This Is How Much Pippa Middleton’s Wedding Might Cost

Pippa Middleton and a flower girl at the royal wedding

by Katie Rosseinsky |
Published on

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 20th, 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 £246,949: that's almost 15 times the UK average of £16,842.

Here's how they added everything up...

Venue and marquee: £65,000

Kate and William on their wedding day
Kate and William on their wedding day ©Getty Images

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 £25,000 and quickly heads much higher...

Catering: £70,000

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: £10,000

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: £16,000

Pippa Middleton and a flower girl at the royal wedding
Pippa Middleton and a flower girl at the royal wedding ©Getty Images

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: £17,720

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: £3,500

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: £4,000

pippa middleton james matthews engagement
Pippa Middleton and James Matthews are reportedly engaged ©Getty Images

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: £2,600

London cakemaker Domino Purchas or Berkshire baker Rosalind Miller are among the possible candidates here, with prices for an intricately decorated cake starting at £2,600.

Stationery: £5,125

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: £6,750

Bridebook reckon that a wedding band could cost upwards of £4,250, 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: £19,900

The pair's wedding rings are thought to have been purchased at Cartier, with a diamond encrusted ring for Pippa potentially costing £15,500. 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: £2,250

kate middleton pippa middleton royal wedding
Kate Middleton and Pippa Middleton at the Royal Wedding ©Getty Images

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: £1,698

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 £226 and flower girl dress £340.

Church fees: £456

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: £1,700

kate middleton pippa middleton wimbledon
Pippa Middleton and sister Kate Middleton attend Wimbledon ©Getty Images

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: £6,000

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: £6,050

James will probably head to London's Savile Row to pick out his wedding outfit.

Veil: £2,000

Milliner Stephen Jones is rumoured to have designed a bespoke veil for Pippa to wear on the day.

Entertainers: £1,500

balloon modelling princess charlotte
Balloon modelling on the royal tour ©Getty Images

Tots like George and Charlotte will doubtless be amused by children's entertainers (giving their parents some time to enjoy the party...)

Wedding favours: £700

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': £4,000

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 £4,000.

Total: £246,949

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.

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