How Much Harry And Meghan's Wedding Could Cost
Now that the date, venue and cake maker have been announced, the countdown to the royal wedding is well underway. The details surrounding the guest list, bridal party and dress designer are yet to be confirmed, but one thing's for sure: the cost of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's big day in May is going to sky-high.
Bridebook.co.uk, a wedding planning website, estimates that the budget for royal nuptials will go well into seven figures. The site predicts that the overall cost (excluding security costs) will reach $2,758,019 (￡1,969,873) - that's 100 times the national average.
But the total cost could rise dramatically once security is included. It was reported that ￡30 million was spent to ensure security was tight for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011.
So, where is the rest of the budget being spent? The reception is likely to be one of the most expensive parts of the day.
While Harry and Meghan don’t need to pay for their Windsor Castle venue, there will be a cost to cover if they opt for a marquee in the grounds. A luxury glass marquee – like the one Pippa Middleton had at her 2017 wedding – can reach up to $420,000 (￡300,000), plus the catering, security and staff adjoining marquees that will be required.
Catering for the 800 guests set to attend the St George's Chapel ceremony isn't going to be cheap, either. It's thought they will attend a formal lunch reception, before the more intimate dinner reception for close family and friends later in the day. Bridebook expects the catering bill to come in at $402,000 (￡286,000), including all food, chefs, staffing and crockery hire. And there's another $272,000 (￡193,000) expected to be spent on drinks on top of that.
"We expect roughly 1,700 bottles of vintage champagne to be served throughout the day and at least 650 bottles of wine, whiskey and cocktails to accompany dinner and dancing," the site explains. "Serving such quality drinks to over 800 guests throughout the day doesn’t come cheap, whether you have access to a royal cellar or not."
As for who's paying? Kensington Palace has said that the royal family will foot the bill, despite the tradition of the bride's family paying for the majority of wedding expenses.
Here are Bridebook's predictions on the remaining royal wedding costs:
The wedding dress – $420,000 (￡300,000)
Flowers – $155,000 (￡110,000)
Photography and videography- $24,000 (￡17,000)
Cake – $70,000 (￡50,000)
Stationery – $28,000 (￡20,000)
Music – $420,000 (￡300,000)
Trumpets – $127,000 (￡90,000)
Decoration and production – $183,000 (￡130,000)
Wedding rings – $8,500 (￡6,000)
Bridesmaid outfits – $7,500 (￡5,000)
Flower girl and page boy outfits – $2,400 (￡1,698)
Church fees – $250 (￡175)
Groomswear – $11,000 (￡8,000)
Hair and makeup – $14,000 (￡10,000)
Entertainment – $21,000 (￡55,000)
Wedding favours – $4,000 (￡3,000)
Toilets for guests – $49,000 (￡35,000)
The honeymoon - $167,000 (￡120,000)
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