Wedding Photography Spend

[kiwi]

FYI

Australian couples are splurging more than $36,000 on their dream wedding, business analysts IBISWorld say.

- Average wedding spend $36,200, up 6.5 pct on 2010/11
- 119,000 couples expected to get married in 2011, up 0.8 pct on 2010
- Average age of couples is 29 for women and 32 for men
- 60 pct of couples blow their wedding budget
- Australia's wedding industry worth $4.3 billion, expected to be $4.7b by 2016/17

Breakdown of wedding industry:
Percentage of wedding expenditure Revenue generated
Venue hire 33.4 pct $1.44 bln
Wedding dresses, clothing 21.9 pct $942.3 mln
Food 15.5 pct $668.3 mln
Photography, filming 11.6 pct $498.3 mln
Flowers, stationery, etc 17.6 pct $758.3 mln

Source: IBISWorld

[JM Tran]

Interesting percentages:)

Havent had much clients who have spent below that average budget of 36k. Although those that spend over 6 figures that I have worked with.....most of the time I fail to see its justification, but whatever makes them happy really.

If and when I do get married, hopefully it would be under 10k:D Or just elope somewhere

[atky]

$4200 for Photography and vidio each wedding?

[rellik666]

Blimey! :scrtch:

Have to admit, I wanted to spend loads on my photographer, but with a budget of $5000 all up. I couldn't justify it.

Wonder where all the money is coming from, just can't see why you would spend that on a day that now, whcih was only 6 months ago tomorrow, seems like a lifetime ago! :umm:

[Tjfrnds]

It is amazing how much people spend on weddings. I got married in Feb this year and we came in around $7k. We were extremely lucky with monetary gifts from guests and got about half that back. On the other hand, a close friend got married a few months later and spent around $35, for the same number of guests! Each to their own I suppose, but with us building a house at the same time, I too couldn't justify spending so much money on one day....oh and my wedding dress only cost me $300:D

[Mark L]

Apart from wondering how people can afford it, I think the most interesting stat is the average age.

[johndom]

Why do you find that interesting?

Dont forget that median is a better guide than average in much of these statistics, averages get distorted by the extreme top end, which in the case of wedding spending would involve some crazy amounts.

[arthurking83]

I'll see your average of 36K per wedding and up the ante to 37K for the average cost of legal fees for when it all goes pear shaped :D
(not that I'd know anything about that :p)

but the average recycling period for average marriage-kids-separation-divorce seems to be approximately in the order of about 10 years.. so that when these 30 years olds find themselves at the other end of the averaged out life cycle, they're back into the groove at about the 40-45 year old age threshold.

That means that the average Joe and Joanne possibly contribute about 7K each per year over a 20 year period to the Aussie economy, just to be at a point in their lives where they were 20 years prior.

This doesn't take into account that the average life time has increased to about 75 or 80years old now, so that there is more life left in us even tho we will be old buggas and still making the same fundamental mistakes as we did 40 or 60 years prior.
if there are 20million of us at any one point in time, this subsequently translates to (approximate) figures of something like AU141 Billion dollars, which would pay off the national debt of the USA (considering the current exchange rate).. so we may all be better off postponing that wedding for a year or two, lend all this money to the Yanks to help get them out of the pooper for a couple of years, hit them for a 7.55% low doc, variable low interest rate mortgage and then kick back and watch the slush fund grow exponentially for the rest of eternity.
The government can then offer those of us still hell bent on self destruction .. I mean marriage .. free lifetime marriage packages for the rest of our lives. There would subsequently be a glut of wedding photography opportunities for the glut of photographers out there, and the simple fact that this will now be a government subsidised endeavour means that the days of the sub $3.5K wedding are over, and all photographers in Australia live happily ever after ..


.. Oh maaan! .... I should have run for Treasurer :D

[Lucas]

Hmm, I'm guessing your post is made with your tongue firmly in your cheek, but wouldn't you need something like AU$15 TRILLION to pay off the US national debt (considering the current exchange rate which is now below parity...)?
Even if we all made $70K p.a., and donated our entire wage to the yanks, we STILL wouldn't quite make it. lol

[beau]

I'm off to a wedding next weekend in the Hunter Valley. They're paying well over $30k by the time you add everything up, but they're skimping on the photography. The bride has an uncle who has a has an entry level DSLR with kit lenses and he has offered to do the photos for them. It's his first SLR and he's had it for 3 months. He's never photographed a wedding before.

