Avoiding a wedding (budget) hangover

Avoiding a wedding (budget) hangover

 He's not the marrying type, but James Bond will be a lasting memory for newlyweds Grant McIntyre and Maxine Morrison on what's possible when saving for a wedding.

In the lead-up to their June wedding, the Melbourne couple were shocked at how easy it would be for costs to skyrocket, notably when Morrison couldn't find the right dress and faced the prospect of spending thousands on something that was not quite perfect.

So Morrison instead chose an off-the-rack dress that could be worn again. With the money saved, the couple treated themselves to an A$1300 (NZ$1635) vintage poster from the famous Bond movie Thunderball that they saw in a shop across the road. Not quite the typical wedding gift, but nonetheless striking.

"We could see there would be a lot of things the money could be better spent on," Morrison said of the approach they took towards their wedding.

The couple estimates they spent about A$24,000, and saved money on several fronts. A winter wedding kept the price down at their reception venue and holding separate "pre-parties" for extended family in their home towns meant the guest list at the wedding didn't swell out of hand.

While pleased with how they organised the wedding, they acknowledge it grew from what was originally intended to be a small occasion with immediate family.

For many couples, a wedding budget is well intentioned but easily stretched as the big day nears. Extra outlays can be justified by the dream of the perfect day or putting on a memorable show, but what if it means going into financial difficulty?

Melbourne wedding planner Rob Greca, of Vogue Weddings & Events, says there is little point in a couple paying for an extravagant wedding if it puts strain on the relationship.

"We always tell the bride and groom that they need to understand that the last thing they want to do is tie the knot and then have a burden that they need to pay off - the wedding," he says.

"Having all these elements in the wedding, they need to be sure it's not going to be an issue later on ... we don't want people to spend A$60,000 on their wedding and feel like they're celebrities if afterwards they'll struggle to make the payments and have pressure put on the partnership."

Financial planner Laura Menschik, a director at WLM Financial, says discipline is the key in paying for a wedding as things can get out of hand with so many elements to consider.