Wedding Budgets in 2021
Hello 2021, yay we made it! It’s all systems go now on planning your wedding in 2021 and 2022. Budgeting for it is where it all starts!
Kicking off the planning phase
There is A LOT to consider when planning a wedding. No doubt you’ve started your ever-growing to-do list as you talk with venues and vendors.
From choosing the location, photography, flowers, what to wear, music and the one who makes it a wedding (and not just a big party), your marriage celebrant. And that’s just covering your wedding ceremony.
That’s why I’ve put together this guide on setting your wedding budget for 2021 & 2022, so you don’t stray from what’s important to you and, so you don’t experience a major blow-out!
But first, the stats
Before you jump into the wedding planning abyss, I thought I’d briefly touch on the the stats. Now who doesn’t love a stat!? No doubt your inner geek does…
For example let’s take a look at 2019 (pre-COVID), 113,815* weddings were held in Australia.
Of those weddings, the average Australian wedding cost $36,000 according to Money Smart.
No wonder, wedding costs can creep up on you. There’s a lot to cover…costs for the venue, food and alcohol, the ceremony, wedding attire, the rings, photography, videography, entertainment, styling and flowers, cars, hair and make-up.
My simple point is that the stats are there but by all means, do not compare yourself to any of it. Bottom line, you can have a stunning intimate wedding or elopement for less than A$8k (I did!) or a full-blown extravaganza for A$300k. Whatever your budget, you can make it totally amazing depending on where you allocate your dollars.
Interestingly since COVID, there’s even more reasons to downsize your wedding and make your ceremony a big focus of the day. Elopements have never been so popular!
Here’s a few tips on how you stick to your guns when it comes to spending money on your wedding ceremony:
Observatory Hill, Sydney
Tip 1 // Location & Venue
The first thing on your mind would be…where do we host our epic celebration? To start, there may seem one zillion options. As you hone into a particular region, a shortlist of your favourites will form.
Or you might have just one specific venue in mind or perhaps a beach, a lake, a park or mountain cliff that holds meaning and special memories. You just need a council or park permit if it’s being held in a public space. On average the council or park permit can cost between $300-1000.
Put simply, premium wedding venues that cater for large weddings will cost you more because you’re paying for both quality and quantity. A big chunk of money goes towards food and drinks when having a big wedding. The simplest way to keep costs right down is to reduce your guest list. Alternatively think about booking a blank canvas venue, where DIY is a thing. Bare in mind, the extra work involved in setting it all up yourself. Time to gather your crew of talented friends who are keen to pitch in and help .
A huge trend and even more so, after 2020 is to elope or have an intimate wedding. It’s far easier to stay on budget plus it broadens the choice of places to get married. When it’s just you and your witnesses or a handful of your nearest and dearest, the world is your oyster! You can rent an Airbnb and host a lunch; or a private room in a restaurant or bar; you can have a picnic in the park or on your beach where you held your ceremony; or you can just host the party at home!
Shakespeares Point, Nielsen Park Vaucluse
Tip 2 // Photography & Videography
Capturing your big day in frames is high of any couple’s must-have list. Naturally you will have stalked the Insta pages of wedding photographers as soon as there’s a hint of an engagement. Experienced and highly sought-after photographers and videographers cost top dollar because they are in demand but mostly, you’re paying for their art and level of service.
So you might feel that getting a certain style of imagery and video is most important to you. This might be your luxury item for the day, while you minimise spend on other areas of your wedding. Or it might be just as important to you as other parts of your wedding. You might decide to get a photographer who’s an upcoming talent, or even a friend who’s getting started in wedding photography. Get some quotes, have a chat with the photographer and videographer and no doubt, your gut instinct will tell you who’s the right fit.
Jacqua Celebrant @ The Pavilion Kiama. Photography @alanaatkinsphotography
Tip 3 // Marriage Celebrant
The time has come to find your marriage celebrant! The only part of the day that makes it a wedding, and not just an epic party. I’ve read online that you can hire celebrants for $300 and the average cost of a celebrant on around $700. Really?? Ha maybe back in the year 2000, not 2021! I can honestly say this is not representative of popular celebrants in major cities and wedding hotspots around the country.
Sadly it’s still common for people to think it’s only a couple of hours of work - that celebrants turn up on the day, read from a generic script, pronounce you married, pack up quickly and go.
Thankfully, these days couples are getting in the know about what it takes to craft a meaningful and personal ceremony. Couples want their ceremony to reflect them as a couple. They want laughs, they want tears, they want their guests to be involved and they want everyone to have a great time. It’s so important to know what to expect from your celebrant.
For this to happen, it takes a considerable amount of planning for a marriage celebrant to come across as someone who has known you for years!
A great celebrant spends time getting to know you. They work with you to make every element of the ceremony personal and relevant. They spend time crafting a ceremony that involves special acknowledgements as well as thoughtful and engaging storytelling. Time is spent helping you to write your personal vows. Many celebrants will meet with you at least one and many will have a final catch up (aka rehearsal) before the day. Lastly, keep in mind celebrants travel long distances to do their job, unlike a registry wedding where you travel to meet the in-house celebrant.
