Today, the cost of a marriage can bring tears to the eyes.
Gone are the days of a $1000 wedding (max) where dresses cost no more than a couple hundred dollars and the catering job can easily be handled by a couple of powerhouse cooks in the family.
Now, weddings tend to cost a comfortable salary, and the numbers seem to only be going up. According to Australian online marketplace one flarethe average wedding in Australia now costs about $51,000.
We’ll give you a moment to wipe the sweat from your forehead.
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Many responders to Nine’s poll have revealed they spent much less on their wedding compared to today’s average costs. (Getty)
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However, in an exclusive Nine.com.au poll, many Aussies have revealed they spent not even a quarter of that figure on their own wedding.
In a poll of 563 respondents, 31 per cent revealed they spent less than $5000 on their weddings.
By today’s standards, that amount might only cover the catering. According to local service marketplace website barque, the price of catering for the average wedding in Australia was about $5,200. The maximum cost was $9,900.
It is worth noting this figure depends on the number of people invited to the wedding, and the kind of meal the bride and groom would like to serve.
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After this admission, 12 per cent of Aussies revealed they spent between $5000 and $10,000 on their wedding, while 11 per cent said they weren’t sure how much they spent.
Numbers crept up at the next margin, with seven per cent claiming they spent between $10,000 and $15,000.
Two per cent of respondents voted that they spent between $15,000 to $20,000, and another two per cent said they spent between $20,000 to $30,000.
Only one per cent of Aussies said they spent between $30,000 and $40,000, and just two per cent revealed they spent over $40,000 on their wedding.
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Some might wonder how the price of a modern wedding has become so steep. The truth is, this has a little to do with a couple wanting to have a ‘fun and memorable ceremony’ and just about everything to do with the ever-growing and incredibly profitable wedding industry they’re facing.
From extravagant gowns to lavish bucks and hens nights, expensive photographers and filmographers, there is so much more to a wedding than just hiring out a church or venue and saying ‘I do.’
One of the responders to the Nine poll summed this up perfectly.
“I was married almost 40 years ago, which is why our wedding was inexpensive, however it was a lot of money then,” they wrote. “When both of our children were married in the past five years, their weddings cost approximately $60,000 each.”
Another commented: “Our wedding cost us just over $500. El-cheapo wedding.”
For more of a deep dive on the average costs of Australian weddings, one flare reveals the average price of a wedding venue hire is about $13,000. For most, this would be the highest cost in the overall budget.
A wedding dress purchased brand new can come to anywhere between $2000 and $5000, without adding in any necessary alterations that may need to be made.
Entertainment, such as a DJ or wedding band, can cost couples about $1,600, and wedding car hire typically stands at the $830 mark, depending on your vehicle of choice and the number of cars needed.
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