I hope they're not expecting anything like what they've seen in the magazines.

They asked me to do it and I offered to do it for $600, with all pics retouched and supplied hi-res on disc. I've shot about 30 weddings over the years and usually charge a lot more than that. I thought I was doing them a favour... now they think I was ripping them off since the uncle has been telling them how easy it is with these wonderful new cameras and how they take perfect shots in auto mode and you don't need a real photographer. He doesn't even own a flash unit and will be using the built in flash. I haven't bothered to tell him his battery won't get through the day. He can learn the hard way.

I'm glad I don't try and make a living out of shooting weddings. This stuff must go on all the time now.

[kiwi]

It must, still a sad story.

[KeeFy]

I got married last year november and i spent about $20k all in for 50 people.

A photographer who covered 4 days worth - $1k
Provided lodging for people from overseas - $5k
Wedding dress - $500
Suit - $150
Tea reception - $3k
Dinner and rental - $8k
We did our own wedding invitation cards, photobooks, decorations, flowers, cake bla bla bla, 1st day bbq - $ rest of the sum.

Considering it was a four day event at Margaret River, Western Australia. It was well worth it! But spending $36k on a few hours? Gosh that must be some wedding or they were majorly ripped off.

[rellik666]

I'm off to a wedding next weekend in the Hunter Valley. They're paying well over $30k by the time you add everything up, but they're skimping on the photography. The bride has an uncle who has a has an entry level DSLR with kit lenses and he has offered to do the photos for them. It's his first SLR and he's had it for 3 months. He's never photographed a wedding before.

I hope they're not expecting anything like what they've seen in the magazines.

They asked me to do it and I offered to do it for $600, with all pics retouched and supplied hi-res on disc. I've shot about 30 weddings over the years and usually charge a lot more than that. I thought I was doing them a favour... now they think I was ripping them off since the uncle has been telling them how easy it is with these wonderful new cameras and how they take perfect shots in auto mode and you don't need a real photographer. He doesn't even own a flash unit and will be using the built in flash. I haven't bothered to tell him his battery won't get through the day. He can learn the hard way.

I'm glad I don't try and make a living out of shooting weddings. This stuff must go on all the time now.

That is sad, if I had had $10K to spend I would have happily spent $2K on the photographer, but I knew what I was getting.

It is sad to see all these "professionals" on facebook and the web and these photos are really bad. But I suppose if people are happy with them and the price then who are we to complain. But to spent $36K on a wedding and then scrimp on the photographer is really sad. It is the one thing that you will have forever to remember the day.

[Redbaron]

Mine was a few years ago, but I got away with around 10 grand thanks to knowing people...

my uncle & aunt- photographers
the bloke who gave her away bought the dresses, and we used his car
venue - we knew the owner (restaurant) and he did it for around $50 p/head - great food, drink
cake - bridesmaid(s) bought as a gift

I'm told my speech was priceless though - and the divorce a few years ago cost a LOT more.... C'est la vie.

[JM Tran]

What these numbers dont show - is that Asian weddings tend to spend quite a bit, 100k weddings are nothing new to me, but the bonus of being Asian is that they tend to re-coup most if not all of their expenses back via guests.

For an average Asian sized wedding of 500-600 guests, at the expected guest present of $200 per guests, you are looking at 100 to 120k there already, with close friends and families giving over a thousand easily.

With that in mind, it may or may not skew the results quite a bit.....

[William]

No wonder I'm living in sin, 22yrs with my partner , Married twice , First cost $1500 for 15 months in 1973 , Second cost $300 bucks for 10 yrs in 1980, No way I'm getting married again these days :D

[kiwi]

youre certianly gettng better value for money there william as you get better at it

[reaction]

For an average Asian sized wedding of 500-600 guests, at the expected guest present of $200 per guests, you are looking at 100 to 120k there already, with close friends and families giving over a thousand easily.

I think you've just had rich clientelle. :D

The various Asian weddings I've been to had guests from 50-200. In mine the cost for the dinner was $150/head and the gifts we got back median $100/head, with a general range of $50-$150. Close family friends may give $500-1000 for the whole family which could be 2-5 ppl. Some relatives also gave $1000 but couldn't attend. No red packet was over $1000.

