Love is priceless...until you start planning your wedding. Here's a breakdown of how much an average Australian wedding costs!
They say love is priceless… until you start planning a wedding.
Suddenly every “dream” detail comes with a whopping price tag. The venues that cost more than a luxury holiday. The flowers that could fund a semester at uni. And let’s not get started on the dress, which you’ll (hopefully) only wear once.
The romance is real, but so is the bill.
In this article, we’re going to help you navigate the first steps of wedding planning and how it might look from a financial perspective. Probably not as fun as collating your dream wedding on Pinterest, but this is the part where you can start to bring your wedding to reality!
In 2025, the average Australian wedding cost $36,000. A survey shows that 82% of couples use their savings to help fund the wedding, whereas 60% took out a loan, and 18% used their credit card. In reality, there might be a mix, or even some help from the Bank of Mum and Dad.
Of course this number is simply an average. If you wanted to elope and just register your marriage, that could cost as little as $390 for a legal only ceremony. Or, if you want a big memorable night with all your family, extended family, friends and plus ones… that could cost a lot more.
What’s magical about each wedding is they’re entirely unique and personal to the couple. So keep this in mind when we start running through average numbers for each category below.
The venue often sets the overall vibe of your wedding (Winery? Beach? Cathedral?) and it’s usually the most expensive portion of your budget. The average cost of a wedding venue in Australia is $15,987, and couples tend to spend about 45% of their budget on the reception venue alone.
Yep, before you’ve even booked a DJ or tasted a canapé, nearly half your budget is usually gone!
While many couples opt to do their own wedding planning, hiring a professional can save you a lot of time, energy and even money! Full service wedding planners can range from $4,000 to $10,000 or you can expect to pay around $1,200 for on-the-day coordination.
Wedding MCs are another common role to outsource, especially to your extroverted family or friends who don’t mind holding the mic. But if you want to hire a professional to make sure things run as smoothly as possible, this can cost between $500 to $1,500.
Lastly, most couples will need to hire a marriage celebrant to help navigate the legal side of the wedding, and to deliver your personal love story in a beautiful way. Qualified celebrants in Australia cost around $700 to $1,000 on average.
Food and drinks can easily become one of the biggest wedding expenses but it also depends on the size of your guest list…more people = more food!
Other factors like the catering style (cocktail, buffet, banquet, etc.) will also impact costs. On average, Australians tend to spend between $4,000 to $8,000 on catering. Another way to budget for catering is roughly $170-220 per guest.
After spending thousands of dollars on your big day, it’s only natural to want to re-live it through photos and videos. The classic wedding photographer/ videographer can range from $2,000 to $5,000 in Australia.
Wedding content creators have also become increasingly popular for social media friendly content. These services can cost between $500 to $2,700.
While your venue might do the heavy lifting for setting the vibe, your flowers and decor play a huge role in adding the right ambiance. In Australia, the average cost of flowers is around $2,500, but some couples are paying up to 10 times this amount to achieve the look for their wedding.
Part of the wedding dream is having the perfect wedding dress, and that cost can vary hugely based on the design, and whether you buy a dress off-the-rack or made-to-measure.
Stats show that the average cost of a wedding dress in Australia is about $2,500, but this can range up to $7,500++. Meanwhile, the average wedding suit ranges from $700 to $3,000.
While you might opt to DIY your own hair and makeup, having a professional do it for you can help relieve stress on your big day. On average, Aussies are spending $895 for hair and makeup services for their wedding.
If you want some live music while walking down the aisle, a DJ to get your guests dancing, a photobooth, gelato carts, or other fun additions…they all come with their own price tag! So make sure you budget a little bit extra for the vibes.
So you see, the costs begin to stack up quickly when you start doing your research. But this shouldn’t be discouraging - take this as an opportunity to prioritise what’s truly important to you and your partner.
In part two, we’ll cover some tips on how to save costs on your wedding, so you can spend big on things you actually care about!
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