Sports stadium or a church? Wedding venues are dividing opinions

by Katie Haseldine | 25 March 2019

As well as liking the idea of getting married in a fun venue - such as a sports stadium or a theme park - it seems men want all the fun jobs when it comes to planning their future wedding, too.

Photo credit: PA

Taking care of the entertainment, their stag do and the honeymoon are their preferred tasks, whilst women are left to deal with the colour scheme, table planning and the catering.

The team behind money-saving website www.MoneySavingHeroes.co.uk conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into Britons’ views towards marriage.

Initially all respondents were asked about their dream wedding venue. The top venues for British men were found to be ‘a sports stadium’, ‘on the beach’ and ‘somewhere unique and unexpected, like a theme park’. However, women were more traditional stating they’d like to get married ‘in a church’, ‘in a castle’ or ‘in a hotel’.

Just 14% of male respondents stated they’d prefer to get married in a church, with just 3% of women expressing a preference to get married in a sports stadium.

What’s more, when asked what they’d wear on their wedding day, whilst 57% of men would love to get suited and booted, wearing tails and the full suit, just 16% would wear a top hat or hat of sorts. 32% would actually prefer a more relaxed suit. 62% of women agree they want to wear an all-white wedding dress, while others would prefer to wear either a different colour to white, or a suit.

When asked if they’d plan the wedding 50/50, 85% of respondents stated no - it was likely going to be the woman taking charge.

The top bits they agreed they should be planning together were ‘setting the date’ (98%), ‘choosing the venue’ (95%) and ‘the guest list’ (71%).

When asked what bits they’d like to take charge on themselves, it was found men wanted to make the decisions on the following:

The suits for the groom, best man and ushers - 92%

The entertainment - 80%

Their own stag do - 54%

The rings - 42%

The honeymoon - 37%

Furthermore, women wanted to make the final decisions on:

The dresses for the bride, maid of honour and bridesmaids - 100%

The colour scheme - 89%

The table plan - 75%

The menu - 51%

The first dance song - 46%

Finally, all those surveyed were asked if they felt budget would be an issue when it came to planning their wedding, 67% of men felt it wouldn’t, but only 52% of women were as sure it wouldn’t.

If budget were to become an issue, men stated they’d likely cut back on the guest list whilst women stated they’d likely cut back on ‘the menu’.

George Charles, spokesperson for www.MoneySavingHeroes.co.uk, commented:

“It’s interesting to see that men and women have such different views on the most important day of their lives. It’s all about compromise though and ensuring the day is perfect for the two getting married. It doesn’t have to break the bank though, for those worried about budget; there are many ways to cut the budget, from hand-making invites and decorations, to enlisting baker friends to make the cake and even getting relatives to put together a buffet rather than bringing in an outside caterer.”