Then again, all my friends may just be from the 'other' side of town.

[JM Tran]

I think you've just had rich clientelle. :D

The various Asian weddings I've been to had guests from 50-200. In mine the cost for the dinner was $150/head and the gifts we got back median $100/head, with a general range of $50-$150. Close family friends may give $500-1000 for the whole family which could be 2-5 ppl. Some relatives also gave $1000 but couldn't attend. No red packet was over $1000.

Then again, all my friends may just be from the 'other' side of town.


that honestly is quite small for a true asian wedding, these days it would be considered embarrassing and a 'loss of face' if one were to give anything under $150, let alone $50 bucks! Asian clients make up about 60% of my wedding clientele, and only 1 out of 10 of my asian weddings are under 200 guests.

For me personally whenever I attend an Asian wedding, and same for my parents - it would be $200 per person roughly.

[KeeFy]

that honestly is quite small for a true asian wedding, these days it would be considered embarrassing and a 'loss of face' if one were to give anything under $150, let alone $50 bucks! Asian clients make up about 60% of my wedding clientele, and only 1 out of 10 of my asian weddings are under 200 guests.

For me personally whenever I attend an Asian wedding, and same for my parents - it would be $200 per person roughly.

It used to be so, but these days with the current generation people from where i'm from don't work that way. I've attended loads of wedding and how much we give is dependent on the cost of the wedding, ie if we know the wedding at the particular venue costs $150 we'll give $150 ppx.

For my wedding the most given was from a close friend $800 for 2 people. The rest gave $150 ppx or there abouts. Food cost about $220 per person for 3 days not considering lodging. Imagine the "loss" i made. But it's only monetary loss, memories can't be bought nor friendship :). Out of the 50 people 20 were friends from overseas and 10 family members also from overseas. At the end of the day we were down about $15k without family, with family blessings it was getting close to breaking even short by a few grand.

I guess differnt type of Asians? LoL

[JM Tran]

It used to be so, but these days with the current generation people from where i'm from don't work that way. I've attended loads of wedding and how much we give is dependent on the cost of the wedding, ie if we know the wedding at the particular venue costs $150 we'll give $150 ppx.

For my wedding the most given was from a close friend $800 for 2 people. The rest gave $150 ppx or there abouts. Food cost about $220 per person for 3 days not considering lodging. Imagine the "loss" i made. But it's only monetary loss, memories can't be bought nor friendship :). Out of the 50 people 20 were friends from overseas and 10 family members also from overseas. At the end of the day we were down about $15k without family, with family blessings it was getting close to breaking even short by a few grand.

I guess differnt type of Asians? LoL

I know a lot of the Asian caterers for weddings in Adelaide and Sydney - you start seeing the same ones and talking to the same ppl when you shoot them long enough, and it is around $80 to $120 ish roughly per head for an 8 to 10 course meal - this is a very loose figure btw as it really depends on what specialty the client orders too. But Asian etiquette here in Aus, or in VN or China or Malaysia or Cambodia and other places that I have attended - it is generally give at least the same amount that it costed for your catering plus a little bit more on top for good luck and present etc.

Worse family I had seen gave 40 or 50 bucks altogether and rocked up as a family of 4.....needless to say in the ante room where we prepare our gear and the bridal party counts the money - a lot of nasty things were mentioned about the aforesaid family.....:D

[ricstew]

wow how fascinating........how our cultures are different. I spent just under $1000 on our wedding back in '94......including the dress lol. Self catered.....SIL provided the cake.......other SIL's brother the band....no church ...minister in my parents garden......friends as photographers :) We celebrated the old boys birthday at the same time........gifts not required :)
cheers
Jan

[sonofcoco]

I got married back in April and we spent about $2000 on the wedding...am shocked the average is $36k actually. We only wanted something small, and kept it pretty simple. Had a mate who is a wedding photographer take the shots and only for a few hours through the ceremony and start of reception. I guess if you want to spend that much on a wedding though and can afford it good luck to you. Personally would prefer to still spend under 5k and travel around the world for the honeymoon.

