Couples are shunning wedding lists in favour of cash in a general trend away from traditional financial arrangements, a survey has found. The annual poll for Wedding magazine found 45% of couples would prefer their guests to give them money, while 29% wanted gifts from a wedding list and 27% had opted for vouchers to pay for the honeymoon.
Fewer than half (43%) were planning a church or religious ceremony, down 10% from last year, while 40% had opted for a civil wedding at a licensed venue.
More than half (55%) of the couples polled revealed they would be paying for their weddings themselves, with just 26% of parents footing the bill.
Two thirds of couples (68%) planned to spend up to £15,000 and 16% had budgeted for between £15,000 and £20,000. However the average actual spend was more than £20,000.
Nearly half of couples (40%) now split the workload of organising the big day, according to the survey.
Drinking too much appears to top the list of concerns for brides, with 70% saying they planned to limit their alcohol intake in case it ruined their day, while 60% also wanted their fiance to drink responsibly.
Bad weather worried 48% of brides, followed by the chance of a family row (28%) and not fully enjoying the day (28%). Other concerns included how well different social groups would mix (20%), the first dance (13%) and fumbling their vows (12%).
More than half of grooms (54%) said they would go on a diet in preparation for the big day, 34% planned to join a gym and one in five would have their teeth whitened.
The figures were similar for women, with half of the brides planning to have a fake tan.
SIC: BT