According to MoneySmart, the average Australian wedding costs a hefty $36,200. But in a world where the cost of living is continuously escalating, not everyone is willing to spend a small fortune on their wedding day. The good news is that you simply don’t have to. Weddings aren’t about how much money you spend; they’re about joining families together and celebrating your commitment with your loved ones.
Here at Foothills Conference Centre, we offer a variety of packages that can be altered to suit your budget and needs. We don’t believe that you have to bankrupt yourself or your parents to have a stunning and memorable wedding. In this post, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways to save money when planning a wedding.
1. Have a small bridal party
If possible, try to keep the size of your bridal party relatively small. It may sound nice to have eight of your closest friends standing by you at the altar, but that also means eight times the cost for dresses, hair, makeup, flowers, nails, gifts, and accessories.
2. Hold your ceremony and reception at the same place
Not only will you save money on hiring two different spaces, you’ll also save money on travel costs. At Foothills, we offer our brides and grooms the advantage of holding their ceremonies and receptions all within the one location. As well as this, our venue boasts 96 contemporary accomodation rooms to accomodate our bridal parties and their guests at the end of the night. If you decide to include group accomodation as part of your wedding package, we will create a customised booking link with exclusive prices just for you and your guests—making it a great way to save money on accomodation.
3. Choose local vendors
Choosing local vendors means that you’ll be cutting down on travel time (which oftentimes incur additional charges). Luckily for us at Foothills, we’re surrounded by a wide variety of amazing local vendors in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges areas. Our events team would be happy to refer some of our favourites to you.
4. Choose seasonal or local flowers
Flowers can be surprisingly expensive, especially if they’re not in season or if they’re imported. Instead, opt for locally-grown and sourced flowers, which are both cheaper and better for the environment. Once again, we have no shortage of beautiful native flowers and plants in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. Our events team would love to refer some amazing local florists to you.
5. Make your own invites
Save money by putting together your own bespoke invitations by using DIY design platforms like Canva. But in the age of technology, it’s also totally valid to skip paper invites altogether and to send your guests stylish digital invitations.
6. Avoid overtime
Going overtime with any of your services can cost you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Expect to have to pay overtime fees to venues, or drivers, or photographers and videographers if your event runs late.
