While we’re still holding out for news of another royal wedding (in your own time, Harry and Meghan…) the impending nuptials of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews is arguably the next best thing.
Ahead of Pippa’s big day on May 20, wedding planning website Bridebook.co.uk has broken down the estimated costs of the celebrations. Unsurprisingly, given that we’re discussing the wedding of the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger sister and stockbroker and hotel heir Matthews, the calculations vastly exceed the price of the average UK wedding.
According to Bridebook, the big day could cost as much as NZ$463,000: that’s almost 15 times the UK average of NZ$31,600.
Here’s how they added everything up…(costs have been converted to New Zealand dollars).
Venue and marquee: $122,000
After the wedding ceremony held in St Mark’s Church, Pippa, James and over 350 of their family and friends will head back to the Middleton family home in Berkshire. The couple will have booked a luxe, weather-proof marquee big enough for all their guests, which according to Bridebook starts at $46,000 and quickly heads much higher…
Catering: $131,000
According to Bridebook’s reckoning, wedding caterers The Admirable Crichton are likely to be serving up the canapés for Pippa and James’ guests: the company holds the Royal Warrant for the Prince of Wales for catering excellence.
Dress: $18,000
While her sister Kate opted for bespoke Alexander McQueen on her wedding day in 2011, it’s thought that Pippa will wear a gown by Brit designer Giles Deacon.
Flowers: $30,000
Pippa has been spotted visiting luxury London florists Lavender Green ahead of her big day. Her wedding florist will most likely provide flowers for the church, garden and marquee, as well as table centrepieces and the bouquet…
Drinks: $33,000
Bridebook reckon that a massive 233 bottles of champagne will be uncorked on the day, plus fine wines for the meal and cocktails throughout the evening (she’s a woman of discerning tastes, after all).
Photography: $6,500
Dorset-based private wedding photographer Millie Pilkington took snaps at Kate and William’s wedding – could she be behind the camera on Pippa’s big day, too?
Videography: $9,000
Unlike her sister, Pippa won’t have the world’s media providing rolling coverage of her nuptials, and a team of videographers is quickly becoming a mainstay of the 21st century wedding (got to preserve that multimedia #content, right?)
Cake: $4,800
London cakemaker Domino Purchas or Berkshire baker Rosalind Miller are among the possible candidates here, with prices for an intricately decorated cake starting at $4,800.
Stationery: $9,600
Pippa and James are said to have opted for stationery from Westminster-based Mount Street Printers: from save-the-dates to Orders of Service and menus, the cost of fancy notelets can quickly add up…
Music: $12,700
Bridebook reckon that a wedding band could cost upwards of $8,000, with other musicians like an organist and a choir on top. Kate and William famously called in a favour from Ellie Goulding, who serenaded them with a wedding playlist of their favourite tracks, including a cover of Elton John’s ‘Your Song.’
Wedding rings: $37,000
The pair’s wedding rings are thought to have been purchased at Cartier, with a diamond encrusted ring for Pippa potentially costing $29,000. Let’s hope rumoured best man (and brother of the groom) Spencer Matthews remembers to bring them along to the ceremony, shall we?
Bridesmaids dresses: $4,000
Bridebook are working on the assumption that Pippa will have three bridesmaids, though aside from her young niece Princess Charlotte, it’s not yet been confirmed who will be following her down the aisle.
Flowers girls and page boys outfits: $3,185
Prince George alert! Nicki Macfarlane provided outfits for flower girls at the Royal wedding back in 2011, with a page boy outfit thought to cost around $420 and flower girl dress $600.
Church fees: $855
Ahead of their traditional ceremony, Pippa and James will have to pay fees for use of the church: one of the smallest yet most important costs.
Hair and make-up: $3,200
Might Pippa take cues from her older sister? Bobbi Brown’s Hannah Martin provided make-up assistance to members of the bridal party on Kate’s big day, while Richard Ward was on hand to style her hair.
Decoration and production: $11,200
According to Bridebook, the couple are likely to have booked a London production agency to up the ante for the after-party and transform the marquee into something astounding.
Groomswear: $11,350
James will probably head to London’s Savile Row to pick out his wedding outfit.
Veil: $3,700
Milliner Stephen Jones is rumoured to have designed a bespoke veil for Pippa to wear on the day.
Entertainers: $2,800
Tots like George and Charlotte will doubtless be amused by children’s entertainers (giving their parents some time to enjoy the party…)
Wedding favours: $1,300
A token of appreciation from the hosts, tradition dictates that guests at the wedding will be presented with small ‘favours’ as gifts. Bridebook ‘expect something low-key and personal, such as a small jar of local honey considering the wild flower meadows that fill the Middletons’ garden.’
‘Luxury facilities’: $7,505
Bathroom facilities are, of course, an important consideration for a marquee wedding of this size. Bridebook estimate that top end mobile bathrooms will cost around $7,505.
Total: $462,695
Bridebook.co.uk calculated these figures after analysing over 170,000 weddings through their wedding planning tools and budget calculator, and reviewing the suppliers’ price estimates listed in their online directory.
This first appeared on Grazia Daily
