When it comes to weddings, Australia’s biggest influencers are saying “I Do” to both the love of their life AND a selection of carefully hashtagged #sponsoredposts And, with everything from dream dresses to couture cakes all on the guest list, followers are are rightly curious in asking how much their favourite content creator actually paid for their big day …
To help crunch the nuptial numbers, leading bridalwear brand Gingham & Heels has joined forces with top wedding planner Kate Hart of Hey Lovers to lift the veil on the true cost of influencer weddings. And, with more and more opting to swap “something old, something new” for “something paid, something viewed,” their findings on how to fund a fairytale wedding are fascinating!
Leading the charge down the aisle of influencers turning wedding bells into brand deals is Tammy Hembrow. Her romantic Byron Bay wedding was estimated to cost over $227,000. But, with 17 million followers, Tammy could cover that in just four sponsored Instagram posts.
Meanwhile, fitness queen Kayla Itsines reportedly spent about $245,000 on her marquee wedding. However, with over 15 million followers, six sponsored posts would cover the entire celebration. That’s less than a week’s worth of wedding workout videos.
Even surfer gal Laura Enever can ride the influencer wave straight to wedded bliss. Her low-key Ibiza elopement cost an estimated $27,000. And, at $1,649 per post, she’d only need to hit ‘share’ 17 times to clear the bill.
Finally, Ella Ding of MAFS fame practically swept us of her feet when we learnt that her surprise wedding-slash-30th birthday bash came in at around $83,000. With over half a million followers, Ella could fund her entire Great Gatsby-inspired soiree in just 19 posts.
On the global stage … err… altar … the stats are similar. For example, Kelly Gale – supermodel and boho bride – had a slightly more down-to-earth desert wedding, ringing in at around $20,000. However, thanks to her 1.6 million followers, she could pay that off with just five posts. Talk about the tying the knot and tying up the budget at the same time!
As for mere about mere mortals getting married – ie the non-influencers among us – according to Kate Hart’s expert estimates, the average Aussie wedding now sits at around $83,350. And, if you’ve only got 1,000 followers, you’d need to post every single day for six years to earn enough through sponsorships to cover that cost. Talk about a long engagement.
According to Katherine Tsakonas, founder of Gingham & Heels, “Brand sponsorships have truly shaped the influencer economy. Whether it’s the gown, the venue, or the flowers, some influencers can fund their dream day with just a few strategic partnerships. For many brides, saving for a wedding takes years. For influencers, it can be as easy as hitting ‘post.’”
So, while most of us are budgeting for bombonieres and deciding whether we can really afford that fireworks display, your favourite Australian influencer wedding might be a little more focused on captions, collabs and content strategies.
Still, whether you’re saying “I do” in a castle, a desert, or your parents’ backyard, one thing remains true: a wedding should reflect your love – not your follower count. But, if you can score a free cake or gown along the way? Well, that’s just the icing on the (sponsored) cake.
