Here’s the thing most couples don’t realise until they’re halfway through planning their wedding. A wedding isn’t “a fancy 30th”. It’s a major event.

There are legalities, logistics, staffing, safety, equipment, food and beverage service, guest experience, design, and a full team of professionals behind the scenes. When you add it all up, a quality wedding often lands around that $100K mark.

Not because anyone is trying to rip you off. Because that’s what it costs to bring most weddings in Australia together. 

As a trusted and professional wedding planner in Victoria, I’m not telling you that you must spend $100K. You absolutely can have a beautiful, meaningful wedding for less. This is about giving you a realistic picture so you can:

• Stop being blindsided by wedding quotes
• Allocate your wedding budget strategically
• Invest in the parts of the day that actually matter to you

So. Let’s break it down.

Why We’re Even Talking About a $100K Wedding

When couples first enquire with Mellyrain Creative and our wedding planning services, one of the first questions I ask is: “Have you thought about your overall budget and what you’re willing to spend on your wedding?”

Once I hear your guest count, venue style and vision, I’m very honest in giving you a ball park on what your wedding cost could look like.

Not as a rule. Not as a requirement. But as a starting point so you’re not committing to an $11K photographer on a $60K budget and then realising you still need to feed 100 people, hire a band, book a celebrant, organise florals, furniture, stationery, hair and makeup, transport, cake, and everything else.

When couples have locked me in as their wedding planner, our first step is literally opening Excel to:

• List every vendor and element you’re likely need for your wedding
• Talk through your vision and wedding day non-negotiables
• Add realistic cost ranges based on my wedding experience
• Let the spreadsheet spit out an overall number at the bottom

Very often, that number sits somewhere around 100K. Sometimes less. Sometimes more. But it gives you a reality check before you start signing contracts.

Why You Can Trust Me On Wedding Costs

A quick note on why I’m so confident talking about wedding budgets, numbers and what weddings really cost in Victoria.

I haven’t just planned a few weddings on the side. My entire career has been built around complex events, logistics and guest experience.

Before I moved full-time into wedding planning, I spent five years working in major sport and entertainment events at Melbourne & Olympic Parks at AAMI Park and Margaret Court Arena. Think events like Paul McCartney, SIA, The Australian Open, Rugby League, Melbourne Fashion Week and so many more.

That background taught me how to think like an event producer. To see the whole picture, understand where the money goes and make sure every moving part is accounted for.

Since 2020, I’ve brought that experience into the wedding world as a wedding planner with a particular obsession for weddings in Regional Victoria. I’ve:

• Planned and executed weddings across private properties, estates and established venues
• Worked with hundreds of vendors across every category
• Built and managed detailed budgets for couples with a wide range of priorities and investment levels
• Seen, firsthand, where couples tend to overspend, under-budget, or get caught out by hidden costs

So when I say “a quality Regional Victoria wedding often sits around that $100K mark”, it’s not a guess and it’s not fear-tactic. It’s the pattern I see over and over again when you combine:

• A realistic guest count
• A beautiful venue
• Quality food and drinks
• A trusted, professional vendor team
• And a day that actually feels like you

My job as a wedding planner is to take all of that experience and use it to protect your vision and your budget, so you’re making informed decisions instead of expensive guesses.

The Biggest Line Items: Venue and Catering

Venue Hire

For Victorian venues (especially regional or private estates), venue hire can sit anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000+ depending on:

• Whether it’s a blank canvas property or an established venue
• If accommodation is included
• Whether you have the space for multiple days (bump in and bump out)
• What’s included in terms of furniture, glassware, staffing, etc.

Before you panic or commit to venue hire fee, always ask for:

• The full wedding package inclusions
• Their terms and conditions
• Any minimum spends

Once you see what’s actually included (staffing, bar, equipment, insurance, basic furniture, glassware), you can break down the value.

Catering and Drinks

Your guest count drives this more than anything.

