Unfortunately, those of us who don’t have our own TV shows can’t expect wedding retailers to fall over themselves to give us free stuff. For the bride and groom, a wedding is a personal, special occasion … but to retailers your big day is their big business, with profits to match. Renting out venues pulls in around $1.4 billion, bridalwear comes to $942.3 million and feeding all the guests adds a further $668.3 million. Once you add up all the costs (including a few we haven’t mentioned here), sending people down the aisle in style turns is a $4.3 billion industry in Australia – and it’s estimated that it will hit $4.7 billion by 2016/17.

Weddings are an emotional experience, and wedding suppliers know that it’s a time when you’re much more likely to be thinking with your heart than your head – and that you’ll be ready to whip out your credit card when they suggest an extra something that will make the day truly ‘perfect’. With all that expensive stuff being flung around, it’s no wonder that around 60 per cent of couples report blowing their wedding budget. But the thing is, you really don’t want your wedding day to be something you regret because it’s loaded you down with a whole lot of debt. Remember that the day belongs to you and your partner, not the industry – and your goal should be to get what you want for the price you want, so you can walk away with plenty of cash left over to start your married life from a comfortable financial position. Working together to plan the perfect (and perfectly priced) wedding can be great practice for managing your money as a couple in the future – and knowing that it’s something you’ve accomplished together can make the day even more special. So get out your wedding checklist and let’s get started!

Plan ahead
No, this doesn’t mean spending a month worrying about creating seating arrangements that won’t cause a family feud! Although you want the memories of your wedding to last a lifetime, you certainly don’t want to spend that long paying it off, so open a high-interest account and start saving for the event as soon as you can … and avoid the temptation to use your credit card at all costs.

Don’t get gouged
Remember how we said wedding suppliers know weddings are a big source of emotional, impulse purchases? Well, one of the best money-saving tips is not to mention the word ‘wedding’ when getting quotes. It’s not unheard of for suppliers bump up prices for weddings, so call a couple of times to get quotes for different ‘events’ to see if you’re getting the best deal. 

Be unconventional
‘Traditional’ wedding conventions can add thousands to the cost of your special day. Consider a weekday wedding, getting married ‘off season’, buying formalwear rather than bridalwear and thinking outside the box for all the added extras like stationery and flowers. 

Your wedding is your big day, but there’s no reason why it has to have a big price tag attached. And even if your trip down the aisle may not turn a profit like some celebrity weddings we could mention, it could still be one of the best purchases of your life.