[Analog6]

While I'm too old and fat to be bothered with getting married now - we've happily lived in sin since 1997 - no way would I spend all that money. In a garden somewhere with a bring a plate reception would be it. Photography would be the one are I would spend some money.

I had no idea that at Asian weddings they got people to give them money - I knew traditional Italian ones did - I reckon those groups've got their heads screwed on right.

beau - you should take a few at the wedding just to show them what good wedding shots look like! I suspect they are going to get a hell of a reality check!

[SirLozalot]

I got married 10 years ago. A large portion of wedding cost was photography. We ended up with a truly beautiful and professionally made photo album. However, in 10 years since we have only looked at it twice and have mentioned the annoyance of the photographer treating it as a 'photo shoot event' rather 'photography of an event' many, many times.

Each to their own but I have often felt the album, as good as it is, was not worth the cost.

[ProPho]

I did not spend a fortune on my wedding 4 years ago (all up around $10K) but I did put an emphasis on the photography. Apart from a dress that I'll never wear again it's all I have left from the day. Being a pro photographer myself I naturally see the importance of capturing the day - not just for now but for the future as well. How many of us treasure our parents and grandparents wedding photos!? $36K seems quite excessive but having shot a wedding recently where the budget was around $40K in total I must admit it was a fantastic day! The saddest thing I am seeing in the wedding photography industry is the devalueing of our profession. We now work longer and harder than ever - especially in post production these days - how I miss the days of the photo lab sometimes!, yet we seem to be always competing with Uncle Jim and his budget SLR. I don't believe in charging outrageous amounts to my clients but I do need to earn a living - the average worker wants to being home a good $45K+ a year. A cake gets eaten, the dress is put in the cupboard, the wedding band belts out a few off key tunes and takes a break every 30 minutes... photos are forever

[AmPhot]

First wedding in 1997 - $6000 - 50 guests, fully catered reception & photographer/videographer. Lasted 7 years.
2nd wedding in 2006 - $240 at the registry office with 2 close friends as witnesses. I know what I believe was the better investment. ;)

Personally, spending a good chunk of a house deposit / stock investment on one day I think is pretty obscene, but that's just my opinion.

[arthurking83]

No wonder I'm living in sin, 22yrs with my partner , Married twice , First cost $1500 for 15 months in 1973 , Second cost $300 bucks for 10 yrs in 1980, No way I'm getting married again these days :D


youre certianly gettng better value for money there william as you get better at it

when extrapolated, the numbers add up too ..... this last partnership having, thus far, cost you the equivalent of a Cokin P series grad filter(purchased at a local store ... not a cheapie off ebay!).

That it's cost you nothing is simply a bonus!

(actually! I need a few more new(or at least unscratched) filters too)

Us wogs used to be like the (rich)Asians seem to be now .... it's all passè, and we seem to have toned it all down a lot by comparison to how we used to do it.

There are far more important things in life that the prospect of "losing face" to your family friends peers. It's taken a few generations, but it's finally happened.
I personally never got into the big fat greek wedding syndrome and avoided the ones that were in this vein. FWIW, they used to generally work almost exactly as the movie depicted them too!

My ex and I went a for a more subtle event, as minimalist as we could, and it still cost us about $7 .. but that was more for the Rippon Lea reception(which we both agreed too).

Looking back now.. all I can think of is the stupidity of it.. not because of the break down.. even if the marriage was a going concern, it still seems like such as waste!

A few years later my sis got married and did the registry thing, with about 20 very close family members present, and the party at home thing with about 50 or so guests .... 1/2 catered and 1/2 barby, and it seemed to make so much more sense! :th3:

Photos were of and from whoever took them and it was all fun.
I asked her one day a while back... did she regret not having formal photos done .. and her attitude is like mine .. a resounding no!(or as she put it.. Nah!)

I look at all the faded memories of my folks wedding.. I think of how my other sis now places very little importance on the wedding photos, my brother and his wife have never gone back to their weddign photo album.. viewed once or twice in the immediate timeframe after the wedding, but never gone back to again in the last 10 years either.

My ex now has out wedding album, and to be honest, I don't miss them, and remember only reviewing them once since the wedding and that was basically immediately after we got the images from the tog!


