The cost of recreating a soap opera Wedding?

If you fancy recreating a moment from serial history for your own big day, how much would it cost? Well let’s find out…

SoapWorld has dug into the ATV archives, as well as researchers at Redworth Hall Wedding Venue, to scour the history of British soap weddings to find out the true cost of recreating a similarly dramatic and magical experience…

From the village of Hollyoaks in the suburbs of Chester, to the borough of East London, Walford, let’s take a look around England in a bid to find the true cost of reinventing soap-style nuptials. The calculations have excluded the added extras that aren’t seen directly on screen. Therefore, the concluding costs will not feature the likes of engagement rings or honeymoons.

Ken and Deirdre – Coronation Street

It was the TV wedding of the year, possibly the decade, when in the same year that Charles and Diana tied the knot so did the Weatherfield love-birds Ken and Deirdre the on-off, on-off, on-off love affair that kept viewers wondering how long it would last until Deidre’s death six years ago.

A few days earlier from the Royal Wedding in Westminster, Alf Roberts walked Deirdre, previously married to Ray Langton, down the aisle as she said ‘I do’, with previously married twice to Valerie Tatlock and Janet Reid, Mr Ken Barlow. Impressively, the TV wedding attracted a whopping 24 million viewers, which turned out to be more than that of the royal ceremony. The question is, at what cost did the joyous occasion come?

24 guests —
£120 invitations

£700 church

£150 white limousine

£1,550 dress

£800 photographer

£250 flowers

£75 (one-tier cake)

£264 catering

£299 suit

£2,500 bar and function room

Total £6,708

Meg and Hugh – Crossroads

It was described by the TV Times as ‘the wedding of the year’ for soaps in 1975 – and with ATV announcing across ITV that viewers ‘could attend’ the wedding – the recording saw Birmingham City centre blocked full of fans, so much so a police presence and escort was required. A motel owner from a small village of Kings Oak in the West Midlands commanded thousands to her wedding! She obviously had a lot of happy guests over those years.

The wedding took place at Birmingham Registry Office with a blessing at Birmingham Cathedral, followed by a soiree at the ‘Droitwich Hotel’ (Chateau Impney, Droitwich.) Complete with Larry Grayson as the Rolls Royce Chauffeur and Stephanie De Sykes as the wedding party entertainment. The daytime serial pulled in 18 million viewers for the ceremony.

2500+ guests –

£1500 Police Escort (lowest price quote)

£2500 Police crowd attendance across registry office, streets and cathedral (lowest price quote)

£64 Registery Office Fee

£500 Cathedral Fee

£1299 Rolls Royce Hire

£50 Larry Grayson’s Fee

£50 Stephanie De Sykes’ Fee

£250 Wedding Cake

£7,000 Hire of Chateau Impney, and catering

£30 circa 35 Guest invitations (Wedding party only)

£1000 Suits and accessories

£200 Wedding Dress

Total £14,443

Ricky and Bianca — EastEnders

After what can only be described as a rocky beginning to their relationship, Ricky finally made an honest woman of Bianca in April 1997. 22 million viewers tuned in to watch the childhood sweethearts say, ‘I do’, even following an affair on Ricky’s behalf and Bianca almost getting intimate with her estranged father.

However, how much did the luxurious white wedding in the fictional town of Walford, East London, set the newlyweds back?

80 guests —

£400 invitations

£700 church

£280 car

£1,200 photographer

£600 flowers

£2,800 dress

£160 suit

Total £6,050

Ryan and Amy – Hollyoaks

Back in March 2017, Amy Barnes, after years of searching, finally found her Prince Charming and married him.

Ryan, known more commonly as Duncan James from Blue, was certainly not Amy’s first love conquest on the show. Her and her ex-partner Ste, who she had two children with, at the time of the wedding were in and out of the courts over a custody battle.

Fortunately, for the loved-up couple, Ste managed to put his differences aside and Amy prepared for the biggest day of her life. The happy ever after that we all hoped for was incredibly short lived, however, as Ryan went on to find Amy dead in their flat soon after.

The total expenditure of the Chester-based extravaganza was as follows:

50 guests —

£250 invitations

£700 church

£700 photographer

£800 videographer

£350 flowers

£4,000 for venue rental after reception

£500 food (average wedding catering cost per person was £10)

£200 cake (three-tier)

£800 dress

£30 ring girl’s dress (Bride’s daughter)

£50 boy’s suit (Bride’s son)

£150 groom’s suit

£15 smashed glasses

Total £8,545

Robert and Aaron – Emmerdale

The final soiree in our roundup of soap-style wedding bonanzas sees us arrive in the Yorkshire village of Emmerdale. Despite the Dingle family being still very much in mourning following the loss of baby Grace, the Brad and Angelina-inspired Robron (Robert and Aaron) went ahead.

Both the Emmerdale bad boys had their pasts littered with explosive relationships, quite literally, but this looked set to be a chance for both to find true happiness. It should come as no surprise that the guests of the Sugden-Livesy where treated to a rather lavish affair but, the question is, how much did it cost?

35 guests –

£175 invitations

£550 registrar

£3000 outdoor venue

£700 band

£250 DJ

£2,500 bar and function room

£275 Cake (two-tier)

£250 flowers

£400 suits

Total £8,100

So, there you have it, the scores on the doors of how much it would cost you to recreate that oh-so-memorable soap-style wedding. All you have to do now is find another very dedicated soap fan to marry!