For around 100 guests, a typical food and beverage package (5–6 hours) often lands roughly between $20,000 and $35,000, depending on:

• Style of service (shared plates, alternate drop, cocktail, grazing, roaming canapés)
• Beverage package versus bar tab versus “top-shelf” options
• Extras like late-night snacks, spritz bars, champagne towers, etc.

As a rough starting point when you’re budgeting:

• Work on $250–$350 per head for food and drinks
• Plug that into your spreadsheet based on your guest count

Venue plus catering will almost always be your biggest combined expense. And they need to be looked at together to understand the true cost.

The Human Beings Who Make It Legal, Beautiful and Memorable
Celebrant

Celebrants I regularly work with typically sit around $1,600–$2,500.

You’re paying for:

• Legal paperwork and lodgement
• A personalised ceremony script
• Meetings, rehearsal and sometimes even a ceremony run-through
• Professional audio equipment
• Their presence and energy on the day

Most importantly, your celebrant sets the tone. They lead the entire ceremony once you start walking down the aisle. So you want someone whose style genuinely matches yours, not just the cheapest option.

Photography and Videography

This is one of the biggest regret areas when couples try to cut too hard.

Photographers often $5,000–$12,000 and videographers often $4,000–$10,000.

Costs vary based on:

• Experience and demand
• Hours of coverage
• Whether you have one or two shooters
• What’s included afterwards (albums, prints, highlight films, longer edits, speeches, etc.)

I’ve seen couples go “budget” on photography, hate their gallery, and then pay again for a second shoot just to get photos they actually love. Cheap in this category is rarely “good value”.

Videography in particular is the thing couples tell me they regret skipping. Once the day is over, photos and video are the only way back.

Entertainment (Band or DJ)

Entertainment can range a lot, but a realistic starting range is $5,000–$8,000, depending on:

• Band versus DJ
• Number of musicians
• Hours of coverage (ceremony only versus full day)
• Learning custom songs

And no, a Spotify playlist is not the same as a professional.

A good DJ or band:

• Reads the room in real time
• Adjusts the energy on the dance floor
• Manages transitions and key moments
• Keeps the night flowing rather than just “playing songs”

If you need to be savvy, one option is:

A well-curated playlist and hired speaker for canapés, where guests mostly want to chat, not dance

Live music or a DJ for your reception and dance floor

The Design and Details: What Guests See, Touch and Remember
Furniture and Décor

This can be anywhere from under $2,000 to $10,000+, depending on:

• How much your venue already includes (tables, chairs, glassware, linen)
• Whether you’re hiring lounges, cocktail furniture, statement pieces
• Delivery, bump in, bump out, and styling labour

Always start with what your venue includes. If you genuinely don’t care about the exact chair or plate, use what’s there and invest your budget where it matters more to you.

Florals

Florals are the classic “how is it that much?” category.

Most quality florists will have a minimum spend around $5,000. That will give you:

• Personal flowers (bouquets, buttonholes)
• A ceremony feature
• Some considered reception florals

If your vision is more “abundant, immersive and architectural”, you’re likely looking at $10,000+.

You’re not just paying for flowers. You’re paying for:

• Design time and concepting
• Multiple market or warehouse runs
• Conditioning and prepping flowers
• Mechanics, vessels, tools and materials
• On-the-day setup (often with a team)
• Pack down, removal and disposal or composting

It’s labour-heavy, time-sensitive work with a lot of design and responsibility.

Stationery and Signage

Stationery is wildly customisable, which is why the range is so broad.

You might spend:

• Around $500 for simple invitations for a small guest list
• Up to $10,000+ for a fully bespoke suite and on-the-day signage (think custom shapes, layered materials, fabric installs, personalised menus, etc.)

Your spend depends on:

• Bespoke versus semi-custom design
• How many pieces you want (invites, RSVP, details cards, envelopes, day-of signage, menus, place cards, seating chart, bar signs, etc.)
• Materials (paper, acrylic, timber, metal, fabric, velvet)
• Whether you want personalised or handwritten elements

This is one of those categories where you can either keep it simple and clean, or go all-in and make it a major design feature.