I think people place too much emphasis on the importance of wedding photos.. not saying that they aren't important, but they aren't the only important aspect of the relationship .. the marriage itself is more important and the reasons of why you both decided to tie the knot is .. not some catalogue of pictures as seen from someone else's perspective of an event that may not represent the reality of it.

My priority since marriage has been more on the rest of life .. especially kids and capturing those moments in life. Watching them grow and progress. These are images that are important to me.

[ricstew]

That was very nicely written Arthur........a fancy wedding means diddly squat :) and as we grow older we realise it more and more.....

[camerasnoop]

That was very nicely written Arthur........a fancy wedding means diddly squat :) and as we grow older we realise it more and more.....G

Geez! Don't go spreading that around Jan. I still have to eat. :eek: More big weddings and more often please. :lol:

[ricstew]

Bwahahah I promise I wont tell.........it is something the parties involved will have to work out for themselves :)

[Analog6]

I do agree with Arthur. If it were me the album would not mean much. One good shot to frame of the couple, and a group shot showing everyone there. For the rest, if the tog can sell 'em to the rest of the wedding party goof for them! I think the huge spend on weddings is wrong and actually devalues the relationship as it is more about face & status than about how much the couple care for each other.

[JohnRA]

Not just your opinion AmPhot .... Mine also.

[kiwi]

Wedding fantasy checklist

Big white dress
Big rich cake
Pro Photos
100 person reception
traditional church service

Just a western ritual.

[JM Tran]

Wedding fantasy checklist

Big white dress
Big rich cake
Pro Photos
100 person reception
traditional church service

Just a western ritual.

you forgot the typical tropical island or European honeymoon that is also synonymous with Westerners:D

[AutumnCurl]

We got married in 2009 and it cost around $32K mark, we paid for it on our own.
I was 23 husband was 22.
we had 100 guests.
we paid $3300ish for photography and all day was covered and i have about 900 photos - which i am very happy.
my dress was $1700 and my shoes were $1500
Church was $2200
we had all the bells and whistles horse carriage etc...
We paid for all the Bridemaids dresses and suit hire as none of our friend ever have any money lol

We had want we wanted and had a great day, and i would go back and do it all over again :)

I think its depends on your lifestyle we had been engaged for 5 years and saved up for the wedding and a house.

[stoogest]

$1500 for shoes??!! I hope there was at least a diamond or two hidden in there somewhere :)

[KeeFy]

We got married in 2009 and it cost around $32K mark, we paid for it on our own.
I was 23 husband was 22.
we had 100 guests.
we paid $3300ish for photography and all day was covered and i have about 900 photos - which i am very happy.
my dress was $1700 and my shoes were $1500
Church was $2200
we had all the bells and whistles horse carriage etc...
We paid for all the Bridemaids dresses and suit hire as none of our friend ever have any money lol

We had want we wanted and had a great day, and i would go back and do it all over again :)

I think its depends on your lifestyle we had been engaged for 5 years and saved up for the wedding and a house.

$1500 for shoes????? It'd better have some precious metals as well.

My 2 shoes cost $5 + $30, My wife's cost $5 + $50. $5 shoes cause I was posted to ChengDu, China and was working there for 4 months with my wife (then fiance) tagging along prior to the wedding day. Things are just so cheap there! I found an area where they sold wedding dresses + accessories and photographic equipment cheap. Vera Wang replicas for like $600 with top notch quality cloth. The sub quality cloth costs like $200 for the exact same design. My wife was quite unhappy as we got her dresses tailored prior to the overseas asignment for $1500 bucks and it was not not that great in comparison. As for camera accessories, it's cheaper than ebay... considering how cheap ebay was. Sadly due to work commitments we couldn't go for a honeymoon :(. Flew straight back to China few days after the wedding for more work :/.

As long as i blended in, i got local prices. Let them know you're not local and the prices multiply by 3 fold minimum instantly!

What i feel about weddings is what matters most is that it suits the couple. A church couple i know had their main wedding in Bali, and then wedding dinners in Perth, Singapore and Malaysia. From what i understand they spent close to $60k on everything. As long as they are happy, we should be for them as well :)

[reaction]

you know the most surprising cost for me was the church. I mean, sure they're here to make a profit (?) but the compulsory donation for the church (which is not closed to public during that time) + compulsory donation for the priest who works at that church (you can't bring your own) is often quite expensive

[JM Tran]

I dont see the big fuss on a pair of $1500 shoes, I have shot Manolo Blahniks that have been more than twice that. Do enough commercial and fashion stuff and $1500 seems trivial.

regarding wedding costs, in hindsight most people would have done something differently or cheaper, but the smart ones are the ones who get it right in the first place.

if people want to spend 37k or 50k or 100k on their wedding, they can do so as long as it makes them feel happy and with memories to boot. More money for people like me to make from them too. Win win for both parties.

