According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the average Australian wedding costs $36,200. Of course, there are many different figures and it’s extremely difficult to work out an exact average as each and every wedding is unique. Figures also depend on who the survey is conducted by and what they want to achieve with the result.
From personal experience, I’ve seen people spend anywhere from $20,000 up to $100,000 for their big day. Some would argue that you can’t put a price tag on the most important day of your life. Some might say it’s a huge waste of money. Some girls dream of a big white wedding from an early age… but I was never one of them. I just wanted the cake.
Vogue has named the wedding trends that are over for 2017.
A month before we got engaged, my partner and I had booked a six-month backpacking adventure across Latin America. While we did initially look at some wedding venues around Sydney, it wasn’t long before we realised it wasn’t what we wanted: Having to save for a wedding from scratch after coming home totally skint was not exactly our idea of fun.
We were all about the upcoming Latino adventure instead – our mouths watered at the thought of eating tacos with too much chilli sauce (if there is such a thing). So just before waving goodbye to Sydney, we made a last minute decision to elope.
We spent just under $1,500 tying the knot in a Mexican cenote – a natural limestone sinkhole with turquoise water. I purchased a white beach dress from Myer for $60, and we kept our lips sealed.

To us, it was seeing and experiencing new parts of the world that was important. And of course, being together. Eloping seemed like the best idea, not only for an adventure, but financially, too.
That's how I found myself in a little hotel in the back streets of Playa del Carmen, pulling my wedding dress out of my dirty backpack, glad that I had wrapped it so carefully. As I straightened the crumpled heap, I wondered how many brides had carried their wedding gown in a backpack for six weeks before wearing it.
With all the warnings we had received about backpacking in certain regions, I was a bit worried about having my bag stolen. I had the scenario clear in my head: I was ready to give up my wallet, phone and passport if necessary. But not the dress. Never the dress.