Our Wedding

On the 1st of January this year, Poopsie and I celebrated one year of marriage.

And despite it being a full twelve months, I have yet to provide the recap and update. Apologies for the delay!

As you’ll remember from our announcement post, we had a tiny wedding. We only had immediate family in attendance, a total of nine adults, two teenagers and two babies.

The ceremony was held on the back deck of the home I grew up in, where my parents still live. Located in the Gold Coast hinterland, it was the perfect place for us to say our vows.

Following the short ceremony, Poopsie and I travelled up to Mount Tamborine with our photographer. There, we spent around an hour taking photos. It was a very hot day. Luckily I thought ahead and stashed bottled water in our car.

We then met our family at Heritage Estate Winery where we took more photos and had our lunch reception. Heritage Estate was actually our second choice of venue as our first choice was closed on New Years Day (the day we got married). However, in hindsight we are so glad because the staff at Heritage Estate were so wonderful. They were incredibly accomodating, did not charge us any extra for being a wedding party and made everyone feel very welcome. The food was also delicious and we could not have asked for a more perfect reception.

After we cut the cake (topped with a dove topper that was on my parent’s wedding cake, as well as my sister’s cake and my brother’s cake), we said our farewells and headed up to Brisbane. We stayed one night in an airport hotel- certainly not luxurious but very affordable and did the job- before heading off on our honeymoon the next morning (more to come on this).

We had a truly perfect day. Originally, we intended to elope but Poopsie and I are both so glad we decided to hold our wedding. We had a great time and it was so nice to have our lovely families there.

The Cost Breakdown

Relatively speaking, our wedding was very affordable. However, for many of the things we had to pay for, we paid the same amount that everyone else having a wedding pays. We didn’t get a discount on the celebrant or the flowers just because it was a small wedding.

I know some people are curious what it cost us, so here is a breakdown.

Celebrant – $600

We adored our celebrant. She was so lovely and I’m so thrilled she married us. This cost included hiring her for the day and the cost of ensuring the legalities were taken care of, like our marriage license and our certificate. If you are looking for a celebrant in the Gold Coast/Brisbane area, send me an email and I’d be glad to put you in touch.

Photographer – $999

I actually had trouble sourcing a photographer who could be hired for less than six hours. As we weren’t having a typical reception, we didn’t want to hire someone for that long. We were able to find someone to give us a three hour package. I was not completely happy with our photos and had a friend touch some of them up. However, I don’t think this is because we didn’t pay more- as I said we were paying for a shorter time period, not a less than excellent photographer. In hindsight, I wish I’d hired the photographer I wanted (he was the photographer at my sister’s wedding) for the full six hours and then just sent him home.

Flowers – $432

I knew I wanted to have roses in my wedding and we just happened to drive past a rose farm on our way to meet the celebrant. I got a bouquet, Poopsie got a boutonniere and we got two floral arrangements for the alter. As we left immediately for our honeymoon, we gifted the flowers to family members who enjoyed them for the following weeks.

My Dress and Poopsie’s Tie – $159.99

My dress was not actually a wedding dress. It was just a white dress I really liked. Originally $550, I bought it on sale for $150. I wore shoes I already owned. Poopsie wore the suit he already owned, we just bought him a new tie which cost $9.99.

Hair and Make-Up – $0

My sister and I did my hair and I did my own makeup.

Invitations – $65.51

A friend designed it for me and Poopsie took it to a printing shop to have it printed. I then mailed them out.

Wedding Rings – $2515

I have no idea how this compares to what most people pay for wedding rings. We purchased our rings from Whitakers Jewellers in Newcastle, the same place Poopsie bought my engagement ring. We both love our wedding rings so we are really happy with this price. My wedding ring (and my engagement ring) also gets redone every year which is included in the cost here.

Cake – $290

This was worth every cent. As is tradition, we froze the top tier to eat on our first anniversary. We did so and it was just as delicious as it was on the day. Poopsie was in charge of the cake and just found a nice local woman to make it.

Eating the top tier on our first wedding anniversary.

The Reception – $1030.40

We paid for 11 adults (including us) and two teenagers for a three course lunch. The babies were free. We also paid the entire bar tab. It was lunchtime so people didn’t go too crazy but we didn’t place any limits on what they could and couldn’t order. The food was excellent and the wine was really good as well.

Wedding Announcements – $161

As we didn’t invite friends or extended family, I wanted to make sure I sent out a wedding announcement. Due to my own stupidity, I actually had to order and pay for these twice, so usually this would have been a lot cheaper. Also included in this cost is about a dozen “Thank You” cards, thanking our family and some friends who sent us a wedding present.

So, how much does an awesome, albeit very small, wedding cost?

Total Cost – $6252.90

We are very happy with this cost! As I said, for things like the rings and the celebrant, we didn’t pay a lower price than anyone else would. We definitely spent less at our reception, just because we had less people. We paid for less time with our photographer and I was able to spend very little on a dress that I really loved.

After everything is said and done, Poopsie and I would gladly have paid double this amount for what was truly a perfect day. We had a wonderful time and our memories of the day will be with us and our families forever.

Are you married? How much did your wedding cost? Tell us all about it in the comments below!