Australian couples ripped off by price hikes when planning a wedding

When you’re after a quote, there’s one word you should never say. Thanks to this shameless rip-off, you could pay double.

For many, getting married is one of life’s major milestones and one they want to celebrate.

Whether you believe no expense should be spared on your big day or think weddings are just a complete rip-off, it is no secret that things can get very expensive very quickly.

There is a popular theory that as soon as the word “wedding” is mentioned to a venue, photographer or anything you would book for this event, there is an instant mark-up.

It’s been dubbed the “wedding tax” and it means you may be paying significantly more for services purely because they are for a wedding.

News.com.au has decided to put this theory to the test by contacting different services and seeing how much they charge for a wedding compared to a 40th birthday party.

Our wedding investigation is part of our new series Rip-off Buster, which provides readers with practical cost-of-living advice and hacks on how to help get a better deal — all with the goal of helping you to become financially fit.

When contacting people for quotes, we made sure the details of both of the events, like the number of guests, day of the week the event is planned for and start and finish time, were the same.

Two different venues both gave a quote of $10,000 to hire the space for a cocktail-style 40th birthday party that would have 100 guests.

This price also included a canapes menu and beverages at both locations.

When contacted again about booking a cocktail-style wedding reception, with the same food, drinks and number of guests, one of the venues gave the same quote as they had given for the 40th.

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The other venue, however, added another $10,000. Despite being given the same details as provided when asking about the birthday, the total estimate came to $20,000.

There was a similar outcome when getting quotes for a cake. A simple cake with minimal decorations that would be suitable for both events was requested.

One bakery quoted $370 plus the cost of decorations for both the birthday and the wedding, while another quoted $480 for the 40th and between $540 and $580 for the wedding.

One of the bakeries charged a significantly higher price when told the cake was for a wedding. Picture: Smitten Wedding Photography

When getting estimates for hair and make-up, both businesses marked up the price for the wedding despite being asked for the same style of make-up and hair.

One only increased the price slightly, with hair and make-up for a bride being $280 and the

same for the birthday girl being $240.

The other business quoted $255 for the birthday and $350 for the wedding.

Just from this research alone, it would seem that some businesses or venues bump up the price for wedding services.

However, there are also cases where this “wedding tax” doesn’t apply.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Similar research by Finder found venues tended to mark up the price for weddings from anywhere between 18 to 30 per cent.

“Weddings are costly affairs that are often subject to costly mark-ups. In fact, our analysis shows that there can be an 18 per cent to 30 per cent premium on wedding packages at venues,” Finder money expert Bessie Hassan said.

“As soon as you mention it’s your big day, the cost goes up.”

The research also found, while there is a mark up, some places also included extras into the package like decorations, centrepieces and tea and coffee.

However, not everyone believes the wedding tax is real, with some industry experts claiming the price increase is due to the extra work that is put in to organise a wedding.

Elise James, from Easy Weddings, told news.com.au while she had heard of the “mark-up” she didn’t believe it was an industry-wide practice.

“It is definitely something we hear about more than we experience ourselves, and it isn’t something we advise our suppliers to do,” Ms James said.

“I think a lot of the time if it is a wedding there are more things included, which results in a higher price.

“If you are booking a venue for a party you may not get things included that you would with a wedding, like centrepieces, cake cutting and beverage packages.”

Founder of Wedded Wonderland, Wendy El-Khoury, agreed with this sentiment, saying there are a lot more variables to consider when planning a wedding.

“There is no such thing as a ‘wedding tax’ per se, however setting a budget based on the indicative market price as well as comparing a couple of quotes will make all the difference in understanding the cost of goods when it comes to wedding planning,” she said.

“Working with professional, transparent suppliers will alleviate the concern around amplified pricing.

“Remember, the more complex and custom the request, the more variable the price point. For example, you cannot compare a three-tier cake based on just size — time, effort, design, delivery, flavours all come into play and can sway the price considerably.”

It’s clear there are a lot of different opinions when it comes to whether a wedding mark-up exists, just as there is conflicting information about how much the average Australian wedding costs.

Research shows the average cost of weddings differs greatly. Picture: Easy Weddings Australian Wedding Industry Report 2019

A survey by Finder found Aussies forked out an average of $26,180 on their weddings in 2019.

Easy Weddings said the average cost was closer to $32,000, and a survey from Wedded Wonderland found it was even higher at $53,168.

Ms El-Khoury said the price disparity was likely because there was a such a wide range of wedding budgets.

“We need to be mindful of the fact that the average is not indicative of the median. There is such a large disparity when it comes to weddings and budgets in Australia,” she said.

“As we found with our survey, some couples will budget as little as 5000 for their wedding ceremony and reception, whereas others will spend in excess of 200,000.”

‘DON’T MENTION THE WORD WEDDING’

A common piece of advise couples get when planning a wedding is to not mention the word “wedding” when booking venues or services.

The idea behind this is if the person you are booking with doesn’t know the event is a wedding then they can’t apply the dreaded wedding premium.

But the experts say while this tactic may save you a couple of bucks, it could lead to avoidable issues later on.

“When you plan a wedding you want to be upfront and start off on the right foot with your venue or suppliers,” Ms James said.

“You are better off being truthful and then asking if there are any possible discounts rather than trying to dupe them.”

Couples can save money by booking their wedding during the off-peak season. Picture: Easy Weddings Australian Wedding Industry Report 2019

She said if a business knew the booking was for a wedding they might even add in extra things for no additional cost, such as a bow on a hire car and free champagne.

“If you are planning a wedding you want everyone to be on the same page. If they think it is for a birthday party they may not treat it with the same reverence,” Ms James added.

There are other ways of trying to keep wedding costs down, including getting married in off-peak seasons, not having it on a Saturday and cutting down on the number of guests.

Using local suppliers will also help cut down on transportation costs, and another tip is to buy items for the wedding when they are on sale.

There is a popular theory that many businesses apply a ‘tax’ when helping to plan a wedding.

Were you ripped off on your wedding day? Comment below or email [e-mail]