Modern weddings: Our tattoos against the world: Australia’s ‘well-oiled’ micro-wedding machine

In a sun-filled room in Melbourne’s inner north, Tara and Marina Hart are getting couple tattoos on one of the happiest days of their lives.

The two university librarians walked down a eucalyptus-lined aisle together and said “I do” in front of 20 relatives, who then showered them with rose petals in a back alley.

By the time they had their matching heart and sword tattoos, the guests had already dispersed and the next wedding had begun.

Tara and Marina are among a growing number of couples forgoing grand weddings in favor of smaller, cheaper ceremonies, ranging from as little as $400 to several thousand dollars, arguing that the traditional wedding industry doesn’t reflect modern relationships, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the cost of living crisis.

The couple were married at Flash Romantics in Brunswick, a wedding venue that hosts six weddings in one day and which owner Sass Cocker describes as “a well-oiled machine”.

“A wedding can be whatever you want it to be,” Coker said.

The real “we”: husband and wife go their separate ways

Tara and Marina had been “casually” talking about getting married, but the lure of a flash tattoo wedding accelerated their relationship.

Tara proposed just weeks after the studio announced their wedding date – and the couple, from Ascot Vale in Melbourne’s north-west, wanted to tie the knot in a cool, quirky and affordable way after two years together.

“People were so surprised… We were like, ‘We’re getting married in a tattoo parlor,'” Tara said.

To celebrate their wedding, couples are getting tattoos of everything from croissants to pet portraits.

Some, like the Harts, decided to choose a new shared surname rather than keep their own, and not all couples were legally married, or even all guests had legal surnames.

“We have commitment ceremonies for polyamorous people,” Coker said.

“My partner and I can witness their triumphs and we can all celebrate them.”

Coker, who uses “they” pronouns, runs a tattoo studio called Little Gold, which originally planned to host “flash romance” events in 2022. They have since completely changed their business model and now host three flash weddings and couples tattoo events per year.

“With tattoos instead of rings, only inviting a few selected family members, dogs, DIY and second-hand store wedding clothes – I think it’s appropriate for these gay people to do things their way,” Coker said.

Reduce stress: Embrace integration

Across town in Melbourne’s north-east, at The Altar Electric bar, a DJ spun music beneath a spinning disco ball while a bartender in work clothes served champagne at a leopard-print bar.

Co-owner Sarah Dobson, wearing a jumpsuit and silver platform boots, took her seat at the altar: a pink, tinsel-decorated stage adorned with a giant blue sky heart.

Sarah told the couple’s dozens of guests: “When you strip away all the stuff – all the nonsense, the distractions, the excitement, the drama – that can come with a big wedding … you realise that nothing really matters other than this: This is Alan, this is Daniel.

“In peace, love and rock, you are officially married!”

Daniel and Ellen Wessel, a physiotherapist and nurse respectively living in Wagga Wagga in outback New South Wales, initially wanted to elope overseas in the simplest way possible.

Ultimately, they decided to host an “all-inclusive” event with just friends and family. The couple met while working at Domino’s a decade ago and eventually bonded over their love of music.

“Everybody goes to the barn; everybody goes to the farm; everybody wears chinos, boots and blazers,” Daniel said.

“We’ve done a lot of this. We want this to be our own thing.”

Lying on the sofa a few minutes after the ceremony, Ellen said: “I’m really relaxed this morning. I’ve been a bridesmaid twice and I did both weddings myself. There’s so much to take into account; it’s so much.”

Six in 10 wedding professionals in Australia and New Zealand say couples will invite fewer guests by 2024, according to wedding planning marketplace Wedshed.

The company surveyed nearly 600 wedding operators and found that 90% of weddings were service elopements or small weddings with fewer than 40 guests.

“Those who attended small weddings (during the pandemic) experienced the specialness and sense of connection that weddings can bring, and those of us watching from the sidelines suddenly began to gain satisfaction from these heartwarming celebrations that showcased couples enjoying one-on-one time with friends and family,” said Amy Parfett, co-founder of Wedshed.

“The perception is that the smaller the wedding, the less logistical, financial and even emotional stress there will be.”

“Cheap and simple”: budget is a badge of honor

Presenter Kate Morgan recalled meeting a couple on their bike ride when they stopped to rest at Ormond Point in Elwood, south-east of Melbourne.

She married the couple on the spot, both of them dressed in sportswear, and her father and son were also present to witness the ceremony.

“They put their certificates in their backpacks and rode off down the track,” Morgan said.

Morgan’s business partner, Mel Jacob, came up with the idea for “I Do Drive Thru” in 2020, and it took off internationally during the pandemic — partly out of necessity, partly out of novelty.

Since then, they have expanded their business scope, and “I Do” provides 2 to 10 minutes wedding ceremonies in various places.

Their most popular service is “Intense Tuesday” which costs $400 – a far cry from the average $33,810 spent by Australian couples, according to an industry report by wedding services company Easy Weddings.

“Oftentimes, smaller weddings are more emotionally resonant because larger weddings have become big Instagram-worthy events,” Morgan said.

“I cried a lot myself because this story is about two people who just want to express how much they love each other.”

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 118,000 couples got married in Australia last year, down from the all-time high of about 127,000 in 2022 after the peak of the pandemic.

Lawrence and Caitlin Antonio invited just a few friends to Kirribilli on Sydney’s lower north shore to witness their elopement.

The New Zealand couple met at university nine years ago and had been postponing their wedding because of the cost of the wedding. They couldn’t imagine going into debt to hold a grand wedding. The couple, both land surveyors, finally got married this month during a business trip to Sydney.

Lawrence had to buy the blazer days in advance because of a tailoring error.

“I loved this wedding because it was short and simple; it was cheap and it was effortless. It actually put the focus on us — which really suits me,” Lawrence said.

Wedshed reports that most wedding professionals say couples will be more budget-conscious by 2024. Nearly three-quarters said bookings had fallen in the past 12 months, which Parfett says is due to couples downsizing their weddings.

Lauren Rosewarne, a social scientist at the University of Melbourne who specialises in popular culture, said some of the factors driving couples to cut wedding costs could be long-term.

“It’s unlikely that living and housing, for example, will suddenly become a lot cheaper. With that in mind, I think the idea of ​​getting married in small groups is likely to continue,” Rosewarne said.

Sarah believes small weddings are only going to grow in popularity.

“(People) just want something affordable but meaningful,” she said.

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