NEWS COPY
Punch-ups, arriving at the wrong church, the cake toppling over - and forgetting the rings are among Brits’ biggest wedding disasters, according to new research.
Married Brits have been describing their nightmare wedding days - with one couple revealing their big day was ruined when the Bride's father suffered a stroke and was rushed away in an ambulance.
One bride was shocked when their ex arrived at the ceremony uninvited, while another respondent said the DJ played ‘You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' to ‘celebrate’ their first dance.
Thirty per cent of married Brits said something went wrong on their wedding day and almost four in 10 would like to do their whole wedding day again – so they could do it better.
Commissioned by Barclays and conducted by OnePoll, the research of 2,000 married UK adults found 36 per cent blame poor financial planning for their wedding nightmares.
Clare Francis, Savings and Investments Director at Barclays, said: "Although key events such as weddings, honeymoons and special holidays abroad are often ruined by unforeseen occurrences, our research has shown that poor financial planning is also to blame.
“We recommend that savers plan well in advance for key events, and that they’re realistic about how much they can afford.
“Consumers need to stay in control of their money to not only avoid compromising what should be a joyous event, but to also avoid leaving themselves in long-term financial debt.”
The choice of venue is the number one thing Brits would change about their big day if they could do it all over again - followed by being able to spend more on it and getting hitched abroad.
One respondent said their wedding was tarnished when the church bells didn’t ring, while another said the organist had a stroke during the ceremony.
Another married Brit said their photographer forgot to put film in the camera leaving them with no photographs of their special day.
And a groom said they came down with quinsy - a rare and potentially serious complication of tonsillitis - and couldn’t speak.
Almost half of those polled said their wedding proposals weren’t what they’d expected - with one female respondent admitting they were proposed to at the top of a multi-storey car park.
And a fifth of Brits admit their honeymoon wasn’t what they hoped for - with a quarter blaming it on their hotel and 24 per cent attributing it to their partner falling ill.
Almost a quarter of respondents said their honeymoon failed to live up to expectations because they couldn’t afford their dream destination - despite spending an average of £1,568 on it.
Over a third of people wish they had budgeted more effectively for their wedding - with 27 per cent admitting they didn’t save up enough when the big day arrived.
A fifth of respondents admit they wished they had spent less money on extravagant holidays and fashion items in the year preceding their wedding.
However almost a quarter said if they were to go back and re-do their wedding they would use some of the money to put a deposit on their first home.
While a fifth regret spending so much on their wedding and wish they’d put some of it aside for their retirement.
A third of married 25-34 year-olds wished they’d put some of their savings towards a house deposit instead of using it all for their wedding.
However, a third of women aged 25-34 admit they would have liked to have spent more on their wedding dress.
Investing in property, buying a car - and investing in stocks and shares are also among the events Brits wish they had budgeted better for.
Just six per cent of those polled regret putting some of their wedding fund aside for their children’s education.
TOP 10 EVENTS MARRIED BRITS WOULD MOST LIKE TO DO AGAIN:
- Wedding day
- Seeing the birth of their first child
- First journey abroad
- 21st Birthday
- First kiss
- University
- First watch of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings
- First trip to Disneyland
- Last day at school
- Passing their driving test
ENDS