[Gypsy]

JM Tran, for the average person, $1500 IS excessive for shoes! We're not all rich. :rolleyes:

[JM Tran]

JM Tran, for the average person, $1500 IS excessive for shoes! We're not all rich. :rolleyes:

Of course it is, I never said that it is not excessive. But I dont see why some people are still surprised at that price when the crap that is Sex and the City have been exposing women, and even men to the world of high-end excessive crap like Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks for the last 10 years:D

[kiwi]

If you're a hobbyist a 70-200 IS silly too :-)

[KeeFy]

If you're a hobbyist a 70-200 IS silly too :-)

I'd like to see that $1500 pair of shoes and a 70-200 IS used everyday for a year. And then attempt to sell it after. :P

[JM Tran]

I'd like to see that $1500 pair of shoes and a 70-200 IS used everyday for a year. And then attempt to sell it after. :P

bad comparison, both things cannot really be compared in terms of physical usage etc. But if u were really technical, a limited edition pair of Manolos would be worth 5 or 6 figures in a few decades time like some of the couture pieces that has been sold at Christies, whereas a 70-200 IS would be paperweight by then.

[KeeFy]

bad comparison, both things cannot really be compared in terms of physical usage etc. But if u were really technical, a limited edition pair of Manolos would be worth 5 or 6 figures in a few decades time like some of the couture pieces that has been sold at Christies, whereas a 70-200 IS would be paperweight by then.

It was meant as a tongue in cheek comment. LoL.

[ricstew]

Goodness Gracious......you wouldn't actually WEAR a pair of Manolos.........they are strictly for photographing :) and then passing on to your grandchildren ......

[I @ M]

Goodness Gracious......you wouldn't actually WEAR a pair of Manolos.........they are strictly for photographing :) and then passing on to your grandchildren ......

A wise relative of mine suggested that the only thing your grandchildren should inherit would be your ashes, sounds like perfect sense to me, make sure that you are cremated in the (never heard of em brand) shoes and pass them on to your grand kiddies that way. :D

[ricktas]

JM Tran, for the average person, $1500 IS excessive for shoes! We're not all rich. :rolleyes:

I once attended a wedding, where the mother of the groom wore this chunky glass looking necklace, which I would not have looked at in a $2 shop. Turned out that it was actually diamonds and cost $20Million :eek: and she had bought it specifically to wear to the wedding. Tasmania girl marrying into an Indian family. They hired a 747 to fly everyone from India to Hobart and put them up in the Grand Chancellor for a fortnight for the wedding, all paid for by the Groom's parents.

[JM Tran]

I once attended a wedding, where the mother of the groom wore this chunky glass looking necklace, which I would not have looked at in a $2 shop. Turned out that it was actually diamonds and cost $20Million :eek: and she had bought it specifically to wear to the wedding. Tasmania girl marrying into an Indian family. They hired a 747 to fly everyone from India to Hobart and put them up in the Grand Chancellor for a fortnight for the wedding, all paid for by the Groom's parents.


Wow. Now that is the epitome of what I would call a high end wedding client:th3:

[bluey1960]

I convinced my fiance now husband that we needed a really good photographer for our wedding back in '86. I chose one in Melbourne, Block Arcade, expensive for the time. On the big day while I'm waiting, complete strangers rock up in the front garden, all dressed up as per a wedding held a few weeks earlier which apparently he hadn't snapped the flowergirl enough or at all, who knows. We go through the service, reception, beach photos, park etc, but something was off about him and I couldn't place it. Six weeks later when I go for the proofs - the photographer supposedly lost several cannisters of film - very sorry about that - here's a free 8 x 10 of one he did have. I suspect he never had enough film in the first place. The ones my brother in law took were actually better and they didn't have things like rubbish bins behind us in the park which our 'pro' kindly included. My wedding back then was $3,000 for 120 people fully catered. My daughters in Cairns at the Paradise Palms Resort (simply stunning) for 60 people fully catered with her dress, photographer/videographer, flowers etc. $12,000 18 mths ago. Of that her photographer was $1,200 but he also moonlighted as the DJ for that and her dress was $1,800.

