Research from ASIC MoneySmart found that the average cost of a wedding in Australia is $36,200, with the bulk of expenditure going on food, alcohol and the venue. Surprisingly the expensive costs identified included photography, food and flowers and decorations.* 

Here’s our guide to staying on top of your spending and avoiding a post-wedding budget hangover.

Work out how much money you need

Before you start planning your dream day, sit down and work out how much you want to spend on each item. Include everything such as food, drinks, venue, cake, cars, music, outfits and gifts, then come up with a total cost. Are you still comfortable with the number? According to ASIC MoneySmart, 35 per cent of Australians blew their wedding budget – so don’t forget to give yourself a little wriggle room.

Create a list of “must haves”

Once you’ve come up with your total number – select a few items that matter most to you. The trick with planning weddings to fit your budget is picking when to save and when to splurge. If the dress matters most, budget accordingly, but perhaps you could save by buying flowers from a local market rather than a wedding florist. If music is really important, splurge on the band but cut back on costs of the wedding cake.

Choose the venue carefully

Some venues have deals with specific caters or suppliers, limiting your ability to choose more budget-friendly options. When picking the venue, make sure you’re clear on if you need to use their catering for food and alcohol or can organise your own. Some savvy couples are using local restaurants to cater weddings at a fraction of the price – but it all depends on the rules of the venue you’ve picked.

Don’t be afraid to hunt around

Many items become much more expensive when they’re placed under the “wedding” category, but there’s lots of things you can get at generic shops. Stores like K-mart and Target have really upped their décor game in recent times, making them a good place to find table items and decorations. There’s also plenty of second hand wedding goodies to be found online, check out Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree for options.

Re-sell when you’re done

Take a Marie Kondo approach to life and only keep the items from your wedding that bring you joy – put the rest up for sale and recoup some costs!  Sites like Stillwhite let you advertise wedding dresses or put your decorations on your local buy, swap, sell group. You’ll have more space and more money to play with.

Tips to save

• talk about money with your partner and start saving early
• don’t take the first offer – shop around and get lots of quotes
• consider getting married in Winter (or a Friday)
• cut the guest list – if you wouldn’t be happy to buy them dinner outside your wedding do you need them there?
• enlist friends to help with decorating and flowers
• don’t tell suppliers it’s for a wedding

*https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/life-events-and-you/life-events/getting-married/how-much-can-a-wedding-cost