Tips and Ways to Save on Weddings?

HYX on 23/11/2017 - 14:13
Last edited 29/11/2017 - 13:00

Hello OzBer's

I'm in the process of planning my wedding and I'd like to get any ideas from your experience on how to save on costs.

My budget is as little as I can spend on top of the venue (minimum spend is close to 20k), without compromising too much on quality. I've got to adhere to the minimum spend (seems I can't negotiate this), but I'd like to find out any tips I can ask for in terms of add-ons and things to bargain for (and how to bargain for).

Would be great if you could share how much you spent on your wedding and when it was.
Please exclude the cost of rings.
You can fill in the below or even just a one liner stating no. of guests and rough total cost.

Reception:
No. of Guests:
Ceremony:
Photography:
Videography:
Flowers:
Hair & Makeup:
Dress/suit:
Bridal party:
Cake:

Recommendations are more than welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Update:

Thanks for all those who took the time to give advice and share your experience! Much appreciated.
One of the most common advice was to find a venue with a lower minimum spend. After asking 20 venues in Sydney, the lowest minimum spend I came across for a Sunday evening was 9k (similar on a Friday evening), with most venues being 12k–15k. Average per head cost being $145–$165.
Let me know if you know of alternative venues that have a lower minimum spend/per head cost in Sydney.
Thanks again!

General Discussion

Comments

  • spackbace on 23/11/2017 - 14:15
    +182

    Tip and Ways to Save on Weddings?

    Yep, don't get married ;)

    • Lil B on 23/11/2017 - 14:16
      +15

      Beat me to it.

      /thread

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 14:30
      +8

      Now I know why some posts start with a defensive disclaimer hahah

    • htc on 27/11/2017 - 07:31
      +1

      Well get married, but not have wedding. Get the best of both worlds!

  • twobit on 23/11/2017 - 14:19
    +6

    Bunnings sizzle?

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 14:30
      +15

      Should I use a drone to deliver the hotdogs to each guest? :))

      • Lil B on 23/11/2017 - 14:31

        Depends; Will you be off your head on Gear and snorting Cocaine?

      • Tnetennba on 26/11/2017 - 11:54
        +23

        Hotdogs… HOTDOGS? From bunnings!?

        YOU COULD HAVE PICKED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

        • snags
        • Sausages
        • Bangers
        • long brown meat things in bread

        Please hand in your Medicare card on the way out.

        • HYX on 27/11/2017 - 08:49
          -2

          The first three are exclusive of the bread so I'd say option 4 from your list would be most accurate, but it's too long so hotdog it is

        • Tnetennba on 27/11/2017 - 09:35

          @XYH: you disgust me, sir.

        • KrombopulosMic on 28/11/2017 - 14:38

          @XYH:

          hotdog is also exclusive of bread

    • Lil B on 23/11/2017 - 14:31
      +5

      That's the Australian Dream right there… A wedding at Bunnings!

    • PcisT on 25/11/2017 - 22:49

      It's cheaper to buy bulk sausages and plain bread.

  • dcep on 23/11/2017 - 14:22
    +3

    Wedding at Maccas?

    • afoveht on 23/11/2017 - 14:35
      +7

      I used to work at a Sizzler and served a wedding party once. The whole thing was over in a few hours. TBH the guests will probably find that more memorable (for good or bad - who cares!) than the standard, expensive, all-out affairs.

    • berry580 on 25/11/2017 - 16:37
      -1

      Not sure why you got negged. It's not something new

    • D6C1 on 27/11/2017 - 18:34

      Bride and groom can play in the maccas playground

      win win

    • pennypincher98 on 28/11/2017 - 21:05

      Don't forget the 25% off ordering via app!

      $1 Hamburger + Free Ice Water does the trick for catering?

  • [Deactivated] on 23/11/2017 - 14:24
    +27

    Married at a court + Celebrant $300
    Photographer at local gardens $300
    Wedding for $600

    • onetwothreefour on 24/11/2017 - 06:21
      +23

      Get a friend to take photos on their phone and save $300.

      • AlienC on 26/11/2017 - 15:25

        Get a friend into photography

        • phocus on 28/11/2017 - 10:48
          +1

          heck no. If im a friend im not there to work

        • AlienC on 28/11/2017 - 14:55

          @phocus: tell that to my infinitely connected family and friends network.. literally every event is documented by either somebody we know or somebody someone else knows..n what's that saying.. it's all in the family haha lol

          Once in awhile we will get a new guy but then that guy becomes family haha lol

      • Freelog on 28/11/2017 - 10:48
        +1

        That's not saving, that's losing the opportunity of having awesome photos afterwards.
        A guest should be able to only enjoy as well.

        • AlienC on 28/11/2017 - 14:56
          +1

          Maybe he meant friend of friend aka acquaintance but yeah even then if you slightly know the celebrants then you should just be there to only enjoy the celebration and not work for it

  • CyberMurning on 23/11/2017 - 14:28
    +11

    "Tip and Ways to Save on Weddings?"
    dont do it.

    same like mobile phone, contract is more expensive in longterm - post paid is cheaper and the feeling of not tied to a contract is priceless.

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 14:33
      +5

      Or in that theory, don't use a mobile phone?

      • airzone on 25/11/2017 - 19:46
        +21

        Rent one when you want to make a call.

        • ialam99 on 27/11/2017 - 12:08

          rent?!?…what kind of an ozbargainer are you? borrow one from a passing pedestrian whenever you need to make a call

        • steff on 28/11/2017 - 09:33

          @ialam99: that joke flew over you

        • Munki on 28/11/2017 - 11:30

          @ialam99: HE'S TALKING ABOUT PROSTITUTES.

        • ialam99 on 28/11/2017 - 12:19

          @Munki: ohhh…that makes sense now

      • Ridiculous Panda on 25/11/2017 - 23:05
        +7

        Use a public phone. Make sure you wipe it clean first.

        • Munki on 28/11/2017 - 11:31

          Be nice to Shazza. She's a lady too.

    • dcep on 23/11/2017 - 14:39
      +1

      post paid or pre paid ?

      • CyberMurning on 23/11/2017 - 15:10
        +1

        post paid - pay fixed amount monthly but non contract.
        or you can go pre paid no need to pay till credit finishes.

        • bozbargain on 26/11/2017 - 18:23

          Post paid means a mobile phone arrangement where you pay at the end of the month, most of the time based on a 12 or 24 month contract. What you’re referring to is a pay-as-you-go arrangement.

        • MrSammyMcG on 27/11/2017 - 21:43

          @bozbargain: What about paying for a year in advance is that still post paid because thats what I did and its certainly cheaper than paying each month as you go.

  • CyberMurning on 23/11/2017 - 14:30
    +27

    doesnt matter how much you spend on wedding, $1k or $10k, $50k or $100k its actually cheap, compare to what you have to spend and face after.

    • kipps on 23/11/2017 - 19:59
      +21

      Username checks out.

    • pegaxs on 27/11/2017 - 08:24
      +4

      People think weddings cost money. Wrong, it’s the divorce at the other end.

      Only difference is… the divorce was worth it. :D

      • CyberMurning on 27/11/2017 - 09:03

        and the period between wedding and divorce? painful as hell
        so we pay bargain price to get wedding, got horrible experiences after, and then got rip off till penniless during divorce?

  • djsweet on 23/11/2017 - 14:31
    +36

    We tried to save as much as possible
    * We made the cakes ourselves (we had individual cakes and a small cutting cake)
    * Sourced decorations ourselves
    * Decorated the venue ourselves
    * A relative did the bridesmaids hair and makeup

    No. of Guests: 100
    Ceremony: 1500
    Photography: 3000
    Videography: 0
    Flowers: 1000
    Hair & Makeup: 300
    Dress/suit: 1500
    Bridal party: 1000
    Cake: 300

    Wedding Car: 450
    Stationery (programs, placecards etc): 500

    We tried to save as much as we could without sacrificing quality. Total cost $30-35k

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 14:37
      +11

      Thanks! First actual response haha
      How much did the venue cost?
      Also where did you source decorations from?

      • djsweet on 23/11/2017 - 14:44

        Venue was only around 1500 not including catering. Catering was around 10-12k I think.
        Decorations were from local stores, KMart, DIY, Aliexpress.
        Also - forgot to mention - we did flowers ourselves too. We bought them from the market.

        • abb on 27/11/2017 - 10:00

          The costs you've listed (including catering) add up to $23 050

          What was the other $10k ?

        • djsweet on 27/11/2017 - 10:08

          @abb: Plenty of other costs including equipment hire, DJ, choir fees, donations to the Priests and alter servers, accommodation for bridal party, hire cars here and there, reception coordinator. I think I under priced the flowers above as well (maybe 500-1000 more than what I said - we got a couple of arrangements done by a florist). Probably missed a few other things too.

        • abb on 27/11/2017 - 10:10

          @djsweet: Thanks, good to know for the future maybe

          (If I can't convince her to just fly our close friends to some tropical island instead)

    • spackbace on 23/11/2017 - 14:43
      +27

      All that added stress/effort in the days before the wedding making the cakes, but you spent $30-$35k total?

      Cheesecake Shop actually makes wedding/celebration cakes for $500 or less, which is a relatively small % of your overall spend.

    • one man clan on 23/11/2017 - 16:58
      +5

      I spent little more ($5k) a bit over a year ago.

      Got invites for free through a groomsmen, but spent a bit on decorations and our venue + catering was more. Ceremony was ~$500 because we did it in a town hall and got a friend who's a priest to marry us.

      If you don't need/want physical gifts I recommend notanothertoaster.com - it's a "gift" registry where people contribute amounts towards a gift. We basically put up tons of stuff from our honeymoon like parts of flights, tickets to shows, accomodation etc. and people would "buy" them for us. At the end of the day you just get an eftpos transfer. It's a feelgood for guests beacuse they feel part of your honeymoon and you don't get garbage gifts. Ended up paying for a chunk of the wedding/honeymoon.

    • smartazz104 on 25/11/2017 - 22:59
      +12

      30-35K? Isn't that considered the average cost of an expensive wedding? If that's what you paid after cutting costs I shudder to think what's considered a "normal" price.

      • Becsavers on 26/11/2017 - 12:46
        +1

        According to Choice it’s not an expensive wedding, as they estimated most weddings to cost between $36-54k. That was in 2014, so expect it to be a few grand higher by now.

        • smartazz104 on 26/11/2017 - 18:09
          +1

          I’d rather see a report commissioned by the collective brains at OzBargain, 30K is damn high. Feeling like you have to spend that much comes from the same school of thought that’s brainwashed people into thinking diamonds are valuable.

        • sagrules on 27/11/2017 - 10:21
          +2

          @smartazz104: We spent about $10k for our wedding earlier this year, the number of guests was around 50. We just tried to make sure the venue we picked included most of the things we needed in their package and negotiated it down. And another $2-3k for a talented photographer, no videographer. Personally I think thats a waste, as how many people actually watch their wedding video after the main event. We did however get one of our relatives to film the key parts of the wedding and just collated it at the end.
          Also we booked the venue 3 months out, not a year in advance like some people.

        • db87 on 29/11/2017 - 23:00

          @sagrules:

          Have to disagree….. I thought the same, and we watch the video more than look at the photos. The videographer was priceless in my eyes.

          If you're on the fence, pay first think later. Noone wants to get married twice!

  • Marcsie on 23/11/2017 - 14:34
    +2

    SSM ?

    • Looking4Bargians on 23/11/2017 - 15:29
      +2

      That was exactly first thought came up in my mind after reading OP's Topic.

  • scrimshaw on 23/11/2017 - 14:34
    +10

    Lifehacker articles

    "What you don't need at your wedding"

    "16 ways to save on your wedding"

    If you really want to save on your wedding, you could have your Wedding at one of Ozbargains Birthday Party venues. You won't have to pay for the venue, there will be free food and drinks and there will already be a crowd of people there….

    • [Deactivated] on 25/11/2017 - 19:17
      +10

      Ah yes I remember when lifehacker had lifehacks.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/11/2017 - 14:41
    +2

    OzBargain wedding registry. We'll add our wishlist.

  • myusername on 23/11/2017 - 14:46
    +1

    apparently getting divorced is more expensive than getting married

    • HighAndDry on 23/11/2017 - 14:50
      +1

      That's the same logic as "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop"….

  • The Wololo Wombat on 23/11/2017 - 14:46

    Where are you located?

