an experienced, professional and good photographer
- Dresses/Suits. This is completely personal preference. You could go down the preloved route or go big and designer depending on what you like. If attire is important to you lets assume a budget of around £800 to cover both.
- Accommodation. You're gonna want to make a weekend of your elopement so remember to factor in an amount for a B&B or cabin for the night before and the night of your elopement at least. Also consider travel costs which assuming you live in the UK will likely only be fuel. Let's estimate this at £500
- Rings. I used to be a jeweller so I know that again this will vary depending on type of metal and whether you go for plain bands or something a bit more sparkly, but £500 will get you 2 rings of good quality.
- Celebratory activities. This is what you decide to do after your ceremony - I've had couples bring picnics, book a table at a pub, book a fancy restaurant or order a pizza, the options are endless but for the sake of this blog let's assume a meal at a nice pub and a few wines for £100 per person.
- Flowers. Obviously by choosing to elope you won't be needing grand flower arrangements and arches, but it's always nice to have a lovely bouquet and maybe a button hole too. Average cost for this is around £300 (depending on florist and type of flowers chosen)
- Hair and Make up. If just for one partner lets assume hair and make up will cost around £100
- Cake. You won't be needing a big 3 tier cake with 4 different flavours but it's always nice to have something so let's assume around £80 for a 1 tier cake
Grand Total: Approximately £4,800
This will get you a lovely elopement in Wales captured beautifully by a good photographer but if there's other things that are important to you that haven't made the list you can always budget for them. Either way an elopement is always going to work out less than a big traditional wedding which can cost on average around £30,000 in the UK
What Do I Know About Eloping in Wales?
Hey Im Danielle and I've been a wedding photographer for over 6 years. During the pandemic I found a lot of my couples chose to elope and I fell in love with it.
Smaller, intimate weddings are now my specialty and I've been helping couples elope in Wales ever since. My inbox is always open to help with any questions you have about eloping in Wales and if you want to check out some of my work in the meantime hit the link below.
