Gliding down the ‘aisle’ at her dream garden wedding, Claudia Sokolova’s crisp white train brushed the grass behind her as her veil stayed perfectly pinned to her jet-black hair.
The ecstatic bride says every last detail of the day, which was planned to perfection, was flawless.
But Claudia — who runs a wedding-related business — reveals the nuptials set the happy couple back a hefty $100,000.
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And, although she describes it as the best day of her life, she now concedes the event was “a complete waste of money”.
If she had her time over again, she wouldn’t change anything about her big day — but she does say the six-figure bill was hard to justify.
She is now sharing tips for budget-conscious brides on how not to regret what they spend on getting married.
“It was the best day of my life,” Claudia tells 7Life of her perfect wedding day.
“But at the same time, it is like a complete waste of money.”
The 26-year-old Sydneysider is a full-time marketing executive but also runs a wedding content creation business.
Her side hustle resulted in her attending 45 weddings in 2023.
Inspiration gleaned from the events fed into her own big day in August the same year.
After being part of so many weddings, the bride went into her own with a clear vision of what she wanted — a timeless and classic day.
“It was perfect,” she says.
“I loved everything about my wedding.
“I planned it perfectly and I wish I could go back and do it again.
“But it’s expensive and it is one day.”
Wedding expenditure
Claudia and her husband Nick forked out $20,000 for their dream venue, the highest single expense from the day.
The wedding gown was $7,000 and the DJ for the evening was $4,500.
For their 68 guests, canapes, share platters and dessert, alongside alcohol, set the couple back approximately $12,000.
Flowers, photography, hair and makeup, cake, suit, nails and some added extras also quickly bumped up the total cost.
Claudia admits if she was a more “budget bride” she would have skipped on her $120 bridal robe and the $2,500 for pre-wedding botox and filler.
Also added into the cost was the tropical month-long honeymoon in Bali which was about $8,000.
Planning tips
When it comes to 2024 brides, Claudia advises couples to agree on a budget before they start planning.
“You can go to a registry and spend $200 or you can spend $6 million and it doesn’t make it any more or any less special,” she says.
“You have to ask yourself if it is worth the money to you.”
After seeing many DIY disasters, Claudia urges brides to steer clear of crafting their own day.
“People don’t realise how much time and how stressful it actually is,” Claudia says, adding that brides need to ask themselves if they want to be designing centrepieces on the morning of their wedding.
When it comes to finding a discount, she says “just ask”.
“Message a dress designer and ask if they have any samples or sales coming up,” she says.
“And with your venue, ask for quotes at multiple places and compare.”
Claudia didn’t lift a finger on her wedding day which she claims removed unnecessary stress.
But as for more budget conscious brides, she urges them to not to “spend over your means”.
“Think about getting married out of the busy months or even midweek,” she suggests.
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