How exciting…you’re engaged and now it’s wedding planning time. Before you tap on your Pinterest app and make all your wildest wedding dreams come alive, it might be time for a reality check. The average cost of a wedding in Australia is $40,000 (not including any pre-events or the honeymoon after) and that is for just one day celebrating a love that is for the rest of your life. Think carefully.

Before you run off and elope I’m here to provide some perspective. Perhaps all you need is a budget to have that dream day you’d always wanted. I often get told by couples that having a wedding is stressful, particularly dealing with all the money you have to spend and we don’t organise events as big as this everyday. It can be difficult to track your spendings when it comes to planning a wedding these days. There is so much to think about and so many bills to pay – from booking a venue to paying for the honeymoon. Sometimes we have parents or loved ones to help contribute but often couples are paying for a lot themselves. On top of a wedding there are also the expenses of everyday life, saving for a home, travel or sometimes kids too.

When we got married my Excel-spreadsheet-obsessed husband developed a handy tracking system so that we could plan and keep a record of the money that was being spent on our wedding day. I won’t admit to him that I think his nerdy budget was useful but sometimes we just need something to monitor how our love fest is going.

Weddings are expensive and there is no denying that. In hindsight we would all like to save money where possible but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In my experience, here’s what’s important ;

• Memories and photos last forever, you can have the best day no matter what budget you have
• Remember what is actually worth spending money on or what is non-negotiable to you both. For example flowers are beautiful in photos but they don’t last.
• Align your ideas with what you can actually afford
• Communicate about finances with your fiance
• Do your research
• Limit your guest list
• Get skilled family and friends to help or DIY
• You don’t need to go into debt at the start of your marriage for your wedding day
• Your marriage is more important than a wedding day
• Don’t lose sight of what truly matters

Ready to go? Download your Budget spreadsheet.