The unexpected reality of a wedding inquiry costing $36,000 in Australia

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A five-figure cost recently set alight debate among the Australian brides of ‘WeddingTok’ — the wedding-themed community on TikTok.

In the video, the Two Broke Chicks podcast hosts Sally McMullen and Alexandra Hourigan were discussing whether couples who spent more on their wedding and engagement rings had shorter marriages.

“The average Australian wedding costs $36,000,” Hourigan said in the video.

Cue the comments of disbelief. (There is no more meticulous budgeter than a bride planning a wedding in a cost-of-living crisis.)

No way is the average 36!! Our wedding costs is at 60k with 100 guests and we’re not having a lavish wedding….

I spent about that much on my bridal shower 🤣

My wedding is in 9 weeks and I don’t even want to count the ACTUAL total but it’s probably coming in around $40k. Ours isn’t massive and lavish by ANY means but the industry is shocking 💸

Imagine trying to have an Indian wedding for 36k…the estimates are closer to 100k.

[Mine was] 35k – 9 years ago. Best day ever. I think people spend loads more now surely!!!

The $36,000 average comes from the government’s financial literacy website, Moneysmart, run by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

But the figure was calculated more than 10 years ago — from a survey conducted in 2013.

A lot has changed, so how much is the average Australian wedding?

Most Australians — and brides — know that a lot has changed since late 2013 — we’ve seen a housing crisis and an inflation spike — there have even been two Trump inaugurations since then. And weddings now have new trends that weren’t dreamed up or yet popular in 2013 — from wedding content creators to reception dresses and “micro” weddings.

The Australian Weddings Industry Report has been tracking couples’ wedding spending over the past 10 years.

The report surveyed 2,200 couples in 2015 and found a very similar figure to ASIC’s 2013 calculations. It found the average wedding cost $36,200.

But the 2025 figure? From more than 4,000 survey respondents the average is (drumroll) $35,315 — it’s actually gone down.

So how could that be possible in a post-inflation Australia? Especially with the ‘wedding tax’ (where florists, venues and providers hike their costs specifically for nuptial services)?

A man in a dark suit and a woman in a white wedding dress walk walk hand in hand through a city street. There is a horse and carriage in the background.

Wedding industry expert Darcy Allen says the range of weddings has shifted, especially as couples seek to slash the guest list or marry overseas. Credit: Cooper Gu, Unsplash

Cutting costs by cutting guests

The decrease is because the types of weddings Australians are hosting have changed over the last 10 years, especially factoring in the popularity of smaller or overseas weddings.

Darcy Allen from the survey’s parent company Easy Weddings says weddings may now range from a “2 pax wedding elopement in the Gold Coast hinterlands or at the local registry office,” to “a 300 pax Lebanese wedding in Sydney’s CBD”.

“[But] the biggest decrease that we’ve actually seen — whilst the cost has remained roughly the same — is the guest numbers.”

Slashing the guest list and micro weddings — when hard decisions are made and only a couple’s very nearest and dearest are invited — is how some couples are cutting costs, according to Allen. And this marries up with Google search trends.

Graph of Google trends tracking micro wedding search traffic since 2004, showing a dramatic increase from 2019.

Google Trends shows that search traffic for micro weddings has dramatically increased since 2019. Credit: SBS

“We saw the rise of micro weddings and elopements in COVID, which stuck around post-COVID,” Allen says. People are cutting costs by cutting guests — perhaps a particularly controversial decision for those with big families.

Overall, surveyed couples wanted to invite an average of 116 people but capped the list at 88, according to The Australian Weddings Industry Report. They also spent 28 per cent more than they originally budgeted.

How do we feel about mid-week weddings?

Couples and wedding vendors are making adjustments for the cost-of-living crisis. And there’s a rise in Australian couples getting hitched overseas, Allen says, “which is another great way to cut your guest list … [for] a destination wedding you expect about that 20 to 30 per cent [of the guest list] to drop off”.

Australia’s prices can also mean international destinations become cheaper, with drinks packages provided in destinations like Bali offering luxury extras for similar costs to basic Australian packages, according to senior wedding planner Darcy Allen.

But the savings from international weddings can come at a cost to guests, who are likely to have to spend on flights and accommodation and take time off work.

Several luxury venues that usually host high-end weddings are starting to offer ‘micro wedding’ packages or mid-week weddings for significantly cheaper prices — sometimes tens of thousands of dollars less.

A man in a blue and white short-sleeved shirt sits close to a woman at a table. There is a cheese and fruit platter on the table in front of them

Michaela Le and her partner are planning a wedding for 2026. Michaela has started making TikTok content to share what she’s learnt about the costs of the wedding industry. Credit: Supplied: Michaela Le

Micheala Le, who is what TikTok would dub a ‘2026 bride’, considered having her wedding on a weekday in winter.

“If you get married in winter on a weekday, you could afford one of the best venues in the state,” she says, but she’s conscious a weekday wedding can put guests out.

“If you are not spending money, other people are spending it for you,” Michaela says.

Michaela and her partner are planning for a January wedding — and she’s been sharing her budget findings on TikTok. The couple is budgeting $45,000 for a 120-person wedding. She calculates that weddings ultimately cost around $500 per head. She says some venues they considered quoted them $60,000 to $70,000.

“Some florists won’t even talk to you if you’re spending less than 10 grand,” she says.

“When you start looking at all these costs, you’re a bit like, ‘this is kind of silly. No, we can get married with the key people we need there for a lot less.’ But my partner was like, ‘No, I really want a party.'”

Brides and grooms are ageing and saving

It is not only the economy that is changing how we marry — it’s the couples themselves, as they wait longer to save, buy a home, have kids, or marry — typically tying the knot at 31 for women, and nearly 33 for men according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“[At that age] you might be buying your first home, you might be starting a family, so it’s quite a busy time in your life,” Darcy says, noting also that engagement lengths have stretched to two years. Thirty per cent of surveyed couples extended their engagement to save for the wedding.

Michaela says she and her partner will save all year to cover the cost of their wedding.

But while many elements around weddings — and life — have shifted over the last decade, the significance of the time-honoured tradition has not.

“This is always just a privileged thing to be doing — throwing money away on me and my partner for a party,” Michaela says.

“Technically you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s for everyone else,’ but no one needs it. It’s just a really lucky thing for everyone being able to swing for us.”