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A bride admitted that spending nearly $100,000 on her wedding was a “huge waste of money,” but she doesn’t regret a thing.
Claudia Sokolova, 26, and her now-husband Nick, 29, from Sydney, exchanged vows in front of 68 guests in August after three years of dating.
Claudia, a marketing executive, told FEMAIL that 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 over again. But it is a long and very expensive process that generates a lot of stress.’
Claudia Sokolova, 26, and her now-husband Nick, 29, exchanged vows in front of 68 guests in August after three years of dating.
The couple spent nearly $100,000 on all wedding-related expenses, including a month-long honeymoon in Bali.
The price of the bridal party, bachelorette night, and her month-long honeymoon in Bali was also included in the total. They also paid most of it themselves from their savings, but had 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, breads, a huge grazing platter, several salads, Nutella crepes, panna cotta and more.
There were also expenses that Claudia admits could have been avoided, like $2,500 on Botox and filler and the $120 wedding dress, but she wanted them.
“At the end of the day, your wedding will be about what you and your partner want and what is within your financial means,” she said.
And spending almost $100,000 on the wedding was going to make the couple happy, so they did it.
“If you’re not someone who deals well with stress, you’re introverted, you don’t like too many eyes on you, and you don’t want to spend money, then maybe you should reconsider the size and cost of your wedding,” she added. .
“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,” Claudia explained.
The place was the most expensive: $20,000.
‘People romanticize DIY a lot. “No one thinks about how long it will take you to do all those little jobs,” she said.
The couple met through a mutual friend, but by that time Claudia was “over dating.” 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 to kiss him and he gave me his cheek, but in retrospect I now know it’s because of what a gentleman he is.”
Since Claudia has a background in marketing and events, planning the wedding was not stressful and she enjoyed organizing everything.
“I’ve planned events for years, so I knew what I was getting into,” he said.
‘It’s an exhausting process, but for me it’s where I thrive. Not everyone will have the same experience. I’m probably in the one per cent who loves doing these things.’
She added that many people think that planning a wedding involves simply “ordering some food, drinks and a dress,” but there are many more layers to it than that.
The hardest part, he said, was when it came to “money and family.”
“Everyone has their opinion, but no one pays the bill except me.” The family wants to invite other people you’ve never met and they ask you: do you know how much it costs per head to have someone at your wedding? Claudia said.
For $5,650 they hired Bumpy Road Catering and offered shared plates of pork, chicken, gnocchi, breads, a huge grazing platter, several salads, Nutella crepes, panna cotta and more.
When asked if she would do anything differently, Claudia said “no” other than “soak in a little more of the day.” Instead of a guest book, they had an audio phone for attendees to leave a special message (left) and there was a cocktail hour (right)
While many people try to cut wedding costs by making items themselves, Claudia offered a “reality check” and said the final product might not be as cheap as you think.
‘People romanticize DIY a lot. Nobody thinks about how long it will take you to do all those little jobs,” she said.
‘If you have the tenacity to go to the flower market at 4 in the morning and make all your bouquets yourself, I take my hat off to you.
“From my years of event planning and marketing, I knew how long everything really takes.”
Since she was working full time, owning a business, and in the middle of wedding planning, Claudia threw out some DIY ideas, like the invitations.
But the time it was going to take to do everything and the cost of the raw materials were not worth it.
‘It wasn’t going to make that much difference with getting a decent price from a good supplier. You have to really consider both sides,” he said.
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 are and take things step by step.
There were times when the couple sat down and considered canceling the entire event for financial reasons.
They thought about putting their money elsewhere, but at the end of the day, what they both wanted was a big wedding to celebrate their marriage.
‘I have a large family, I have been dreaming of my wedding day since I was little, it is something I have always wanted. And my husband also wanted a big party with all of his colleagues,” said Claudia.
They thought about putting their money elsewhere, but at the end of the day, what they both wanted was a big wedding to celebrate their marriage.
She added that some on social media have criticized her for spending so much money that could have been used for a deposit on a house, but she disagrees.
“The median price of a house in our suburb is $1.2 million; we can’t afford it now,” he said.
When asked if she would do anything differently, Claudia said “no” other than “soak in a little more of the day.”
‘We could have saved an extra thousand dollars here and there, we could have bought $9 bottles of wine instead of drinking cocktails. But the reality is that weddings cost a lot of money,” he 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 are and take things step by step.
He said there will also always be the “wedding tax” – items cost twice as much simply because they are for a wedding.
“Look for different quotes, but remember that you will always get what you pay for in the wedding industry,” she said.