In 2017, the average cost of a wedding in Australia is $36,200.
The largest expense was found to be food and alcohol, taking over $18,000 from the budget. The next most significant cost came from wedding clothes and accessories, at just over $4,200.
Whatever way you slice it, traditionally, weddings don’t come cheap – unless of course, you’re as stylish and thrifty as Emilyrose Fitzpatrick.
Emilyrose, a 29-year-old Sydney girl who now resides in Glasgow, Scotland, married her husband Rory last year for a total cost of $1700 and the pair had less than four months to plan the wedding.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Emilyrose explained, “we didn’t want to spend a fortune and I knew we could still have a fantastic day without breaking the bank.”
“It was a challenge on such a tight budget but we were determined to stick to it. I hunted for the cheapest rose petal confetti and made an eight-hour wedding playlist.
“Thanks to Rory’s contacts in the hospitality industry, he bagged a great deal on a function room in a pub for our 100 guests. I found a lovely strappy wedding dress on Asos for £60 and, the day before the wedding, I ran around Glasgow foraging flowers and picked foliage from outside my window. I bought cheap bouquets from the high street and added thistles and eucalyptus leaves.”
“It was the most perfect day and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.”
Emilyrose’s advice for anyone hoping to have their own dream wedding for this price is to think outside the box.
Facebook.com/EmilyRose Fitzpatrick
Cost cutting tips from a wedding planner
Mikhayla Carey, chief wedding planner at One Day Weddings & Events explains it’s easy to cut costs for your big day, as long as you know where to look.
Hair, Makeup and Clothes
“You could easily cut costs on things such as hair and makeup and do these yourself (same goes for pre wedding beauty treatments such as nails, spray tans, etc.).”
“There are lots of second-hand wedding dress sites that you can buy stunning dresses from and then sell on after the big day.”
Flowers
“If you are willing to do a bit of DIY, are located near a flower market and are happy to get up bright and early then buying your flowers from a flower market and arranging the bouquets and table settings yourself is another way to cut costs.”
Food and Drinks
“With food and drink it is usually much cheaper to go with a cocktail style reception with canapés rather than a formal sit down 2 or 3-course meal,” Mikhayla explains.
“Not only is this cheaper for food per head, but it also means less furniture that needs to be hired.”
“That also means reducing costs on all the little things that go into styling and setting the table for a sit-down meal such as glassware, crockery, cutlery, place cards, menus, centrepieces, favours, etc.”
“Some caterers offer the option of providing your beverages, and you only have to pay a service charge. This can work out much cheaper if you are willing to stock the bar yourself. “
Stationery
“Stationery is another place that I have a lot of brides trying to reduce costs. Once you factor in the Save The Dates, invitations, RSVP cards, wishing well/gift cards, place settings, menus and programs, etc. it can start to quickly add up,” Mikhayla says.
“Etsy has a lot of stunning options where you can order a digital file for your stationery and print it yourself.”
The DJ
“Also, if looking into music options, it is much cheaper to go with a DJ for your reception rather than a band.”
