You know, you can get married without spending the equivalent of a new car or completing obliterating your hard-saved deposit on that dream home.
Weddings are not cheap, but they don’t have to land you in even more debt than your hex bill or wipe out your entire bank account.
If you’ve been hanging around in Facebook wedding groups or scouring Pinterest boards you’ll be overwhelmed by all the things that you’re told you have to buy, rent or pay for to make the day memorable and unique.
I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to spend a fortune on pretty junk because the colour of the napkins is NOT what people are going to be talking about days, months and certainly not years after your big day.
If this is your first ride in the rodeo, then you need to understand that you don’t know what you don’t know.
The best place to start is to is to secure a couple of DTE vendors who will tell it like it is. They can help you work out where to best spend the money.
If it’s not your first go then you’ll at least know what you don’t want to do again, you’ll probably want this time to be more personal and special, but you may also be out of touch with some of the more creative and modern approaches to this ancient, rite of passage we call marriage.
My name is Sally and I’m a celebrant based on the north side of Brisbane and I’m one of those vendors who will talk you out of buying crap you don’t need. I see a big part of my job as guiding you through this foreign land called wedding planning so that you end up only spending money on the important things. This is why I’m often a little disappointed that booking the celebrant is usually last on couple’s “to do” lists; I haven’t been given the opportunity to cut through the noise for you and, unfortunately, you may not allowed enough in your budget for a really great ceremony.
Why do we all think weddings have to be expensive?
Both social media and the entertainment industry have a lot to answer for in creating unrealistic expectations around what a really great wedding looks like, instead of focusing on what it feels like. If you don’t believe me, ask your grandma about her wedding and I bet she’ll remember how she felt and who was there, not whether all the chairs had bows on them.
It’s the quest for aesthetic perfection that gave rise to what people call “the Wedding Tax”. That, however, is a whole other topic for another rant.
The best (budget) wedding in Brisbane.
One of the most romantic, heartfelt and moving weddings I was ever involved in was brought in for under a couple of thousand dollars.
Venue: A local park with BBQ’s and shelter.
Bride wore a lovely white lace summer dress from the op shop.
4 Bridesmaids all wore something they already owned and liked; did their own hair and makeup
Groom & 4 Groomsmen splurged on matching shirts and ties over whatever shorts/pants/jeans they felt good in.
Flowers from the servo arranged into bouquets that morning by the bride tribe.
Guests BYO meat for the barby with salads and sides supplied by the mums.
The couple spent money on a good photographer for just a couple of hours and me, for a ceremony that reflected their personalities. Even I cried during that ceremony which involved all the parents and siblings at various points, as well as staging a round of Dungeons and Dragons where the groom told the story of his proposal himself.
The day was about family and close friends, some of whom had flown up from Sydney for this budget celebration in a park. We all felt so good, and we all (yes I do include myself) remember those feelings several years later.
Isn’t that what you want?
Prioritise your spending for an epic budget wedding.
I’m not suggesting you can only achieve those feelings by NOT spending money on a nice venue or fancy cars, but I’m giving you permission not to if you don’t vibe that way or simply can’t afford it.
Ultimately the material things are not important compared with a whole lifetime of love and commitment. If a guest thinks an open bar is more important than sharing this milestone with you, should they even be invited?
While I’m not the most expensive celebrant in Brisbane, I’m also not the cheapest. I guess my biased opinion is that the ceremony is worth it, because it will set the tone for what follows and create that magical wave of love and optimism that carries through to whatever way you choose to party afterwards.
Spend your money wisely, on quality goods and services that will not be forgotten before the hangover wears off.
The resources page on my website has my hit list of things you really, really, really don’t need to waste money on as well as a few FAQ downloads about wedding traditions and the legal requirements for marriage in Australia.
If you have only just started this journey I’d love to have a chat with you about how we can work together to create an epic experience without epic credit card bills. Reach out on my socials, leave a comment here or click to contact and I'll be in touch.
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