How much does a wedding in Spain cost for UK couples
Spain publishes two sets of wedding prices. One is what Spanish couples pay to marry at home. The other is what a couple flying in from Britain is quoted for the same coastline. Most budget confusion comes from reading the first and being sold the second. Here is what the latest data says, in the currency it was published in.
How much does a wedding in Spain cost
Weddings Abroad Guide (updated March 2026) says most destination weddings in Spain in 2026 are expected to range from €15,000 to €35,000 for a typical celebration of 50 to 80 guests. Its line items for 60 guests put venue and catering at €12,000 to €25,000, planning and coordination at €1,500 to €5,000, photography at €1,800 to €3,500, styling and florals at €1,500 to €6,000 and music at €800 to €4,000.
The UK benchmark is Hitched’s 2026 report, drawn from 2,020 newlyweds: an average of £21,990 and £272 a head.
| Measure | Guest count | Published figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destination wedding in Spain | 50 to 80 | €15,000 to €35,000 | Weddings Abroad Guide, March 2026 |
| Venue and catering only | 60 | €12,000 to €25,000 | Weddings Abroad Guide, March 2026 |
| Hotel wedding package | Per person | €180 | Weddings Abroad Guide, March 2026 |
| Average Spanish wedding | 123 | €25,183 (€225 per guest) | Bodas.net report, via Euronews, June 2026 |
| Planner-led, Barcelona and Costa Brava | 75 and above | From €450 per guest | Casamiga Weddings, September 2026 |
| UK average, for comparison | Varies | £21,990 (£272 a head) | Hitched, January 2026 |
What do Spanish couples pay for a wedding
Euronews reported on 27 June 2026 that the Bodas.net sector report, drawn from more than 2,000 couples who married in 2025, puts the average Spanish wedding at €25,183, not including the honeymoon or the ring, with 123 guests and an average spend of €225 per guest. A second study, from the financial platform Raisin and based on 1,500 people, puts the figure at €32,355. Wedded, a Spanish planning app, publishes domestic dinner menus at €70 to €120 a head and venue hire at €1,500 to €6,000.
Set that beside a planner’s price list for international couples. Casamiga Weddings, which works in Barcelona and the Costa Brava, prices an all-inclusive package for 75 guests or more from €450 per guest, a customised mid-range wedding from €650 per guest, and catering alone from €150 per guest. The distance between €225 and €450 a head is the destination layer: a planner, coordination in English, exclusive use and design. The local figure tells you roughly what the room and the dinner cost before that layer goes on.
Which part of Spain is cheapest for a wedding
After the guest count, the region moves the bill most. Weddings Abroad Guide publishes ranges for 50 to 80 guests.
| Region | Published range for 50 to 80 guests |
|---|---|
| Costa Blanca | €15,000 to €28,000 |
| Valencia region | €16,000 to €30,000 |
| Andalusia | €17,000 to €32,000 |
| Barcelona and Catalonia | €18,000 to €35,000 |
| Canary Islands | €18,000 to €35,000 |
| Mallorca | €25,000 to €45,000 and above |
| Ibiza | €35,000 to €60,000 and above |
The islands carry the premium. Ibiza’s opening figure is more than double the Costa Blanca’s.
What is in the number and what is not
Two things sit outside most quotes. The first is VAT. Wedded warns couples to confirm whether a price includes it, and notes that on a €20,000 contract the difference is more than €4,000. The second is your guests: flights and rooms are on top of every figure on this page. Weddings Abroad Guide also allows a miscellaneous line of €1,000 to €3,000 at 60 guests.
Is a legal wedding in Spain more expensive than a symbolic one
Weddings Abroad Guide says legal weddings in Spain typically cost €600 to €1,500 more, because of documentation, translations, registry fees and administration. For most UK couples, though, cost is the smaller question.
What usually applies: the same guide’s legal page, stated as correct at December 2020, says a civil ceremony needs one of the couple to have been resident in Spain for at least two years continuously, that Catholic weddings carry no minimum residency, and that many couples complete the legal marriage at home and hold a symbolic ceremony in Spain. Who confirms it: the authority that registers marriages where you plan to marry, which in Spain is the civil registry, or the Spanish consulate. GOV.UK’s guidance is to get advice from the person conducting the ceremony, the authority that registers marriages in that country, or a wedding planner. Treat this page as a map, not the paperwork.
When is Spain cheapest for a wedding
In Spain the saving is in the day of the week before it is in the month. Weddings Abroad Guide says a weekday can reduce venue and vendor fees by 20 to 40 per cent. Wedded lists May, June, September and October as the peak-priced months in the Spanish market, and puts winter and Friday bookings at 15 to 25 per cent less on venue hire. Two of the months UK couples think of as shoulder season, May and October, are peak-priced in Spain’s own market.
I Do Abroad Top Tip
Ask every venue for two prices in writing at your real guest count: a Saturday and a Thursday, both with VAT included. Then ask for the menu price per head on its own, separate from the package. The published Spanish figures tell you roughly what that line should be, and a package that cannot be separated is a package you cannot compare.
Where the numbers come from
- Weddings Abroad Guide, “Cost of a Wedding in Spain (2026)”, updated 30 March 2026: https://weddingsabroadguide.com/cost-of-a-wedding-in-spain.html
- Weddings Abroad Guide, “Legal Requirements for Getting Married in Spain”, stated as correct at December 2020: https://weddingsabroadguide.com/legal-requirements-for-getting-married-in-spain.html
- Euronews, “The price of saying ‘I do’ in Spain”, 27 June 2026, reporting the Bodas.net and Raisin studies: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/06/27/the-price-of-saying-i-do-in-spain-weddings-cost-10000-more-in-2026
- Wedded, wedding cost in Spain guide, published 10 June 2026, updated 24 July 2026: https://wedded.app/en/blog/spain/celebration/wedding-cost-spain-guide
- Casamiga Weddings, wedding cost guide for Barcelona and the Costa Brava, 24 September 2026: https://www.casamiga-weddings.com/post/english-version-how-much-does-a-wedding-in-barcelona-costa-brava-cost-your-budget-guide
- Hitched Wedding Industry Report 2026, via The Knot Worldwide, 7 January 2026: https://www.theknotww.com/press-releases/the-average-cost-of-a-wedding-in-2026-around-21990-according-to-hitched
- GOV.UK, “Getting married or registering a civil partnership abroad”: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships-abroad
Figures are quoted in the currency the sources published. Sterling equivalents move with the exchange rate. Check on the day you budget.
Not sure whether Spain is the right fit, or whether the mainland would give you the island feeling for less per guest? Take the Dream Wedding Quiz and get a shortlist built around your guest count, your budget and how far you want people to fly.