[peterb666]

No wonder I'm living in sin, 22yrs with my partner , Married twice , First cost $1500 for 15 months in 1973 , Second cost $300 bucks for 10 yrs in 1980, No way I'm getting married again these days :D

Just shows, the less you spend on your wedding the longer it lasts. 22yrs for nil is great value for money.

While visiting my niece in Melbourne who is a professional photographer, she was showing me the books they have made up containing say 35 to 50 photos and just one of these cost more than I paid for my whole wedding 31 years ago.

The company she works for charges typically around $10 to 15k for wedding photos and that is with a single shooter. Nothing under $5k.

It is a pity my niece doesn't get very much of that.

[AutumnCurl]

I have a great love of shoes, and 1500$ is a decent price, and they are Jimmy choo's, its the matching handbags etc that makes the husband freak a bit, and they do hold the value.

my biggest problem is when i have to choose between Equipment and shoes :umm:

To be honest the only thing i cared about was the shoes, i didnt care for my dress or anything, i was getting married in those shoes high water or hell. :) Our wedding snowballed a bit :P as i am the only female child in the family and also because my mum go married in the backyard, so a lot of little girl dreams were put into it.

It really brought my family together , and i cant put a price on that :)

[Shane.R]

I'm off to a wedding next weekend in the Hunter Valley. They're paying well over $30k by the time you add everything up, but they're skimping on the photography. The bride has an uncle who has a has an entry level DSLR with kit lenses and he has offered to do the photos for them. It's his first SLR and he's had it for 3 months. He's never photographed a wedding before.

I hope they're not expecting anything like what they've seen in the magazines.

They asked me to do it and I offered to do it for $600, with all pics retouched and supplied hi-res on disc. I've shot about 30 weddings over the years and usually charge a lot more than that. I thought I was doing them a favour... now they think I was ripping them off since the uncle has been telling them how easy it is with these wonderful new cameras and how they take perfect shots in auto mode and you don't need a real photographer. He doesn't even own a flash unit and will be using the built in flash. I haven't bothered to tell him his battery won't get through the day. He can learn the hard way.

I'm glad I don't try and make a living out of shooting weddings. This stuff must go on all the time now.

So, what's the result? Seen the pics yet?

[dt86vyss]

This was amusing to read...love the part about the flash!

[Avalon]

In my experience the less you pay for a wedding the longer it lasts.
I made my own dress, my Mum cut my hair (it was 2 inches shorter once side than the other :eek:) and we had takeaway food for the at home reception.
36 years later we're still happily married. :)

My only real regret? You guessed it, the photos.

We paid a photographer, but couldn't afford a big album, we just got a few small prints.
Years later I tried to track them down, but the business had changed hands several times and I was sad to discover my negatives ended up on the dump.

A good photographer would be high on my list to spend money on for a wedding.

[Sobriquet]

I find it interesting that the dress averages over twice the cost of the photography.

[beau]

So, what's the result? Seen the pics yet?

Yeah. I was at the wedding as an invitee and it went as expected. The old fella was running around the chapel during the ceremony shooting everything, with the built-in flash going nuts. Trouble was he had taken so many photos that morning of the bride getting ready and the cars, etc that his camera battery died before they even left the chapel. He didn't even realise it was flat and was looking at his camera wondering why it had turned off. Was actually quite funny watching him and the stupid look on his face.

They then left the chapel and were supposed to wander off into the vineyards to take some photos and he had to tell the bride that his camera "had stopped working". A desperate call was put out for everyone with cameras to take photos of the bridal waltz and cutting of the cake and email pics to the bride.

She then cam and asked me if I'd brought my camera with me. I told her all my gear was in the boot. She asked why I had brought all my gear and I told her "because I knew this was going to turn to shit". I told her I could shoot the formals and the rest of the day and the reception but that as she knew, I was not "free". She didn't care at that stage and was desperate.

I grabbed all my gear, including stands, umbrellas, off-camera flashes and we headed into the vineyards to take some shots. Old mate who had shot the first part of the day tried to follow us, obviously hoping to learn something, but I turned to him and said "I don't need you here so you need to leave". He got the message.

We actually got some really great shots. It was an overcast day and the wireless flash units helped me to underexpose the sky so that it looked really dark and threatening. I also shot some soft portraits of the bride as I anticipated the stuff he'd shot earlier in the day would be no good.

They even paid me before I'd even processed the shots and given them a disc. No apology, but I think they knew they'd screwed up.

Part of me wishes I hadn't taken my gear. I agonised over putting it in the boot of the car when I was heading to the wedding. Torn between wanting to leave it behind to punish them when it all went south. In the end I felt too guilty and threw it all in the car.

[kiwi]

You did the right thing....I had a good chuckle at the uncle bob nightmare

[beau]

It was just sooooo predictable. All ended ok though.

[kiwi]

did you get to see his early efforts from the day ?

[Sobriquet]

People are digging up some really old posts, they must have really slow internet

[KeeFy]

Yeah. I was at the wedding as an invitee and it went as expected. The old fella was running around the chapel during the ceremony shooting everything, with the built-in flash going nuts. Trouble was he had taken so many photos that morning of the bride getting ready and the cars, etc that his camera battery died before they even left the chapel. He didn't even realise it was flat and was looking at his camera wondering why it had turned off. Was actually quite funny watching him and the stupid look on his face.

They then left the chapel and were supposed to wander off into the vineyards to take some photos and he had to tell the bride that his camera "had stopped working". A desperate call was put out for everyone with cameras to take photos of the bridal waltz and cutting of the cake and email pics to the bride.

She then cam and asked me if I'd brought my camera with me. I told her all my gear was in the boot. She asked why I had brought all my gear and I told her "because I knew this was going to turn to shit". I told her I could shoot the formals and the rest of the day and the reception but that as she knew, I was not "free". She didn't care at that stage and was desperate.

I grabbed all my gear, including stands, umbrellas, off-camera flashes and we headed into the vineyards to take some shots. Old mate who had shot the first part of the day tried to follow us, obviously hoping to learn something, but I turned to him and said "I don't need you here so you need to leave". He got the message.

We actually got some really great shots. It was an overcast day and the wireless flash units helped me to underexpose the sky so that it looked really dark and threatening. I also shot some soft portraits of the bride as I anticipated the stuff he'd shot earlier in the day would be no good.

They even paid me before I'd even processed the shots and given them a disc. No apology, but I think they knew they'd screwed up.

Part of me wishes I hadn't taken my gear. I agonised over putting it in the boot of the car when I was heading to the wedding. Torn between wanting to leave it behind to punish them when it all went south. In the end I felt too guilty and threw it all in the car.

IMO. You did good for both the couple and yourself. You got to rest for the a part of the wedding, took photos for them which they will appreciate and got paid (hopefully the same amount). Poor Uncle Bob. LoL

[tompics]

That was very nicely written Arthur........a fancy wedding means diddly squat :) and as we grow older we realise it more and more.....

I agree, seems today it's become more about " putting on a good show" and the commercial side certainly talk it up. Me thinks it is no wonder so many marraiges fail, borrow for engagement, the wedding, the honeymoon, the house , the furniture, the cars. Ah yes I'm a silly OLD coot from days gone by.
My two bobs worth. tompics

[Tarryn]

FYI

Australian couples are splurging more than $36,000 on their dream wedding, business analysts IBISWorld say.

- Average wedding spend $36,200, up 6.5 pct on 2010/11
- 119,000 couples expected to get married in 2011, up 0.8 pct on 2010
- Average age of couples is 29 for women and 32 for men
- 60 pct of couples blow their wedding budget
- Australia's wedding industry worth $4.3 billion, expected to be $4.7b by 2016/17

Breakdown of wedding industry:
Percentage of wedding expenditure Revenue generated
Venue hire 33.4 pct $1.44 bln
Wedding dresses, clothing 21.9 pct $942.3 mln
Food 15.5 pct $668.3 mln
Photography, filming 11.6 pct $498.3 mln
Flowers, stationery, etc 17.6 pct $758.3 mln

Source: IBISWorld



.................. hence why i am becoming a wedding planner!