I recently read an article in a newspaper in regards to the "average" cost of Australian weddings. The figure? $36,000. Yep, that's right, for all the brides out there spending under $20K, you are supposedly getting married in thin air and having a water and toast reception.

The wedding they used as an example in the article pictured a bride in her $10,000 dress. I'm sorry but when did spending half a home deposit on a dress become the norm? I spent nowhere near that amount on my incredibly beautiful wedding dress, but I’ve even noticed that whenever I proudly tell a few ladies of my bargain win and the price, their faces immediately drop as if they think I’m going to turn up in a garbage bag spray painted white.

As a younger couple about to get married, we are also renting and saving for a deposit so we've set our budget in the $13K mark (that’s the absolute most!) but, and maybe I’m deluding myself here, I REALLY don’t think any of the things we have chosen for our big day are of any less of a standard than the couple spending $36K on their day.

Even wedding TV shows make a point of indicating how much the couples have budgeted. Do we automatically rule out the lower spending couple from having an awesome wedding day? When did how much we spend become such an issue or competition? I sincerely take my hat off to all the beautiful couples featured in the real weddings section of Cosmo Bride, who manage to throw their special day on a budget and still have it turn out just as good as their higher spending counterparts. They are now my inspiration!

Is anyone else suffering from wedding budget paranoia? And what are your tips for keeping the costs down without sacrificing on style?