Real talk: Real weddings & real budgets
We're spilling the tea on how much our couples REALLY spent on their big days!
Written by and photographed by Romana Saeheng
How much should I budget for my wedding? That is a question that we see on the FB wedding groups almost every second day. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer… because there are so many variables and everyone’s wedding vision is different!
So, in this article we will show you what a few different, but typical Elope Brisbane weddings look like and how much they cost.
We really do believe that sharing is caring, so we have no hidden costs and love to be upfront about prices.
Let’s face it, a budget is a budget, and starting your married life with financial strain is not something that anyone wants – we certainly don’t want it for you either.
Here we go…
The true elopement
By ‘true elopement’ we mean, just the couple, two witnesses (a legal requirement), celebrant and photographer.
Okay, so this elopement also included the couple’s cutie patootie kids (a very important detail for them).
C & D booked our Simply Elope package (photographer and celebrant) and chose to wed on a Monday. They also chose a gorgeous, intimate park, so they practically had it to themselves.
Their photographer (included in the package) acted as their first witness and second witness was supplied by Elope Brisbane for just $50 extra.
The total spend with Elope Brisbane was $1600…
Let's break it down
- Celebrant, personalised ceremony and legals
- Photographer, USB with all high res edited images & same day sneak peek
- Legal witnesses
- Elopement location
- $1600
If you are as clever as our bride, you too can make your own cake, bouquet and buttonhole. But if you prefer to leave it to the professionals, then you can expect these prices (or thereabouts) from our favourite suppliers….
anything else?
The only other things to consider for an elopement just like this one…
- Wedding bands
- Special outfits
- Hair and makeup?
A micro wedding
A micro wedding includes a few more things than an elopement… More guests (but not too many), perhaps a wedding arbour and some chairs for said guests? A little more…
L & J’s micro wedding was super sweet! Their ceremony was at Mt Coot Tha Botanic Gardens – Palm Tree Lawn. Council have a minimum 2 hour booking fee for this private lush location.
We organised for it to be styled and placed chairs for their guests.
L was glammed at her hotel and felt so special! She also opted to add hair and makeup for her mum and mother-in-law.
She had a stunning bouquet, he had a buttonhole and their cake was adorned with matching florals.
Together they were transported in a vintage kombi.
Their entire timeline was planned and coordinated by Romana (also their photographer).
Their celebrant took care of all the legal and personalised ceremony for them.
The total spend for their ceremony with Elope Brisbane was $5200…
(Plus a little more for their styled, private dining experience at Black Hide after photo time.)
Let's break it down
- Celebrant, personalised ceremony and legals
- Photographer, USB with all high res edited images & same day sneak peek
- Wedding Planner
- Styled ceremony: Arbour and chairs etc
- Ceremony location - exclusive booking
- Wedding cake for 12
- Flowers: Bouquet, buttonhole, cake flowers
- Hair and makeup at hotel for 3 people
- Private chauffeur & kombi hire
- $5200
As mentioned, L & J decided to celebrate afterwards at the stunning Black Hide in Brisbane city.
They asked our stylist for extra styling on their dining table and all the extra details were gorgeous!
anything else?
The only other things to consider for a micro wedding just like this one…
- Wedding bands
- Special outfits
Elope with extras
Keeping it simple is key for most of our couples…
By far our most popular package is our base package: Simply Elope. From there most couples add a few extra things, so that their special day feels and looks a little more ‘wedding-y’.
Here is how E&L did theres…
They started with the Simply Elope Weekend package for their afternoon ceremony.
We helped them to select a stunning location that didn’t cost them any extra. It was green, lush and exactly what they wanted!
To add to their whimsical wedding vibe they selected one of our arbour packages.
Based on E’s bouquet inspo pic, we customised her arbour to match her bouquet.
We also organised her flowers and matching buttonhole for L. They both looked stunning!
L organised her own hair and makeup. A friend helped her to get ready at home. Photography started there, her flowers were also delivered at this point.
The total spend for their ceremony with Elope Brisbane was $2,800…
Let's break it down
- Celebrant, personalised ceremony and legals
- Photographer, USB with all high res edited images & same day sneak peek
- Wedding Planner
- Styled ceremony: Arbour and chairs etc
- Ceremony location - zero with our secret intel
- Flowers: Bouquet and buttonhole
- $2,800
anything else?
The only other things to consider for a micro wedding just like this one…
- Wedding bands
- Special outfits
- Hair and makeup
Let's compare...
In a nut-shell, you can do your wedding your way!
But, so that you can compare the above with what you might have in mind, consider this…
ELOPE WITH EXTRAS: E&L had under 15 people. But, for no extra cost, they could have invited 15 more! (with some guests standing) If they wanted the extra 15 guests to be seated, it would have been only $105 extra.
A MICRO WEDDING: L&J had under 12 people. But, for no extra cost, they could have invited up to 30! (All seated, because their ceremony was at Mt Coot Tha Botanic Gardens).
A cake size upgrade to feed the extra 18 people would have been just $140 more.
Many of our couples opt for just bride H&M, so if we took out the 2 extra H&M, then it would have been a total $4,500.
have questions?
Hit the contact us page and shoot us a message. We look forward to helping you with your day!
