Couples spend over £500 on gifts for their wedding party

As brides and grooms manage their wedding party gift budget, the average couple spends nearly £500 on gifts for members of their wedding party. Recent research suggests the Maid of Honour and the Best Man take up the largest slice of the budget.

To find out how much of their budgets brides and grooms put aside for wedding party gifts,  asked 500 happy couples what they had or will be spending per person on gifts for different members of the wedding party, taking the average, they found:

  • Maid of honour – £38
  • Bridesmaids – £29
  • Flower girls – £18
  • Best man – £35
  • Ushers/Grooms men – £25
  • Page boys – £16
  • Father of the bride – £33
  • Mother of the bride – £38
  • Father of the groom – £30
  • Mother of the groom – £35

To find out the total cost they also asked what the average size of the wedding party that they would be buying gifts for:

  • Maid of honour x1
  • Bridesmaids x3
  • Flower girls x2
  • Best man x2
  • Grooms men x2
  • Page boys x1
  • Father of the bride x1
  • Mother of the bride x2
  • Father of the groom x1
  • Mother of the groom x2

Unable to make a decision between brothers and best friends, a number of wedding parties included more than one best man to take a lead role, and step parents added an increase in gifts to buy for the average couple.

Total costs:

  • Maid of honour – £39
  • Bridesmaids – £87
  • Flower girls – £36
  • Best man – £70
  • Usher/Grooms men – £50
  • Page boys – £16
  • Father of the bride – £33
  • Mother of the bride – £76
  • Father of the groom – £30
  • Mother of the groom – £70
  • Total – £507

Speaking about the research, Usha Patel, Operations Manager at Personalised Gifts Shop said:

“We know weddings can be expensive for all involved. Gifts for wedding parties can soon add up, especially if you have a large group or a number of people who helped make the big day special that need thanking. Our research shows that Brides and Grooms need to set aside nearly £500 just for gifts for their wedding party. “

She added:

“The bridal party costs on average £162.00, whilst the groom’s team comes in less at £136.00. Now if the average groom could decide on just one best man they would save themselves £35. However complicated family arrangements see more couples spending extra money on gifts for step mothers as well as their own mothers.”

Link: