How much does a wedding cost? They can be expensive, but smart planning might help you keep costs reasonable and within your spending limits. Even a low-cost wedding will require putting together a plan to minimise the impact on your money.
Start with a wedding budget
If you’re unsure of how much you want to outlay for your wedding, start by picturing your dream wedding and making a list of vendors and associated wedding expenses. Getting quotes is a good place to start to get an idea of what you want to spend. Your list could include all or some of the following:
• Venue of ceremony and reception compare prices per head.
• Outfits – including the bridal dress, bridesmaids and grooms outfits
• Celebrant
• Wedding cake
• Band or DJ if not included with the venue price
• Photography and videography
• Table centre pieces, decorations and flowers (including bridal party bouquets)
• Honeymoon
• Specialty cars
Once you have a projected figure, decide with your partner if this is suitable and the impact on your finances. If it’s looking too expensive, think about where you could cut back. For example, less flowers, asking the bridal party to chip in for their outfits or switching to canape style rather than a sit down meal for your guests are a few options you could explore.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has an infographic detailing average expense amounts on their Money Smart website. This is a great source for an overview of how the costs of a wedding can add up.
Implement a savings plan
Looking at your current income and expenses, how long would it take you and your partner to save enough to afford the wedding? You can use our budget calculator to work this out.
If you’re looking at having a wedding sooner rather than later, you can speed up the process by making some sacrifices with your day-to-day spending and/or reducing the potential cost of your wedding by looking at the options we discussed above. The more you save, the less you will potentially have to borrow to cover the total cost of the wedding.
Explore your finance options
If you’re not going to be able to save the entire amount you need, you could consider either putting some costs on a credit card or taking out a personal loan. You could also ask family to contribute to the cost of your wedding if they are in a position to do so. Either way, you’ll need to consider how paying back a loan or family members will impact your future budget and finances as a married couple.
Borrowing money – credit card or personal loan?
If you’ve decided to take out a loan for your wedding, consider saving up a deposit first to reduce the loan balance in the first instance. A credit card comes with a higher interest rate, and may be better suited for smaller, less expensive wedding items. For a considerable amount, you may want to discuss taking out a personal loan, or see if you are in a position to redraw on your current home loan.
Talk with one of our experienced lenders about your wedding finance options. This is the final step in securing the funds to pay for your big day.
Horizon Bank has a branch network spanning the NSW South Coast and Illawarra. Horizon Bank branch locations: Albion Park, Bega, Bermagui, Berry, Merimbula, Moruya, Nowra, Thirroul, Ulladulla & Wollongong.
The content in this article has been prepared by Horizon Bank for general information only and it is not intended to be professional advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should seek your own legal, accounting, financial or other professional advice where appropriate, and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement and Terms and Conditions before deciding whether to acquire any products or services offered by Horizon Bank and/or its affiliated partners. We do not recommend any third party products or services referred to in this article unless otherwise stated and we are not liable in relation to them. Any links to third party websites are for your information and we do not endorse any content on those sites. Horizon Credit Union Ltd ABN 66 087 650 173 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence Number 240573 trading as Horizon Bank.