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 18:12
      +1

      Sydney

  • myusername on 23/11/2017 - 14:47

    here seems like the cheapest option

    virtual wedding

    https://wedonweb.com/

  • altomic on 23/11/2017 - 15:01
    +10

    my wife and I were fortunate and were married on her parents farm. we had ~85 guests.

    a marquee set up on the tennis court, which came with chairs, tables, napkins, table cloths, crockery, plates and glass. that came to $2500/3000.
    Decorations - living on a farm there is lots of native flora which my father-in-law made in to centrepieces for each table.
    Lighting, - a hell of a lot of fairy lights, and a few spot lights which we already had.
    Food- Organised a vegetarian caterer who did a huge buffet. ~$1200.
    Booze - beer, wine and soft drink. bought in bulk (excess was returnable) $600.
    Music -already had the equipment and friend DJ's
    Hired a portaloo due to number of guests.
    invitations -we did these ourselves printed on cut down A4 photo paper, which was placed into Japanese ceremonial envelopes (we were living in Japan), which was placed in to a standard envelope and posted.
    Celebrant - $300
    Bridal flowers/corsage -$60
    Photographer - $400 for 4 hours (included assistant and a photo book and copies of the photos) - the photographer was starting out and looking for gigs so it was a win-win situation.
    Wedding dress - family heirloom.
    bridesmaids + flower girls dresses - sourced very inexpensively from Japan

    we were fortunate in that we were living in Japan so the main things we had to organise we booked 9 months prior on a previous short trip home -so that was all set. it just meant the smalled things needed to be organised which we delegated from Japan. it also it meant that we were far removed from the actual wedding so it wasn't a constant reminder/stress. a lot of things bridesmaids dresses + invitations we made/acquired in Japan very reasonably. things just had to happen. but if you book things early -caterer, venue, photographer, celebrant or church (or whatever) then that's done. we came back to australia the week before our wedding. finished organising, got married, had a short honeymoon in rural victoria and then back to Japan.

    all up it cost under $6000 or $7000 - i forget the specifics as it was 15 years ago

    My brother booked his venue at a nice place a year before the date (there was a big waiting list). about 3 months before the wedding they rang him to say they had accidentally double booked the venue, and could he have his weeding on the friday evening. to make up for their mistake they gave him the venue for free (he had to pay for food and drink) but it saved him some beaucoup $$.

    • Bigburper on 29/11/2017 - 16:08
      +2

      Sorry where were you living? Japan you say? Was it Japan? You were living in Japan?

  • lupiter on 23/11/2017 - 15:08
    +9

    Got married about 7 years ago, when I was a student. Book early is my main tip, we booked 18 months out and places were filling up.

    Reception Venue Hire: 0 (gift from church)
    Reception Catering: ~5k for lunch with no alcohol
    Reception Music: 0 (gift from band who were friends of family)
    Reception Decorations: N/A (was in a garden)
    No. of Guests: ~100
    Ceremony: 0 (gift from minister)
    Photography: 0 (gift from 2 enthusiast friends of family)
    Videography: N/A
    Flowers: 0 (gift from friend who does flower arranging)
    Hair & Makeup: 0 (DIY)
    Dress/suit: ~$100 suit made to measure in HK, ~$200 dress ($150 purchased online + $50 for alterations)
    Bridal party: 0 everyone was free to wear clothes they already had - dark suit, white shirt, dark tie; navy dress
    Cake: < 100 ordered a chocolate cake with plain white icing

    We also didn't hire cars, and we did the photos before the ceremony because the light was better and makeup fresher then.

    • airzone on 25/11/2017 - 20:46
      +10

      Reception Catering: …. no alcohol

      No wonder you saved money. Did you get anyone show up?

      • lupiter on 26/11/2017 - 09:23
        +2

        Yes, of course :) actually lots of my friends and family don’t drink or were under age. I didn’t hear a single complaint about a dry lunch reception.

    • D6C1 on 27/11/2017 - 18:38

      Reception Venue Hire: 0 (gift from church)

      Which church is this? I am suddenly feeling religious if anyone wants to marry?