Having a registry wedding in NSW costs $500 - that’s a no-frills, short ceremony, no personal stuff. Let’s face the facts, it’s not exactly romantic heading to a government office block for your big moment!
For an experienced and highly sought-after celebrant, you should need to allocate $1.2k-$2k, sometimes more.
If you want to kick-off your celebration on the right foot and if you feel the ceremony is just as important than the party, your celebrant is worth their weight in gold.
Wedding styling & flowers @ The Boathouse Palm Beach
Tip 4 // Ceremony Styling & Flowers
As you can imagine, styling and flowers can really blow out the budget. For some couples, they envision their ceremony exploding with flowers so a large chunk of budget will go here. You might want to enhance the beauty of the space to give it your unique style. Maybe you’ll just go for bouquets, buttonholes, perhaps flower crowns. Or maybe you feel there’s no need for flowers and styling, the ceremony space is ready filled with enough natural beauty. Once again, your creative mind and gut instinct will lead you on a path to find the best florist/stylist to create the theme of your wedding.
One way to cut expenses in this space is to do it yourself. Get together your most creative buddies, and head to the flower markets at 4am on the day before your wedding. It certainly requires a lot of effort but it could be quite fun coordinating your own styling workshop for such a memorable day.
Tip 5 // Entertainment & Music
When it comes to ceremony music, there’s really only three options:
1. Live musician/s
2. A playlist of songs
3. No music (I don’t really recommend unless you’re eloping)
Who doesn’t love hearing live music at an event? Hands down, option 1 is going to give you the best ambiance and experience. It obviously comes at a cost, but it’s SO worth it.
If your budget is wearing thin, you may choose a playlist of songs that will be played through your celebrant’s PA system. This won’t cost you anything though a couple of things to consider. You’ll need to nominate a friend to operate the music while the celebrant conducted the ceremony. Just have the music downloaded on a phone through Spotify or YouTube Music. The celebrant will help the music person set up the music, just before the ceremony and do a quick run-through of the cues.
Its super important to have a competent person do it. If you have any DJ or tech friends, you’re sorted! Someone who’s savvy with tech, and music. Someone who’s attentive and listens out for the cues. So often I find the playlist option doesn’t flow well into your ceremony. This messes with the ambiance and how your guests and you feel about your ceremony. Often, you’re relying on a friend who’s doing this role for the first time. They get nervous, miss the cues, they stop the music too soon or abruptly instead of fading the song out by lowering the volume. Sometimes it works perfectly but mostly, I’d recommend getting a live musician!
Tip 6 // What to Wear
Depending on your vision and the size of your wedding party, costs can really explode. You’ll see one of three ways:
1. Hey it’s my wedding and I’m going all out!
2. Hmm it’s only one day and we’ll never wear it again.
3. Aha! Let’s wear something we can all wear again!
The first option tells me that a price tag is not your concern, then go for gold.
The second option tells me that you’ll be shopping around. You might try on something at a fancy bridal boutique for $10k but then settle for a second-hand gown from Still White which cost the first owner $10k and now you’re buying it for $2k. I also recommend taking a squeeze at Grace Loves Lace and Shona Joy. They are leaders when it comes to Australian bridal and wedding attire.
The third option is super clever. Traditionally you buy an amazing outfit, at a big cost and you never wear it again. Nowadays, wedding couples wear whatever works for them. There’s a real trend now with boutique fashion brands doing wedding collections at reasonable price tags. Check out Spell, Bec + Bridge, Zimmermann, Ixiah, Winona Australia, Lover, even The Iconic, ASOS or vintage second-hand stores. You’ll be surprised what you find at a fraction of the cost.
So…by now you can see there’s oodles to consider when planning a wedding, and I’m only covering the ceremony. When divvy up your wedding budgets, here’s a few steps to help keep you within your means:
1. Create a spreadsheet and decide what you can afford
2. Break down the costs and ask yourself: do we need this? Will it make a difference on the day?
3. Always do some research and shop around to understand what’s market value
4. Decide if you can do some DIY and get friends to help
5. Check online stores, for any sale items. You might find some amazing buys for wedding attire, furniture and décor.
At the end of the day, your wedding is one hell of a life experience. It doesn’t need to cost your life savings. What’s important is how it makes you feel and how you want it to look. Stick to your guns and keep focused on the important elements of your wedding.
With every vendor or product you choose, you’re buying into that experience. It’s totally worth it and just remember: you always get what you pay for.
I’ve been around long enough as a wedding celebrant to know what makes a kick-ass wedding ceremony. I’m here to help and would love to bring your ideas to life so you have all the feel-good memories with no regrets!!
Can’t wait to meet you both…let’s get planning!
JACQUA
BIO:
Jacq AKA Jacqua is a non-traditional wedding celebrant based in NSW. You’ll mostly find her around Sydney, Southern Highlands, Wollongong and the South Coast.
She marries couples who are creative, unconventional and a little quirky—lovers who want a wedding that reflects their distinct sense of style. Eloping? Getting hitched away from home? She’s happy to travel and free to roam!
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