Can you put a price on love?
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According to many Wagga residents, you can.
Gone are the days when couples lust after big weddings with all the trimmings.
Wagga residents are saying no to weddings that cost upwards of $20,000 or $30,000 for more modest affairs.
Couples are opting to spend less on their big day and more on a house mortgage or honeymoon.
A recent survey revealed that 20 per cent of couple spend less than $5000 on their wedding while 28 per cent spend less than $10,000.
The survey was for couples over the past five years but Wagga residents revealed this trend spans more than a decade.
Batlow’s Tracey Jarratt realises her wedding to husband Terry 14 years ago was not everyone’s idea of the perfect event.
The whole day cost about $450 with only a handful of guests, who brought nibbles and salads for a barbecue.
Mrs Jarratt wore a dress and no shoes while her husband wore a singlet, slacks and a bow tie.
“We didn’t want the wedding, we wanted the marriage,” Mrs Jarratt said.
“I think it’s an individual choice, but I do think people go overboard.
‘”I don’t think it’s going to make the marriage better.”
Wagga’s Ellie and Dominic Ingram were married in 2002 and could only agree on one option for their wedding.
“The only thing we could agree on was getting married abroad,” Mrs Inman said.
“It was just solely the two of us.
“We wouldn’t change a single thing.”
Matching colours, choosing bridesmaids dresses, selecting flowers and providing gifts did not appeal to the couple, who moved from the United Kingdom to Australia 10 years ago.
Mrs Inman, a former travel agent, had flicked through brochures of destination weddings.
The couple selected Seychelles, near Africa, for their wedding and paid 6000 pounds, the equivalent of $10,000 AUD.
The cost included accommodation for two weeks, the ceremony, cake and champagne, dress, suit and shoes.
The couple invited friends and families to celebrate at home with them after they returned.