Reception Essentials - click here to return to the main menu

Cake: £250-400
* The price really depends on the size and intricacy of the decoration you want. Remember that fruitcake feeds more people but costs more too. Extras like handmade sugar flowers will start to push the price up.

Decorations: £100-350+
* You can obviously spend as little or as much as you’d like on decorating the venue, but remember to find out what’s included in your venue package before splashing out. Try doubling up to save money too; for example using the flowers from the ceremony to decorate the reception area, or scattering petals from your bouquet over the tables before dinner is served.

Entertainment: £200-550+
* Again this sum can vary significantly – if your little sister’s doing a tap dance for you there’s hopefully not going to be a bill at all, but if you’re thinking along the lines of a magician or caricaturist then these prices are a good guide as to what you should pay.

Favours: £75-350+
* As you could potentially give away anything as favours, they could cost you anywhere from nothing at all to rather a lot. To save money ask a friend with culinary skills to make you a batch of tablet as a wedding present, then all you need to supply yourself is the packaging.

Fireworks
- £300+ for DIY kits
- £750+ for a professionally choreographed display
* Bear in mind that many hotels won’t allow DIY displays because of safety and insurance issues.

Linen hire: £400-1500
* If you’re lucky your venue will be supplying the linen, but if you’re simply hiring out a room as the area you’re having the reception in, you’ll need to check whether linen such as tablecloths and napkins are included or not. These items can be surprisingly expensive so ask for a discount if you hire everything from one company.

Music
Piper: £180-235
Daytime musicians: £250-600+ (at the lower end for soloists)
Band: £450-1500 (average: between £800-1000, though ceilidh bands tend to cost a little less)
DJ: £250-550+
* These costs vary greatly according to the experience your musicians have and how in demand their particular genre is, hence ceilidh bands will cost less than a jazz band because the competition among ceilidh bands is much greater. If you can get hold of musicians who are just starting out, students looking to make extra money or people who are just keen to get a few gigs under their belts, they may charge less.

Toastmaster: approximately £275
* Sometimes more for travel/petrol. Remember to give him/her some food too.

Wedding Meal: £20-100+/head for a three-course meal
* If you go with a catering company they may be able to charge less than this depending on the variety and content of your dishes. However, a hotel or other wedding venue laying on the food themselves will be unlikely to charge you less than £30/head.