      • lupiter on 28/11/2017 - 09:05
        +1

        The church I'd been attending every week for 6+ years, including youth group leading, sound desk, helping out at events. You too can save by using a venue where you put in lots of volunteer hours :)

  • mrsi on 23/11/2017 - 15:08
    +4

    Hi,

    Reception: Approx 10,500 cocktail, sunday night (5 years ago, was 105 a head so probably 120 a head now)

    No. of Guests: 100

    Ceremony: free

    Photography: 4,450 including engagement shoot and album. Our photos were amazing and it was really important to me to have good photos as its the one thing you keep after the wedding (other than your spouse!) He was amazing for the price, everyone else that quality was 6k plus.

    Videography: 0 (got a friend to just video the ceremony and we've hardly watched it, but use our photos all the time)

    Flowers: $200 (and that was because it was mothers day - bad choice of date, didn't realise. Get a normal cheap florist that's local, not a wedding one)

    Hair & Makeup: $100 (and was done by friends/family, so the payment was a thank you)

    Dress/suit: dress $1800, suit about $600 - bought off amazon, tailored here

    Bridal party: Didn't have one. Just had 2 friends as our witnesses and took them for photos. They could wear whatever they want. This made it heaps cheaper.

    Cake:included in venue

    Most decorations included in venue, a few things we bought ourselves (eg tealight candles, rose petals)
    Wedding night accom included in venue

    If you're going with a place that is a wedding venue (as opposed to a restaurant) you should be able to negotiate alot of things included like decorations etc. Negotiate hard.

    Invitations - Vistaprint
    Bonbonarie - just did a candy bar ourselves for a sugar hit for the guests to eat in the car on the way home.

    Any other questions, throw them in!

    • HYX on 23/11/2017 - 18:18

      Thanks for the details!

      How do you get a free ceremony? There are things like a fee for the place and then furniture hire - chairs, arch etc

      What does $200 of flowers include? I'm guessing no added floral decorations at the reception/ceremony?

      What kind of decorations would I be able to get from the venue? The venue itself is nice but it could use more, I'm not sure how to ask? As I don't know what they have existing…

      • mrsi on 24/11/2017 - 01:50
        +1

        Free ceremony was with our church.

        200 of flowers bouquet and petals for tables only.

        Decorations I got - chair covers, sashes, mirror plates, some candles.
        You can also push for anything they offer for an extra cost, as free.

        • HYX on 24/11/2017 - 10:34

          Ahh good point, I'll ask what extras they charge for and go from there, thanks!

        • mrsi on 24/11/2017 - 12:40
          -2

          @XYH:

          20k for a reception is very expensive, unless you are having 150-200 people?

          An easy way to cut costs is to pick a different venue, or cut the guest list.

          That will drop the cost alot more than trying to save a few dollars here and there on the little things.

        • HYX on 24/11/2017 - 18:20

          @mrsi:
          The more I think about it the more I agree. The minimum spend which I'm trying to meet hosts about 110 people. I'm considering alternative venues now and possibly dropping numbers.

        • Gowrie29 on 25/11/2017 - 13:17
          +4

          @XYH:
          I tried to and wanted to drop numbers. Having gone through the day I am glad we didn't cut 10 or so people to save what essentially would have been around $2000. On the day it is awesome being surrounded by everyone that means something.

          Cutting a couple of people off the list is not the best way to save the $$$

        • mrsi on 25/11/2017 - 18:21
          +2

          @Gowrie29:

          But how many of them will you still be really close to in 10 years?

          It's much more practical to take off a cousin you haven't spoken to in 5 years than trying to find a florist that will be $100 cheaper.

          Our rule was regardless of who you were, if we haven't spoken in a year you're not invited. If they haven't called in 12months, you're not close.

        • abb on 27/11/2017 - 10:04

          @mrsi: > If they haven't called in 12months

          Hmm, if I ever get married it's only gonna be my Mum and about 4 mates in attendance!

        • sagrules on 27/11/2017 - 10:28

          @abb: I agree with the minimum spend. Its a rort in favour of the vendor you are hiring from. We originally thought we'd have around 80 guests at the wedding and had quite a few cancellations for various reasons. We worked off the fact that 10-20% would not be available on the date we picked as it was around school holidays and only 3 months notice. Also, a few didnt turn up on the actual day after trying to confirm 3 times. So this is something to be aware. Pick the minimum number of guests you think will turn up and confirm your numbers i think 7 days before the event if more than expected turn up. Leaves you less out of pocket on the day and can still invite extra people that you may have originally excluded.

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