'I set a budget of $100,000 for my wedding. You won't believe what we wound up spending.'

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One of the photographers, Sophie, reached out to when she was planning her wedding wanted $11,000.

For photos. Just photos.

The quote landed in Sophie's inbox like a financial slap in the face; $11,000 — for wedding photography alone, no video included.

She stared at her laptop screen in disbelief.

"I was like, 'What the hell?'" Sophie told Mamamia. "And then I remember getting like another quote, and it was like for photography and videography. It was like $7000."

After doing her research, Sophie went with a company who quoted just over $10,000 for 14 hours of photography and videography.

Sophie wed Nadim in March, 2025. Image: Supplied.

Wild west of Australian weddings.

Welcome to the wild west of Australian wedding pricing, where identical services can vary by thousands, and couples like Sophie are left scrambling to decode an industry that seems to operate without logic or consistency.

When Sophie walked down the aisle to marry Nadim Nader, her high-school sweetheart of nine years, it was everything she dreamed of.

There was a stunning chapel ceremony, a packed reception at Meadowbank Estate in Victoria with 130 guests, and a dance floor she refused to leave all night.

What she didn't expect was that her dream day would come with a price tag of $120,000.

For Sophie and her husband, the reality of the skyrocketing cost of Australian weddings hit hard.

Initially, their goal was to keep the celebration to $100,000 or just under. But like countless couples planning their nuptials, they became a victim of what she calls the "unspoken wedding tax."

"We were sort of going in blind," Sophie admitted, describing the start of their planning journey. "We didn't really know much about how much things cost."

Watch to learn how much should you gift at a wedding. Post continues below.

Without a concrete figure to budget against, they started gathering quotes, trying to find a comfortable "middle-ground" for their vendors.

This research immediately revealed a staggering range in prices — and it led to them very quickly blowing over their planned budget.

"The biggest ticket item for the wedding would have to be the venue. But then the next big thing for us was photography and videography," she shared.

One of the most surprising factors for Sophie was how much costs had escalated in a very short period.

Her best friend had gotten married just two years prior, and the difference in vendor prices was jarring — up to $4,000 more for similar services.

It wasn't just photography. Wedding cakes, styling, and virtually every element of the day had inflated. Sophie felt the prices went up the instant you mentioned the word 'wedding.'

"As soon as you say wedding, everyone's like, 'Yep, bump that right up,'" she said. "They just add the dollar signs.

Nadim and Sophie are high school sweethearts. Image: Supplied.

An expensive trend.

Sophie's experience is not an isolated one.

According to Darcy Allen, General Manager of Easy Weddings, Australian couples are underestimating their wedding costs by a staggering 28.6 per cent on average.

"We know for a fact that couples never estimate how much they ultimately spend," Allen told Mamamia, drawing from Easy Weddings' latest survey of 4,200 couples nationwide.

"There's a lot of elements that you forget at the start of your wedding planning — the expectations are a lot lower."

Their wedding had around 130 guests and came complete with a chapel ceremony and reception. Image: Supplied.

The numbers from the 10th Annual Australian Wedding Industry Report painted a sobering picture.

The average Australian wedding now costs $35,315 in 2025, up 4.5 per cent from last year, for an average of 88 guests.

"To pull off a wedding with all of the key elements for 88 people at the $35,500 mark, is actually quite difficult to do," Allen said.

But here's the kicker: while the price of weddings is growing, the number of guests have declined.

"For the first eight years of that report, the numbers of average wedding guests in Australia were always pretty consistent (around) 110," Allen said.

"In 2024, that significantly dropped to 89, and then in the 2025 report, it dropped to 88, which is the current average wedding guest in Australia.

"What's actually happened is people are having less guests and spending roughly the same amount of money. So they're giving a better experience to less people."

The financial traps.

The biggest budget trap that catches couples off-guard is underestimating venue and catering costs.

"Straight away, you've already spent half your budget, if not three-quarters of it, on your first purchase," Allen explained.

"That then dictates how much you have to spend on the rest of the elements.

"I think a lot of the key elements that come later in the journey are forgotten at the time of that initial budget setting."

This leaves couples scrambling to fit photography, music, celebrants, hair and makeup, florals, and transport into whatever's left — often just $10,000 to $15,000.

It's a recipe for budget blowout.

To avoid overspending, Allen advises couples to abandon the fantasy of a fixed budget. Instead, she recommends setting a realistic range that acknowledges the inevitable extras.

"You're setting yourself up for failure if you set a specific number," she warned.

"When you are setting the budget, I normally suggest setting a range.

"That allows buffer for incidentals."

The next crucial step involves some honest conversations.

Allen said each partner should identify their non-negotiables early in the planning process.

"Have an open conversation from day one about what the non-negotiable are," she said. "That's ultimately going to lead you to where you can forego certain items that aren't as important."

This approach allows couples to strategically cut costs in areas that matter less to them personally.

Sophie said they stuck to their 'non-negotiables'. Image: Supplied.

Additionally, Allen urged couples to expand their thinking beyond the wedding day itself. Modern weddings have evolved into multi-day experiences — the "wed-festival" so to speak — and budgets need to reflect this reality.

"Talk about the wedding experience as opposed to just the day itself when you're talking about budget," she said.

"Are you both having separate hens and bucks? Are you having a bridal shower and the hens? A rehearsal dinner, or, a pre-wedding event? Are you having a recovery day?

"Have a conversation about what the wedding looks like."

Allen also encouraged couples to challenge traditional wedding assumptions, such as the need for traditional wedding cakes, professional videography and florals, which have seen a significant price jump due to inflation.

These reality checks can help couples distinguish between genuine desires and societal expectations.

For Sophie, she found non-negotiable were something that helped reign in the spending, even with the blowout.

The newly-wed identified social media as one of the biggest budget killers for modern couples.

"Don't get sucked into what you see on your socials," Sophie warned. "You get sucked into a loophole, and you're like, 'Well, because everyone's doing it, I need to.' It's really not."

Despite the outlay, Sophie doesn't regret the spend.

Every part of the day, from her dress and veil to paying for her bridal party's spray tans, was a "non-negotiable" item they truly wanted.

"Everyone just needs to work within their means," she said. "You have a wedding based on what you can afford.

"I think once you start getting sucked into all the stuff you see on social media, that's when your budget blows out."

In terms of highlights of her ceremony, she has one standout memory.

"I know it sounds so cliche, but like, honestly, just opening the chapel doors and seeing my husband at the other end, that's all I wanted," she said. "He looked so handsome."

Feature image: Supplied.