Did you know that the average Australian wedding costs almost an eye-watering $40,000? We know you want your special day to be perfect, but ... ouch! A recent survey found that while most Aussies dive into their own savings to help pay the bill, more than half take out a loan just so they can say "I do" in the way they really want, while 2 in 10 stick it on the credit card.
There has to be another way! But you want the perfect rings that will last a lifetime; you want beautiful photos and videos for your most cherished of memories and dresses and suits that fit the bill - and then there's the ceremony, the music, the decorations, the flowers, the cars, the hair, the makeup ... oh my!
But don't fret, because we think we can help. It's all about being reasonable about what you can afford, being honest about what you don't need, and then being smart about getting the best deal and thinking outside the box.
It's almost as though we need an awesome list of awesome tips about how to get the wedding of your dreams and then leave a few bucks in your pocket for a honeymoon, too!
We know, we know: you've been dreaming about hundreds of your closest family members and friends helping you celebrate your wedding for years. But be honest - every extra name is extra dollars, and those extra dollars just make your special day less intimate. In our humble opinion, the best
wedding venues Adelaide wide are the small and intimate ones - with correspondingly smaller and more intimate prices.
But how on earth are you going to get that huge guest list down to a manageable number? Start by removing just 10% of your initial list, and then remove another 10% ... and then removing yet another 10%. If you're still smiling, that's your list!
After years in the wedding game, we can tell you something for sure - kitchenware really is the most common gift. But how many toasters do you really need? Although the best wedding venues are able to tailor a great package for you including help with your decorations, flowers, photography, music gear and DJ, let's face it: your mate is a great DJ. Aunt Heidi is a whiz with flowers, and he may only be 18, but cousin Billy's photography and videography are always top-notch.
If money grew on trees, you'd get the best professional support in the business. But accepting the gift of free help in lieu of a fourth toaster not only keeps more cash in your pocket, you'll have a great story to tell forever as well.
When you do your shopping around for a wedding venue you can afford, there's something you'll notice: paying a lot doesn't always get you something better. Similarly, a stunning lakeside view may seem like it's worth a million dollars, but you may be surprised about just how affordable it is in the form of a small, intimate venue that you can combine with your new, trim guest-list.
So while a Princess would order custom wedding and bridesmaids dresses, here's a challenge for you: find something off-the-rack and now imagine it's actually custom-made. Apart from the much, much smaller price, can you really tell? It's the same for the bloke's suits - why on earth do you need to buy them when you can rent? And stop being a snob, because while the average cost of wedding rings is about $5,000, you really can get something truly special that will last forever for half or less of that.
That's just three tips that will instantly save you thousands and thousands - but don't stop there! Particularly with your wedding venue shopping, once you've found something great, keep looking a little longer - because there may be something even greater that's even cheaper! Make sure the venue you choose puts together value-for-money packages, and then think about having the ceremony there too.
There really are hundreds of ways to celebrate a perfect wedding without insulting your bank balance, so don't rush and also never forget - just because beautiful weddings are ridiculously expensive doesn't mean yours has to be! Good luck.