I Spent $100,000 on My Dream Wedding — It Was a Huge Waste of Money, But It Was Still the Best Day of Our Lives

A bride has admitted spending almost $100,000 on her wedding was a ‘big waste of money’ – but she has no regrets.

Claudia Sokolova, 26, and now husband Nick, 29, from Sydney, exchanged vows in front of 68 guests in August after three years of dating.

Claudia, a marketing manager, told FEMAIL she wanted her wedding to look ‘timeless’ and ‘classic’ – and it certainly was, but it was also expensive.

“Two things can be true at the same time: yes, the wedding was a waste of money, but it was also the best day of my life,” she explained.

‘I loved every second of my wedding and wish I could do it all again. But it is a very expensive and lengthy process that causes a lot of stress.’

The price of the bridal party, the hens and goats evening and their month-long honeymoon in Bali were also included in the total. They also paid most of the money themselves from their savings, but received a little help from family.

The most expensive item was the $20,000 venue rental, followed by the $7,500 honeymoon and the $7,000 wedding dress from KWH Bridal Boutique.

For $5,650, they hired Bumpy Road Catering and served shared plates of pork, chicken, gnocchi, bread, a huge grazing platter, several salads, Nutella pancakes, panna cotta and more.

There were also costs that Claudia admits could have been avoided — like $2,500 in Botox and filler and the $120 wedding dress — but she wanted them.

“Ultimately, your wedding is about what you and your partner want and what is within your financial means,” she said.

And spending almost $100,000 on the wedding would make the couple happy – so they went for it.

“If you’re not someone who handles stress well, is introverted, doesn’t like watching them and doesn’t want to spend money, then you may need to reconsider the size and cost of your wedding,” she added. .

The couple met through a mutual friend, but Claudia was “done dating” at the time. However, her friend put in a good word and convinced Claudia to meet Nick.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gone on a date with him,” she said.

‘At the end of the first date I leaned in for a kiss and he gave me his cheek, but in retrospect I now know it’s because of how much of a gentleman he is.’

As Claudia has a marketing and events background, planning the wedding was not stressful and she enjoyed organizing everything.

“I’ve been planning events for years, so I knew what I was getting into,” she said.

‘It’s an exhausting process, but for me it’s where I come into my own. Not everyone will have the same experience. I’m probably one of the one percent who likes to do this kind of thing.’

She added that many people think that planning a wedding is just about ordering some food, drinks and a dress, but there are many more layers than that.

The hardest part, she said, was when it came to “money and family.”

‘Everyone has their opinion, but no one pays the bill except me. Family wants to invite other people you’ve never met, and it’s like, “Do you know how much does it cost per head to have someone at your wedding?” Claudia said.

While many people try to reduce wedding costs by doing the elements themselves, Claudia offered a “reality check” and said the finished product may not be as cheap as you think.

‘People often romanticize DIY. No one thinks about how much time it takes to do all those little jobs,” she said.

‘If you have the perseverance to go to the flower market at four in the morning and make all your bouquets yourself, then my hat goes off to you.

‘I knew from planning events and years of working in marketing how long everything actually takes.’

Working full time, owning a business and in the middle of wedding planning, Claudia came up with some DIY ideas, like the invitations.

But the time it would take to make it all and the cost of the raw material wasn’t worth it.

‘It wouldn’t be that much of a difference than getting a decent price from a good seller. You really have to take both sides into account,” she said.

There were times when the couple sat down and considered canceling the entire event due to financial reasons.

They thought about putting their money elsewhere, but in the end they both wanted a big wedding to celebrate their marriage.

‘I have a huge family, I’ve been dreaming about my wedding day since I was a little girl, it’s something I’ve always wanted. And my husband also wanted a big party with all his friends,” Claudia said.

She added that some on social media have criticized her for spending so much money when it could have been used for a home deposit, but she disagrees.

“The average price for a house in our suburb is $1.2 million, which is something we can’t afford right now,” she said.

When asked if she would do anything else, Claudia said ‘no’, except ‘enjoy the day a bit’.

“We could have saved an extra $1,000 here or there, we could have bought $9 bottles of wine instead of cocktails. But the reality is that weddings cost a lot of money,” she added.

As for any advice she would give to other brides-to-be, Claudia said to never go into debt to finance your wedding, recognize where your priorities lie and take things one step at a time.

She said there will also always be a “wedding tax”: elements costing twice as much simply because they are for a wedding.

“Look for different quotes, but remember that in the wedding industry you always get what you pay for,” she said.