Break The Mould, Downsize or Elope!
Getting engaged is an extraordinary time in your life. So many wonderful emotions flying around as you celebrate with family & friends…then wedding plans begin.
When you start planning your wedding…
It’s such an exciting time with so many opportunities to create your wedding but equally, it can be very stressful and complicated. Some couples have a clear vision of what they want and go for it; others need time to research and decide what they like. The main thing that shocks most couples while planning their ideal wedding is that you may end up with a different wedding to what you originally had in mind… for a variety of reasons, good and bad. These generally boil down to either family requests, family relationships and the real expense of a wedding, not to moment things out of your control like a global pandemic...
In 2019, on average a wedding in Australia costed $53,168. A budget wedding in Australia sits at around $10-20k and a luxury wedding exceeds $100k. Yep, reality check kicks in.
Is eloping or downsizing your wedding on the cards?
As you’ll start to see this wedding planning stuff it’s not always easy sailing. I don’t mean to put a dampener on the moment but I wanted to point out a few potential road blocks along the way. I’ve been married twice and I’ve experienced it both times. First time around my ex-husband and I had the big traditional wedding with 120 guests. Parents were involved in the decision making, there were guests attending that I didn’t even know and excessive money was spent overall. It was a wonderful day but always felt I missed out on having a wedding that was ‘us’.
Second time around, after plenty of research, putting together an estimated budget and a complicated guest list, my husband and I decided to elope. At the time, we couldn’t secure the perfect venue and had problem finding a celebrant that was the right fit. For us, eloping overseas was the best option. With our family situated around the world, some not able to travel afar. Instead of spending around $50k on just one day, we decided it would go towards our elopement in the US followed by 6 months of travelling around the globe, to see our family and friends. That’s what we call the ultimate honeymoon. It was completely unique and an extraordinary life experience we’ll treasure forever. No regrets!
What you might find is that once the big day has finally come and quickly gone, there may be slight regrets. It might come down to family and finances.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had married couples tell me what they would have done differently if they could plan their wedding again. Quite often I hear ‘I wish I’d eloped’ or ‘I really shouldn’t have spent so much on…’.
Go with your gut instinct
Importantly, do what’s right for you, as a couple. My advice is stay focussed on your vision and don’t let others sway your decisions. Stick to your plans and budget. Know that you can have your ideal wedding without going bankrupt and without family taking over. Follow your intuition and your day will be an absolute joy, minus the stresses. It will be everything you could have dreamed of and some.
Whatever you choose, I would love to join you on your wedding journey. I’m available anytime for a chat about your plans or to give you ideas. Just send me a message or give me a call. Can’t wait to talk.
Happy planning!