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There is a lot of planning and even more spending involved with getting married. From nailing down the date you tie the knot and securing your dream venue to purchasing a dress or suit and booking a live band. But, of all the added extras that couples spend time organising and spending so much money on, what do wedding guests actually pay the most attention to? And how much money could couples save on their big day if they ditched the wedding décor that their guests won’t even notice?

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Curious to discover what wedding guests actually look for in a wedding, the financial wedding experts at money.co.uk conducted a study using eye-tracking software to reveal the specific elements that people spend the most time gazing at. The study participants were presented with 70 images of weddings featuring various items of decor and the software tracked how long people spent looking at each one.

Each decorative item was then ranked from those that caught the eye of participants for the longest amount of time, down to those with the least amount of gazing time. But to discover how much couples could save by eliminating the least eye-catching wedding decor from their big day, we surveyed 1,000 future newlyweds asking them to estimate how much they will spend on the 70 wedding items and analysed the results to get the mean average cost. The wedding experts then calculated the total cost of the 10 least eye-catching items to reveal how much people could save on their weddings.

The most eye-catching wedding décor

Using eye-tracking software, the study discovered that fairy lights are the wedding day decorations that are the most eye-catching to guests, therefore making them the item most worth the extra spending. Interestingly, fairy lights are the cheapest item based on how couples plan on spending (£106.25) and yet they have the biggest impact as people spend almost six seconds staring at them. So, if you’re looking to make your big day more of a budget wedding that impresses your guests, then be sure to drape the venue in the twinkling lights.

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Sparklers closely follow fairy lights, as potential wedding guests spent 5.13 seconds gazing at them. Despite couples anticipating sparklers costing more than £365, the total spend would be impacted by the number of guests you have. Not only are they an eye-catching added extra for your big day, but they are also a great way to get all your guests involved in the evening celebrations as they gather together for a picture-perfect moment.

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Next on the list is the bridal bouquet (£416.57) and floral pew ends (£367.75), which are the third and fourth most eye-catching pieces of wedding décor being looked at for 5.10 and 5.09 seconds, respectively. 

Fifth on the list is a wedding DJ which couples are willing to spend almost £600 on to keep their guests entertained. Although they come with a hefty price tag, they clearly impress wedding guests - whether it’s welcoming the bride and groom for their first dance as a married couple or playing a song guaranteed to fill the dancefloor, the entertainment of a wedding DJ is worth every penny.

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Also on the theme of a big party, disco lights are one of the most eye-catching wedding add-ons. Although some wedding venues may throw in disco lights as part of the hire, couples expect to pay more than £365 to light up the dancefloor. Despite being on the more expensive side, the eye-tracking study found that people spent more than 5 seconds looking at the disco lights making it the sixth most eye-catching out of the 70 items. 

Seating charts and a photo booth station are seventh and eighth on the list, followed by candle table centrepieces in ninth. Candles are a cost-efficient alternative to traditional floral centrepieces, with our survey findings couples expect to pay almost £290 more for flowers instead of candles. Interestingly though, it is candles that are the most attractive to wedding guests whilst floral table decorations don’t feature in the top 15 list. 

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The 10th most eye-catching wedding décor couples should splash out on to impress their guests are bespoke cocktails. This is a trend that seems to have become more popular recently which involves the bride and groom offering guests the choice of two cocktails; one crafted by the bride and the other by the groom. Not only does it catch the eye of wedding guests (4.52 seconds) but it adds a nice personalised touch to the drinks offered on a special day.

Top 15 wedding decorations worth the investment

The least eye-catching wedding décor

The study using eye-tracking software also revealed the items that couples could cut out of their budget as guests don’t pay as much attention to them, which proved couples could save more than £6,000. The research found that a card and gift station is the least eye-catching element of the day. As some couples try and make a big deal of the card and gift table with opulent decorations and signature signposts which could cost almost £300, the study revealed guests spend less than a second gazing at it.

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Candle pew ends are second on the list, as the study finds guests spend just 1.14 seconds looking at them, compared to the 5.09 seconds guests spend gazing at floral pew ends. Gold cutlery is third on the list of least eye-catching wedding decorations, as guests spend 1.15 seconds looking at the warmer alternative to traditional silverware.

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Interestingly, the hottest wedding trend of the last few years - LED love letter lights and the initials of the couple lit up - take fifth and sixth place. Often seen as a backdrop for the dancefloor, the oversized lights have dominated weddings all around the world for quite some time, so it’s interesting to see that guests spend less than two seconds looking at them. The great news is by cutting these decorations out of your big day could save you more than £300 on average.

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Ceremony backdrops are seventh on the list as people spend just 1.61 seconds engaging with them. From a geometrical shape to a pampas grass wall, couples really get creative when it comes to choosing a backdrop for their ceremony. However, their guests could spend less than two seconds looking at it. Wedding cars are next on the list in eighth, and are one of the highest estimated costs for those soon to tie the knot, followed by ceiling projections in ninth. 

Rounding off the top 10 list of the least eye-catching items to decorate the venue on their wedding day. 

Top 10 wedding decorations not worth the investment

The items couples expect to spend the most on

Purely looking at the survey data it is clear that soon-to-be-married couples anticipate that live entertainment and musicians will be the most costly part of their big day. Topping the list of expenses is a live band, for which those planning a wedding are willing to pay more than £722. Live music can often come with a bigger price tag than other elements of the big day for many reasons; if there are multiple members of the band then they all need to get paid for their contributions, and often the distance they have to travel needs to be factored into the cost.

Also in the realm of entertaining guests is a string quartet (£604.79) which is fifth on the list, a DJ is sixth, and couples plan on spending £564.80 on a singer for the ceremony. A harpist is the final entertainment cost on the list and ranks as the 12th most costly wedding item as soon-to-be-wed couples estimate spending £464.55 for the privilege. 

Transport costs also feature highly on the list; horse-drawn carriages rank in second place as people estimate a cost of £657.46, wedding cars are fourth (£636.30), and a red guest bus is seventh with costs estimated to be more than £570. 

Top 15 wedding decorations couples expect to spend the most on