An Australian bride who decided to skip wedding tradition saved $40,000 by getting married in a small ceremony on a tropical island abroad.
Annabelle and Hayden Newell, 32, from Sydney, were married in May in Moorea, a scenic spot popular with tourists in French Polynesia in the South Pacific.
The couple were shocked to learn that it would cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars to book venues in Sydney or Byron Bay on the New South Wales North Coast.
The couple was reportedly charged around $45,000 for just the venue and catering for 110 guests, and that didn’t even cover the costs of other items like drinks, accommodation and photography.
Although the newlyweds both earn a decent salary in their professional lives, they are both feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis.
The couple explored alternative options and decided to get married in Moorea in the presence of five family members.
The entire wedding ceremony and a reception dinner for seven cost the couple just $6,500.
“The prices for weddings in Australia are completely out of proportion and that was not something we wanted to spend our money on,” Newell told Australian jewellery company Shiels.
Sydney couple Annabelle and Hayden Newell (pictured), 32, saved $40,000 when they decided to get married in Moorea, French Polynesia
The entire wedding ceremony and a reception dinner for seven cost the couple just $6,500.
Mrs. Newell did her own hair and makeup and wore a $1,500 secondhand wedding dress, which she accessorized with $300 worth of local flowers.
The bride and groom paid a total of $700 for the wedding reception dinner for seven people.
They were also able to spend their honeymoon in Italy and hosted a party at home to celebrate the wedding with their friends.
The duo hired a local content creator in Sydney, rather than spending money on a photographer and videographer.
“I think we saved $40,000 and we had two celebrations and a honeymoon,” Ms. Newell said.
‘We got to stay in fantastic places, eat and drink whatever we wanted and give each other a small wedding gift.
The couple used the savings as a down payment on their first home and recently purchased a house under construction.
They live with Mrs. Newell’s parents.
She said that having the cheap wedding meant they didn’t have to stress about the big day and could enjoy the event without worrying about money.
The couple paid just $6,500 for the full wedding ceremony at the scenic venue and a reception dinner for seven (stock image)
According to figures from ASIC’s Moneysmart website, the average cost of a wedding in Australia is between $36,000 and $51,000.
Australian couples have been looking for cheaper alternatives for their wedding as people struggle to afford essentials such as accommodation and groceries.
Figures from online digital marketing website Semrush show that online searches for ‘how much does it cost to get married’ have increased by 40 percent in the past year.
Searches for ‘micro wedding’ increased by 49 percent, while ‘average cost of a wedding in Australia’ increased by 85 percent. Yeah reported.
Ms Newell said people should not be afraid to celebrate their wedding in a different way, by thinking about how they want to mark the occasion.