Setting A Budget
Congratulations, your engaged ! Now let the planning begin
The most important thing to do before you start looking at wedding dresses and booking venues is to sit down with your partner - and any others who may be contributing to the cost of the wedding - and set a realistic budget.
Setting a budget at the start will help you focus on the elements of your wedding that are important to you and ensure that you don't over commit in areas that leave insufficient funds for what you really want. Always set your budget to a level that you feel comfortable sticking to and paying off. You should never feel pressured to extend your financial commitment beyond this level.
There's plenty of research out there showing that the average spend on a wedding in Australia is around $30,000 to $40,000. But more important than the cost of the wedding is the overall result. No matter what you decide to spend, never lose sight of the fact that a wedding is simply a celebration of your love for one another to be witnessed by your guests.
Editors tip:
If you exceed your budget in one area you will need to make cuts in another to keep spending within your overall budget.
It's often better to eliminate an inclusion all together, rather than trying to find the cheapest possible product to fit that category. For example, if you've stretched your budget on the dream wedding dress, you need to reconsider reducing your wedding cake budget.
So what do you get for your money
We've created a sample of the breakdown of costs for three different budgets. These figures are based on average spends across each of the categories shown.
| Total Budgets |
$ 45,000.00 |
$ 30,000.00 |
$ 15,000.00 |
| Attendants Gifts |
$ 308.35 |
$ 205.56 |
$ 102.78 |
| Bomboniere |
$ 616.69 |
$ 411.13 |
$ 205.56 |
| Bridal Gown |
$ 3,488.93 |
$ 2,325.96 |
$ 1,162.98 |
| Bridesmaids Gowns |
$ 1,233.38 |
$ 822.26 |
$ 411.13 |
| Civil Celebrant or Chaplain |
$ 716.69 |
$ 511.13 |
$ 305.56 |
| Ceremony Venue |
$ 770.86 |
$ 513.91 |
$ 256.95 |
| Entertainment |
$ 1,125.46 |
$ 750.31 |
$ 375.15 |
| Wedding Night Accommodation |
$ 300.64 |
$ 200.42 |
$ 100.21 |
| Flowergirls and Pageboys |
$ 277.51 |
$ 185.01 |
$ 92.50 |
| Flowers |
$ 1,233.38 |
$ 822.26 |
$ 411.13 |
| Reception |
$ 13,991.20 |
$ 9,327.46 |
$ 4,663.73 |
| Hair and Make-Up |
$ 608.98 |
$ 405.99 |
$ 202.99 |
| Honeymoon |
$ 9,250.38 |
$ 6,166.92 |
$ 3,083.46 |
| Invitations and other Stationery |
$ 847.95 |
$ 565.30 |
$ 282.65 |
| Shoes & Accessories |
$ 786.49 |
$ 491.00 |
$ 195.50 |
| Men's Attire |
$ 925.04 |
$ 616.69 |
$ 308.35 |
| Photography / Video |
$ 4,625.19 |
$ 3,083.46 |
$ 1,541.73 |
| Pre-Wedding Beauty Treatments etc |
$ 385.43 |
$ 256.95 |
$ 128.48 |
| Wedding Bands |
$ 1,541.73 |
$ 1,027.82 |
$ 513.91 |
| Wedding Cake |
$ 925.04 |
$ 616.69 |
$ 308.35 |
| Wedding Transport |
$ 1,040.67 |
$ 693.78 |
$ 346.89 |
Images Provided By: Lucy Leonardi Photography
