As many future brides to-be embrace the leap year tradition of proposing to their other halves tomorrow, few will spare much thought for the huge cost of holding a wedding.
With the average UK wedding now costing close to £11,000* it can be a real financial burden for many couples, but by shopping at ASDA couples can save over £9,000 and can hold a wedding for close to £1,300.
However, ASDA is calling for savvy shoppers to swap expensive wedding planners for a shopping trolley and a well thought out wedding list saving them thousands of pounds.Whilst many couples aspire to a celeb style wedding similar to Wayne Rooney and Coleen’s forthcoming nuptials, ASDA has come up with some suggestions to cater for more modest budgets.
| Celebrity Wedding | Average Wedding** | ASDA Wedding | |
| Bride’s wedding ring | Colleen’s ring - £150,000 | £250 | ASDA – 9ct gold and diamond ring, £54.99 |
| Groom’s wedding ring | Elton John’s 31 carat diamond ring £100,000 | £150 | ASDA – 9ct gold oval cygnet ring, £58.47 |
| Bride’s wedding dress | Alex Curran reportedly spent £60,000 | £850 | Pink GEORGE dress £16 |
| Bridesmaids dresses | Vera Wang bridesmaid dresses from £6,000 | £500 | GEORGE fairy dress £12 |
| Wedding shoes | Jimmy Choo bridal range from £350 | £125 | George shoes from £9.00 |
| Groom’s outfit | Bejewelled coat and turban for Arun Nayar, Elizabeth Hurley’s husband. Over £5,000 | £150 | George suit from £19 |
| Civil / Church fees | Unavailable | £200 | £200 |
| Transportation | Bubble coach for Jordan’s wedding - £20,000 | £300 | Driven by friends |
| Photography | Celebrity Photographer – from £1000 | £400 | Take your own pics with the VIVITAR V5660 5MP Camera, £34.99 |
| Wedding cake | Eva Longoria and Tony Parker rumoured to have spent £15,000 | £200 | ASDA Extra Special Cake, £8.99 |
| Reception venue | Ant Mcpartlin, Cliveden House £100,000 | £4,000 | Held at Parents House |
| Flowers | Up to £100,000 for a celebrity florist | £75 | ASDA Extra Special ‘Black and White’ bouquet - £40 |
| Catering | Reportedly £50,000 for Ant Mcpartlin’s wedding at Cliveden House | £400 | A selection of canapés from ASDA including Mini Davidstow Cheddar & Chive soufflés (£2.32 per pack) and Indian snack selection (£1.42 per pack) – Total £74.40 (based on 40 guests) |
| Drinks | Included in above figure | £750 | 10 bottles each of ASDA ES 75cl Champagne (£16.98), ASDA ES Chenin Blanc 75cl (£5) and ASDA ES Red Burgundy £5) – total: £269.80 |
| Bride’s going away outfit | Michael Kors, Van Gogh Kimono Dress - £1,386 (netaporter.com) | £150 | ASDA’s little black dress - £14 |
| Brides beauty treatments | Carita – pro-lift facial, £110 | £75 | ASDA Nirvana Spa Products from £2.95 |
| Honeymoon | Imitate Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ honeymoon with a fortnight in the Maldives £18,407 | £1,500 + £125 for wedding night venue | 6 nights to Dubai from ASDA.com £499 |
| Other expense (ie printing) | 500 printed cards and envelopes from Smythson - £1,470 | £700 | Wedding invitations - Wedding evening invitations and Thank You cards,(6 packs of each at £3.98 per pack) = £71.64 |
| Total | £628,723 | £10,800 | £1,385.14 |
Whilst catering at Ant Mcpartlin’s cost a whopping £50,000, you can enjoy canapés from ASDA such as mini Davidstow cheddar and chive soufflés for a much more sensible price of under £75 for 40 people.
It’s not just the big day that you can save a packet on, but also on your honeymoon. Whilst celeb couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes jetted off to the Maldives for a small fortune, ASDA honeymooners can spend an idyllic week in Dubai for just £499 each.
For those looking to catch their other half off guard, ASDA is freeing up the tannoys in all its stores for anybody who would like to propose over the airways to their unsuspecting other half whilst they do the weekly shop.
Ed Watson, ASDA comments “When it comes to planning and paying for a wedding, we don’t all have Posh and Becks’ budget and that is why we have pulled together some suggestions for having the best day of your life but without breaking the bank.”
