Weddings in Australia are more expensive than ever, with couples spending nearly $40,000 on their nuptials in 2026.
That figure’s up by 8 per cent year on year despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, housing crisis, and now the fuel crisis hitting Aussies where it hurts most: their wallets.
Aussie couples also spend an average of $9,684 on their honeymoons, bringing the total spend to almost $50,000 – nearly enough for a home deposit.
Weddings in Australia are more expensive than ever, especially in NSW. Nine
As a 2026 bride, I refused to waste that much cash on a single event.
But planning a wedding on a budget in this economic climate (and when social media is constantly trying to convince you to spend more) is easier said than done.
Especially when you’re not willing go down the micro-wedding or courthouse route.
I had to sacrifice a lot to stick to my budget and I’m definitely not the only one.
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Nine.com.au reporter Maddison Leach (right) at her bachelorette lunch with her bridesmaid. Nine
But I wanted to prove you can have the wedding you want without spending a fortune – and I think I have.
Australian couples start wedding planning with an average budget of $29,471, according to the Easy Weddings Annual Wedding Industry Report.
Couples actually end up spending an average of $38,252 and nearly 70 per cent get financial help from family or friends (myself included).
The biggest cost is venues, which cost an average of $17,518.
Catering sets couples back more than $6000, photography and videography cost upwards of $3000 each, and flowers are nearly $2900.
Even invitations are expensive, setting most couples back about $1000.
The biggest cost is venues, which cost an average of $17,518. Nine
Everything associated with weddings is getting more expensive and brides and grooms often feel they have no choice but to cop it.
“Everything in every industry is going up at the moment,” Darcy Allen, general manager at Easy Weddings, told nine.com.au.
Most wedding vendors have been forced to increase their prices multiple times in the last few years to keep up with the cost of living.
Many will need to raise them again due to the fuel crisis, especially those who travel for work.
“There’s also a lot of new supplier categories that didn’t exist in the last five years that do exist now, like content creators for a wedding,” Allen added.
“So it’s a mix of keeping up with what’s trending on social media and the cost of suppliers and vendors that go into creating that.”
And that means spending more money.
Allen said many couples can only afford the rising costs of weddings by cutting down guests lists and stretching engagements.
Pre-COVID the average wedding had 100-plus attendees, now 85 is the average, and couples spend about 24 months engaged rather than 12-18 months.
Other cost-cutting measures include using fake flowers instead of fresh, DIY-ing wedding decor like drapery and signage, and option out of expensive traditions like a multi-tier cake or personalised wedding favours.
Couples on a budget have also embraced mid-week weddings on off-season dates, like getting married on a Thursday or in winter.
“A mid-week wedding is going to be much more cost effective [and] a lot of suppliers will heavily discount or value-add for mid-week weddings,” Allen said.
“Combine a mid-week wedding with an off-peak date and the savings are endless.”
Darcy Allen said booking a mid-week wedding in off-peak season can save couples a lot of money. Supplied
With my own wedding just weeks away, I can confirm planning a wedding under the national average budget is hard but not impossible.
My fiancé and I weren’t game for a mid-week wedding so we booked a May date that my venue heavily discounted because it was so close to winter.
We kept the guest list under 65, spent just $70 on digital invites, ordered simple wedding favours online and skipped out on a videographer entirely.
I’ll only have one dress and I bought my shoes on sale at David Jones.
My bachelorette party was a casual lunch, no a weekend away, and my best friend will be the closest thing I have to a content creator on the wedding day.
Maddison Leach with her fiancé at a family wedding in 2025. Nine
All that cost-cutting has the total price of our wedding coming in thousands of dollars below the national average.
Because I just don’t think it’s worth going into debt or having to push back plans to start a family or own a home just to afford a more lavish wedding.
Especially when the cost-of-living crisis, housing crisis, and fuel crisis mean weddings are only going to get more expensive in 2027.
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