I recently married and whilst organising the wedding I came across numerous wedding-planning websites that stated the average cost of a wedding was $45,000! $45,000! That’s a deposit on a house! That’s nearly a year’s after-tax salary of the average Australian worker! That’s a lot of money!
Being a financial planner, I kept track of my spending and calculated the total cost of our wedding was $19,425.
I don’t believe we skimped on anything, however we did review costs where we could. For example, we had our wedding during the week and opted for a high-tea. There was no bridal party. We opted not to have a wedding videographer. We asked the photographer to give us our wedding photos on a disc. We used a friend’s vintage car. The wedding dress was made by a dress-maker who works from home. All up, I think these areas saved us between $10,000 and $15,000 alone.
Our wedding day was beautiful and the photos are amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a more sensational day.
But I caution anyone who is thinking of getting married. Think twice when you attend those Bridal Expos or speak to your friends that say you must have doves released, a video, $5,000 photo packages, car packages and a designer dress. Prioritise the things that are important to you on the day and the things that won’t matter in years to come. For example, if you have your heart set on a designer dress, opt for a more inexpensive car package or photo package? etc etc…
There was nothing missed on our wedding day. It was perfect! Yours will be too even if you don’t have butterflies or doves released after the ceremony!!!
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