Australia's big wedding website, Easy Weddings, released the results of their 2015 annual survey of around 2200 brides and grooms last week. And I'm not going to lie to you, there are some pretty scary figures in there. But if you look close, behind the stats, there is also some useful insider information that you could use to your advantage to get the very best result possible from your months (and months!) of wedding planning and your hard earned dollar.

Here are my top-line takeaways from this year's survey.

The costs of the average wedding are heading up and the last thing you want to do is to start your married life in crippling debt. So the best way to keep your spending within budget is to plan, plan and then plan a little bit more. The extra research and time you spend in the early stages, can save your sanity and cash further down the track.

Consider:

focusing on Your Top 3, as it will help you to qualify your spending. Stay honest with yourself and true to what really matters most; is what you think you want this week what you really want, from a big picture perspective,
an elopement-style or registry office private ceremony and a public party/reception afterwards ,
booking your wedding for 'off peak' - in Australia, this usually means Winter. For example, I offer my couples a $100 winter special discount for ceremonies booked for June, July or August every year and I know that several other vendors have similar discounts in place,
thinking local. According to the stats, most couples marry locally which is a great opportunity to put your money where your mouth is and support local businesses. Love who you work with - how they do things, WHY they do things, their talent, their art and their dedication. Boost your local community by making ethical choices. Support local wineries, producers and musicians. We have an amazing pool of talented and experienced vendors in SA. Get behind them and they will make your wedding day the realisation and experiential embodiment of your relationship.
embracing the trend of an intimate wedding. It is becoming increasingly common for weddings to invite less guests. I personally love the idea of only inviting your nearest and dearest - small weddings can be really cool.
booking your main wedding vendors (venue, photographer, celebrant) 12-18 months in advance. Vendor's fees (like inflation) only go one way - up! But some suppliers will honour their prices at the time you book with them, rather than their price at the time you actually marry, 12 -18 months down the track. Not everyone works that way, but it's always worth asking.

If you have any great tips or planning advice, please feel free to share it below.