IRISH COUPLES ARE being forced to do more scrimping and saving these days, but there’s one area they refuse to compromise on: the wedding.

The average cost of an Irish wedding has increased to €21,135 – a surge of €1,000 from just one year ago.

The cost varies between €19,780 and €22,280, depending on where and when you choose to tie the knot, according to a study by Irish wedding website WeddingFace.com.

Wicklow is the most expensive county to get married in, while carrying out your nuptials in Louth do the least damage to your wallet. Unsurprisingly, the age-old Irish dream (aka desperate hope) of sunshine makes July is the most popular month – and January the least – in which to get hitched.

Deciding to get married at the height of summer will certainly cost you: couples pay an average of €2,500 more for a July wedding.

“Considering that the weddingreception is the biggest expense on anyone’s budget, it’s not surprising that Wicklow, being the ‘Garden of Ireland’ and with its many exclusive wedding venues, comes out as Ireland’s dearest,” said the site’s director Alan Joyce. “It was also interesting to see that Dublin came in as the eight cheapest county in Ireland, where traditionally you would expect the capital’s prices to be amongst the highest.”

The study was compiled using 1,000 actual wedding budgets from couples across the Republic of Ireland.

Average Wedding Costs by County

1. Louth - €19,820

2. Wexford - €20,305

3. Cavan - €20,535

4. Sligo - €20,545

5. Galway - €20,750

6. Monaghan - €20,810

7. Meath - €20,840

8. Dublin - €20,975

9. Kerry - €20,980

10. Longford - €21,030

11. Donegal - €21,165

12.  Kilkenny - €21,210

13.  Cork - €21,270

14. Laois - €21,300

15. Westmeath - €21,300

16. Limerick - €21,340

17. Offaly - €21,355

18. Roscommon - €21,355

19. Clare - €21,595

20. Tipperary - €21,630

21. Waterford - €21,630

22. Carlow - €21,870

23. Leitrim - €22,035

24. Kildare - €22,235

25. Mayo - €22,260

26. Wicklow - €22,280

Average Wedding Costs by Category

1. Venue (Reception) - €6,290

2. Honeymoon & Holidays - €3,840

3. Bride, Groom & Wedding Party Attire - €2,150

4. Music & Entertainment - €2,010

5. Photographer & Videographer - €1,985

6. Jewellery & Accessories - €1,225

7. Flowers & Decorations - €755

8. Catering, Marquees & Party Hire - €525

9. Favours, Gifts & Lists - €445

10. Cars, Limos & Carriage Hire - €440

11. Hair, Makeup, Health & Beauty – €435

12. Stationery - €350

13. Cakes, Toppers & Stands - €320

14. Venue (Ceremony) - €225

15. Misc - €140