The most recent industry survey, based on over 1,000 couples surveyed in December 2025, puts the average Irish wedding at €36,641 excluding the honeymoon, for an average of 141 guests, up 6.5% on the year before. But this number changes a lot depending on the county, the type of place, and the time of year. A wedding in a hotel in Dublin and a wedding in a tent in the countryside can cost tens of thousands of euros more for the same number of guests. Think of any number, including this one, as a starting point, not a goal.
The number of guests is the biggest factor affecting the total cost. Most costs per person (like food, drinks, favours, and evening food) go up with the number of people, so reducing the guest list by 20 people can save more money than trying to get a better deal from one supplier.
The cost of the venue and the food together is usually the largest part of an Irish wedding budget, often 40% to 50% of everything once the cost of the room, the food, and the drinks are all added together.
Photography and video are usually between 10% and 15% of the total. This is also one of the areas that couples say later they would have spent more on, not less.
Clothing, flowers and decorations, entertainment like a band or a DJ, and stationery usually take the rest, with differences depending on what the couple values most.
VAT on the venue. This got more complicated in 2026: room or function-space hire on its own now carries the standard 23% rate (up from 13.5% since January), while food and catering dropped to 9% (down from 13.5% since July, and permanently this time, not a temporary cut). Alcohol stays at 23%. Most wedding packages bundle all three together, so ask your venue for an itemised breakdown rather than assuming one flat rate covers the whole quote, and check whether a separate service charge is added on top.
Food for guests who did not eat during the meal. This is a very common cost for an Irish wedding that is easy to forget when making a budget based only on the catering quote.
Rooms at a hotel and transportation for guests, especially if the event is not in a city. These are sometimes arranged (paid for) by the couple, not left entirely to the guests.
Most places and service providers in Ireland ask for a deposit to book the date, then a balance after that. Sometimes 4 to 8 weeks before, sometimes on the day itself. Budgeting based on the total cost alone can lead to problems when several balances are due in the same month.
This is the problem MarryHQ's budget tracker is made to solve. Each item tracks its own deposit and balance due date, so you can see what is actually due and when, not just what the wedding costs in total.
Tasks, guests, budget, and suppliers in one place, free to start.