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Photo: BB Photography.
Getting married on a student budget It’s not every day a couple gets married in an unusual, out-of-the-box way, but it also happens more than we think. Laura Brookes talks to two Kiwi couples who chose the unconventional route, including one student couple on a tight budget. I find weddings fascinating, to be honest. I arrive wondering what order the ceremony will be in, whether I’ll know the songs or whether the speeches will be in comprehensible English. I wonder what the catering will be like, and how the groom will react to seeing his bride. I wonder whether the vows will be handwritten or traditional, and whether the strangers on my row will keep a strict distance of one seat between us, or lean over and introduce themselves. Admittedly, every wedding I’ve attended has been rather standard. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not calling them boring. I’m merely pointing out the fact that every wedding I’ve ever attended has been consistent with expected social norms. But I reserve a special form of admiration for couples who venture into out-ofthe-box thinking when it comes to
weddings, and the stories that result – like the couple who formed an unhealthy attachment to the way shopping at Kmart makes them feel, so they get married in the aisle – quite literally. I’ve heard of couples exchanging vows in zero gravity, and couples who have cycled laps around the city with their guests in celebration (or pain, depending on which you associate with cycling). I’ve even heard of a couple who got married in their birthday suits. Let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t an attendee at that wedding. But there’s also a few Kiwis I know personally who have enjoyed wonderfully unconventional weddings. Here’s a glimpse into their stories, and why they made their big day a little different.
How to spend like a saver We all know weddings have the potential
to cost a small fortune. That’s no secret. In fact, according to my dear friend Google, the average cost of a wedding in New Zealand is a whopping $35,000. For all you math nerds, if we talk about the median instead of the average and call it a better indicator of true cost, we’re still talking between $18,900 and $24,500. I’ve never wished so much for Google to be wrong. Because when you add up venue, outfits, photography, makeup, and catering for 100 people, it seems an impossible feat to accomplish with less than $2,000. And yet, that’s exactly what Erin and Giles Graham did. If you’re planning on getting married one day, I hope this inspires you, because life is too darn long to spend $35,000 in one night.
