Welcome to our real wedding budget breakdown series! We're taking the guesswork out of planning your wedding budget and sharing what other real couples did with theirs - where they splurged and how they saved, whether they had €5,000, €50,000 or €500,000 to spend. When it comes to wedding spending, there's no perfect amount, it's all about spending what you can afford, and are comfortable with, prioritising key areas, and getting bang for your buck! So here goes!

Note: While many of the images shown are from real weddings, they're not taken from the real wedding detailed in this budget breakdown.

Today's couple are an online editor and teacher from Ireland, both 31, who live in the UK but got married in a barn-style country house bash with a BBQ buffet in the Irish countryside.

Budget: €35,000

Guests: 90

Venue: Private-Rental Country House

Wedding Budget Breakdown

Venue Rental: €2000
Catering: €12,000

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Photography: €2500
Videography: €500 (a friend did it)
Music & Entertainment: €2500 (Drinks reception music and band)
Flowers: €1000
Decor & Rentals: €2300
Stationery: €300
Transport: €200

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Wedding Dress €1800
Groom's Suit: €150
Flower girl/page boy: €120
Shoes: €180
Accessories & Lingerie: €200
Rings: €700
Hair & Make-up: €550 (bride and three family members)

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Alterations €300
Gifts: €1200
Accommodation: €350
Registry Office Ceremony: €1000 (fees and dinner for our family)
Tips: €1000

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Honeymoon: €5000

Was this more or less than you expected to spend?

"About 25-30% more than we initially thought."

Where did your wedding budget come from?

"Mostly savings, but with generous contributions from our parents and siblings. We used some of the money we received in gifts for our honeymoon. We got a small loan in the last couple of weeks as a 'just in case' but ended up not really needing it."

Biggest Splurge?

"Renting tables - at €800 they weren't the most expensive thing on the list, but they were probably the least-necessary expense. I'm really happy about what we spent on food, photography and the band - they were worth every penny."

Biggest Savings?

• "My husband got a high street suit so only spent about a third of what we'd allocated.
• We didn't have a bridal party, so that saved quite a bit on dresses and suits.
• We shipped our wine from London which I think saved a bit.
• Our friends and family baked cakes for our dessert table - we did have to pay a venue fee for that though.
• We drove our own cars, but we did have a bus to bring everyone to the hotel at the end of the night.
• We sourced herb pots from a nursery to supplement the flowers for the table decor.
• We sent Polaroid save the dates, and a simple postcard invite, then we had a website with the bulk of the info (postage costs A LOT!)"

Where did you go on honeymoon?

"We went to Central America straight after the wedding, and it was an amazing trip, I don't regret it, but I think a nice resort in Spain would have sufficed, we were so tired after the wedding!"

Were you happy with what you spent on your wedding?

"I wish we'd spent less, I loved the day and I don't have any regrets, and I actually still don't see where we could have saved, other than having a completely different wedding. There was a lot of attention to detail, everyone was well-fed and the drinks flowed. I'm still glad we did all that, but now we're saving for a deposit for a house, and it's hard to think about how much cash went on renting rustic long tables and having a pizza truck come for the late-night eats! (People do still talk about the pizza though!)"

Any Tips or Advice to pass on?

"At the time we planned our wedding, we were living in London, and had a really good exchange rate for euro, this meant we had up to a third more to spend with any savings we transferred over, which was great. We'd actually looked at planning a wedding in London, but it started to work out a lot more expensive than having it at home. We had lots of DIY elements, but they weren't as a cost-saving measure, I just really liked doing them, and if anything, they probably came in around the same (spray paint is expensive!). Try to be realistic when you go into wedding planning, otherwise, you've gone too far before you realise, and you'll end up really stressed out! Have a big hefty contingency!"

Need more wedding budget real talk? We've got lots of tips and advice, and be sure to check out more real wedding budget breakdowns!