How Much Does a Frugal Wedding Really Cost?

To Wed or Not to Wed?

I remember googling: how much does a frugal wedding cost? How much do you spend on a wedding? What is the average cost of a wedding? Like most things it’s a personal choice. It all depends on your values. Being The Frugal Doctor I had been content for The Handsome Surfer and I to live in sin. After all, we are committed to one another. Do we need to have a wedding?

Love Compromise and a Spreadsheet

We had gotten engaged and were deciding on when to set the date. I was content enjoying being engaged, but it seemed the next question after congratulations was always, when is the big day? Weddings cost a lot of money, and that’s money that could go towards the Financial Independence (FI) portfolio. I am practical.The Handsome Surfer is the romantic. Marriage is all about compromise. You can read more about how we manage money as a couple. So let’s get the wedding spreadsheet going. How I love Excel, let’s get those tabs going!

Doing It Our Way

We talked about what mattered to us, what did we not care about, what would be a non-negotiable? At the end of the day, this was us declaring our love for one another, with our loved ones present. What would we want that to look like? I am so glad I discovered the podcast Unbridely. It gave us the impetus to do it our on way.

Frugal Florals: Beauty on a Budget

The Frugal Doctor was not going to spend thousands of dollars on flowers. So what does one do? Collect natives and dry them, scavenge from local bushes, collect rose petals from our garden and our neighbours. Make the bouquet (I wasn’t going to have one initially), make boutonnieres. Buy flowers from local markets and dry them. Total cost of flowers: $184. That’s winning.

The Dress Dilemma

What about the dress? There was no way The Frugal Doctor was going to spend more than $1,000 on a dress. Apparently, the average Australian spends $2,637 on a dress. So what does one do. Frugality was getting the better of me. How do I get quality for great value?

I was lucky to stumble across this. Now we are talking quality, local (Australian) and designer dress for a steal. I had been content to wear a dress I had in my wardrobe (my sister, who is always laughing about my “cheapness,” would have been vindicated). I am not cheap. I am frugal. Those are two different things.

Till Death Do Us Part

So how much did our frugal wedding really cost? Honestly, the numbers don’t matter. What I remember is standing there with The Handsome Surfer, surrounded by the people who love us, as we declared our love. Husband and wife till death do us part.