The Quest For The Perfect Wedding

Competitive Wedding Syndrome (CWS)

CWS is causing couples to ditch the humble wedding in favour of a lavish day featuring the who's who of designers and caterers. Celebrity weddings like that of Kim Kardashian only add to the growing epidemic, pushing average wedding costs skyward. A quick search online will show you that the average wedding is costing couples in excess of $65,000! In some states and cities the cost of a wedding is outweighing a deposit on your first home. Ouch! The case for CWS becomes even stronger when we go back in time. Wind back the clock to 2012/13 and the average wedding would set you back approximately $35,000. That's an increase of $30,000 -- surely we can't blame that growth on inflation... ‍

Wind back the clock to 2012/13 and the average wedding would set you back approximately $35,000. That's an increase of $30,000

‍ So how do you know if you've got CWS? Well, is Matt Moran personally catering? Has Carolina Herrera put Michelle Obama on hold to make the final touches on your tailored dress? There are those that will say it was totally worth it, but as more couples foot the bill with limited help from their families, the question must be asked; "how on earth are you going to pay for this?"

If your credit card is the payment method of choice, think again. In research carried out earlier this year * 11% of Australian millennials regret putting their wedding expenses on their credit card. Credit cards are a convenient way to shop, but with interest rates of up to 20%, repaying your debt is no easy feat. It can take up to 31 years to pay off a mere $4,400 on the plastic if you just pay the minimum monthly amount. That may just cover your photographer and MC for the day, but will cost you way more in the long run. And let's face it, you want to live with the memories, not the debt!

Using a SocietyOne wedding loan tailors the interest rate to your credit history.The better your credit history the lower the rate. You can borrow up to $50,000 with interest rates starting at 7.88% (9.90% p.a. comparison rate) for borrowers with an excellent credit rating.