Hair and Makeup

Hair and makeup often surprises people.

A realistic range is $150–$250 per person, per service (so that might be $250 for hair and $250 for makeup, per person), plus:

• Travel
• Early start fees
• Additional artists for larger wedding parties

If you have a big wedding party plus mums, siblings and guests, this number adds up quickly. When you’re budgeting early, it’s safer to assume the higher end so you have a buffer.

And Then There’s Everything Else On top of all of that, you’ll likely have:

• Cake
• Wedding attire (dresses, suits, alterations)
• Shoes and accessories
• Guest book
• Transport
• Extra experiences (live painter, content creator, gelato cart, champagne tower, lawn games, fireworks, etc.)

These are highly personal choices. Some couples go very minimal here. Others want all the bells and whistles. The important thing is that they’re in the spreadsheet so they don’t blindside you later.

Where a Wedding Planner Actually Fits Into This

A wedding planner is the part of the wedding puzzle most people underestimate. It’s the thing most couples feel they can do on their own, get extremely overwhelmed and stressed and come their wedding day, regret not bringing in a professional wedding planner to guide them through the whole process. 

For my couples, I’m not just turning up on the day. My full wedding planning service starts long before that first glass of champagne is poured.

Across my wedding planning packages (for couples with overall budgets usually between $80K – $120K+), you can expect:

• In-person and online consults with me
• Budget creation and management, including that honest 100K conversation right at the start
• Venue recommendations if you haven’t secured one yet
• Vendor consultations, sourcing, negotiation and booking
• Vendors sourced and secured depending on your wedding brief
• Venue visits, planning discussions and styling direction
• A detailed wedding day timeline and run sheet
• Vendor communication and management throughout the planning process
• Unlimited email support so you’re never left guessing
• Wedding rehearsal coordination
• Setup and pack-down management on the day
• Full day coordination and problem-solving, with assistants as needed

In practical terms, that means:

• You’re not Googling vendors and hoping for the best
• You’re not trying to decode quotes in isolation or wondering if something is “normal”
• You’re not discovering hidden costs after you’ve already signed
• You’re not the one fielding calls and questions in the week of your wedding

Most couples who don’t work with a wedding planner end up spending more than they expected, simply because they book things in the wrong order, over-invest in some areas and then have to compromise later.

My job is to be honest about what a quality wedding costs, then help you invest wisely so that $100K (or whatever your final number is) is working hard in the right places, not disappearing into things you don’t really care about.

So… Do You Have to Spend $100K To Get Married?

No. Not at all. Anyone can get married. But here’s the things I am very passionate about. Not everyone has to have a wedding.

If you don’t want to spend 100K on a wedding, that’s completely valid. You can:

• Elope
• Host a micro wedding
• Have a simple celebration that reflects your priorities without the full production

But if you’re dreaming of:

• 80 – 120 guests
• A beautiful venue (especially regional or private property)
• Quality food and drinks
• Professional photography and videography
• Great entertainment
• Thoughtful styling and florals
• A wedding planner to pull it all together

Then realistically, you’re likely playing in that $100K ballpark.

The goal here isn’t to scare you. It’s to help you make informed decisions, avoid nasty surprises, and invest in the parts of your day that actually matter to you.

My Tip On How to Start: Your Budget Homework
If you’re at the beginning of planning, open a fresh excel spreadsheet and:

1. List every vendor and element you think you’ll need
2. Use higher-end estimates as placeholders (so you have buffer)
3. Add a contingency line, because there is always something that pops up
4. Be honest about your non-negotiables versus “nice to haves”

From there, you can adjust, swap, and reallocate with your eyes open, not from a place of shock every time a quote lands in your inbox.

If you’d rather not plan your wedding alone and you’re planning a wedding anywhere in Australia, especially Regional Victoria, with a $80K – $120K wedding budget, my full wedding planning service might be exactly what you need. Head to my website contact form to enquire. I’m currently taking limited bookings for late 2026 and 2027.