Day: December 10, 2024

We’re going to be upfront about something: a lot of people who find Just Married Weddings are Googling “cheap wedding” or “cheap celebrant.” And we get it — we really do. The cost of living in Australia right now is brutal. Rent is punishing. Buying a house feels like a distant dream for many young couples. The idea of spending $36,000 on a single day — the average cost of an Australian wedding — feels not just extravagant but genuinely irresponsible when you’re trying to build a life together.

So yes, we offer affordable weddings. We offer cheap celebrants, in the sense that our prices are a fraction of what a traditional wedding costs. But we’d gently push back on the word “cheap” — because what we actually offer is something far more valuable than that word implies.

The real cost of a traditional wedding (based on numbers from 2024)

Let’s look at the numbers. The average Australian wedding costs over $36,000. That figure includes:

• Venue hire: $8,000–$15,000
• Catering per head: $150–$250, multiplied by however many guests you’ve felt obligated to invite
• Photography: $3,000–$6,000
• Flowers: $2,000–$5,000
• Celebrant: $800–$1,500
• Dress, suit, hair, makeup, rings, invitations, cake, transport…

And that’s before the honeymoon. For many couples, a traditional wedding means starting married life in debt, or significantly depleting savings that could have gone towards a home deposit, an investment, or simply a financial cushion that makes life less stressful.

What you could do with the money instead

A Just Married Weddings elopement or micro-wedding starts from $460. Even with photography added, you’re looking at a fraction of the cost of a traditional wedding. The difference? You could use it for:

• A contribution to your first home deposit
• Three months of rent, paid in advance
• A honeymoon that actually blows your mind — Japan, Italy, the Maldives
• A renovation, a car, an emergency fund
• Simply starting married life without financial stress hanging over you

We’ve had couples tell us, years later, that choosing an intimate ceremony over a big wedding was one of the best financial decisions they ever made. Not because they compromised — but because they redirected the money to something that genuinely improved their lives.

Affordable doesn’t mean lesser

Here’s the thing about intimate weddings: they are often more meaningful, not less. When you strip away the production and the performance of a big traditional ceremony -the dramatic entrance, the styled venue, the huge bridal party, the guests you barely know or have never met  –  what’s left is the actual point of the day. Just the two of you, the people you love most, and a moment that belongs entirely to you.

The couples who we marry who are bursting with happiness all have one thing in common – they are excited about the marriage, not the wedding day.  Their ceremony is the gateway to the rest of their lives.

Our celebrants are experienced, warm, and genuinely good at what they do. Our locations are beautiful. The ceremonies we create are intimate and romantic. None of that is compromised by the price point. What you’re not paying for is the overhead — the venue’s profit margin, the florist’s minimum spend, the wedding industry’s ability to charge a premium simply because the word “wedding” is attached to something.

The most affordable wedding options in Australia

If you’re looking for an affordable celebrant or a cheap wedding that doesn’t feel cheap, here’s what we offer:

• $460 – $490 to be married – no hidden extras (price depends on which state you choose)
• Micro-weddings for small groups, elopements for just the two of you (and two witnesses) ‘legals only’ weddings – this is what we do
• Online booking — no interviews, no back-and-forth, no time wasted, no stress or pressure
• All legal paperwork included — no hidden costs
• Available Australia-wide, seven days a week, no weekend surcharges

You deserve a wedding that feels special.  See our packages and find out just how good simple can be.