How couples are easily spending $150k on the modern Aussie dream wedding

SALLY is getting married at a popular Sydney venue and will easily spend $150,000. It sounds ridiculous, but modern weddings add up very quickly.

Forget simple backyard weddings. They are so 2015.

GOLD cutlery, red carpets and chandeliers — welcome to the modern Aussie dream wedding — one that will set you back $150,000 quicker than could ever imagine.

It’s not just the food and beverage packages sending couples over budget, it’s all the extra add-ons. And the prices are ridiculous.

Just ask Sally Brown, who is getting married at a popular Sydney venue in October, exchanging vows in front of 400 guests.

“Our top five expenses would have to be the reception, which is $81,000 for a food and basic alcohol package and no decorations included,” she says.

“Then we have $24,500 on flowers, $7,500 for the videographer, $7,000 for the photographer and $15,000 for my dress.

“We have about 420 people attending our wedding and our budget is $140,000.”

And this is how you spend thousands and thousands on flowers. Picture: Diane Koury Weddings and Events / Instagram

INSTA BRIDES

Sally, a hairdresser, says the pressure of social media presents financial challenges for the modern bridge aspiring to create her perfect day.

“Social media is to blame for the boom in the wedding industry,” she says.

“Gone are the days where you would see a simple, yet elegant and intimate wedding on Instagram, social pages or wedding blogs — they will only ever post weddings of a certain caliber, extravagant and over the top that would cost on average hundreds of thousands of dollars — which is totally unrealistic for most couples.

“As a bride trying to organise my own wedding, I feel the pressure to keep up with the trends, but realistically can’t afford it.

“Reception venues will show you a room, set up with amazing decorations, expensive china, flowers dangling from the ceiling with all the bells and whistles one could imagine — but once you book, all you receive is an empty hall, having all the decorations being an added expense on top of the fee per head.

A bridal table taken to the next level. Picture: Nightengaleswedding / Instagram

“Of course you can use the ordinary cutlery that the venue supply, but why would you do that when they offer you gold plated cutlery at an extra cost of ONLY $15 per person — bumping my spending by an extra $6300!”

MARRIAGE OR MORTGAGE?

The bride-to-be said many couples get a loan, use their life savings or an early inheritance to fund their weddings.

“The fact that people would be happy to put themselves into debt the size of half a mortgage for one day is truly sad.”

Kathy Apostolidis from Nightingales Wedding Designers told news.com.au that couples budgets had increased “substantially” in the last 12 months.

“A lot of this is due to the extra inspiration that they have access to via social media which creates a desire for them to have these items for their day,” she said.

“It’s hard to say an average spend as they are all vastly different, but say they start at $50,000 all the way up and up to high six figures.

“They are looking for an exquisitely styled luxurious environment that is all their own — somewhere where the everyday is transcended to the highest level that they are able to achieve with their budget.”

Chandeliers surrounded by flowers and a cake bigger than a person, this is one of the weddings Sally was inspired by. Picture: Diane Koury Weddings and Events / Instagram

She said the current trend was based on themes of “luxury”, with everything from personalised gifts to gold-rimmed glasses in hot demand.

“Luxury is the key here, so any item that falls under this category, from a forest of florals and ceiling installations, multiple large chandeliers, bespoke tablescapes achieved with gold rimmed crystal glasses, luxury linens, candles, personalised gifts — to state of the art lighting effects and celebrity MC’s and entertainers.”

THE ‘EXTRAS’

Popular ‘add ons’ to receptions include a $15 signature cocktail on arrival, adding $2250 to your bill for 150 guests.

Some venues charge up to $980 for a band to plug into their sound system — and fancy a backdrop for the bridal table? That will be $1400 thanks. Satin cloths on round tables instead of oval? That’s $60 per table.

Here are some of the extravagant extras offered by Sydney venues:

Charger plate, gold cutlery and napkin ring $15 per person

Changing oval tables to round $30 per table

Changing dance floor from parquetry to black or white $3,000

Candelabras $50 per table

Bridal table backdrop $1400

Dance floor lighting $840

Bride and groom initials on dance floor $840

Rigging of Chandeliers $210 each

Coloured satin table clothes $30 per table

Dry ice $850

Professional MC $850

Projector and screen $450

DJ to plug into sound system $630

Band to plug into sound system $980

Signature Cocktail on arrival $15 pp

Gourmet antipasto platter per table $10 pp

Gelato cart $2200

Originally published as How couples are easily spending $150k on the modern Aussie dream wedding