'Run away with me': Aussie couples swap big weddings for elopement intimacy

The quiet marriage ceremony, witnessed only by their parents, a celebrant and the seagulls circling Frederick Henry Bay, was the doting couple's dream wedding.

They are among other Australian couples who are choosing the flexibility and intimacy of eloping over a traditional wedding.

"My idea of a wedding is celebrating my love with my husband, that's all that matters to me," Mrs Madam said.

"For me, that's what eloping was: making sure that there was nothing else to think about. No guests, entertaining, and making sure everyone else is ok, I just wanted the whole day to be about us," she said.

"I am known to be a little bit of a stress-head, a control freak, and I have never been so laid back in my life. I feel like anything could have gone wrong, and I wouldn't have cared because it was so perfect and cruisy."

And it's easy to see the financial appeal of a wedding with four guests.

The average wedding has 88 guests, according to the 2025 Australian Wedding Industry Report.

Couples start their planning process with an average budget of $27,455 but end up spending $35,315, the report found.

It's not just the venue, the catering, the hair and makeup. Couples are spending an average of $945 on wedding invitations and $889 on bomboniere.

The report found that 10 per cent of couples who were feeling the cost-of-living pinch during the planning process decided to cut guest numbers to lower their expenses.

Nicola Bodle, a wedding photographer based in Coffs Harbour, said her clients' faces "light up" in wedding planning meetings when they realise they don't have to conform to traditions.

"I always say to people when they contact me, 'you know, there are absolutely no rules -- all you need is a celebrant, two witnesses, and to say a couple of legal words'," she said.

READ MORE: Wedded to the drinks cart: how to save money popping corks on the big day

"Everything else is totally up to you," the Fox and Kin owner said.

"We can go down to the river, have a swim and say some vows."

She said the definition of eloping had "evolved and changed over time" but that it tended to be a simple, intimate ceremony with the couple and a handful of witnesses.

Eloping had maintained popularity after COVID-19 lockdowns forced many couples' hands, she said.

"When the world shut down and all these weddings got cancelled, a lot of people started eloping in 2020 and 2021," Ms Bodle said.

But since then, even when people could have bigger weddings, many have opted for an elopement, she said.

"I think [the lockdowns] allowed people to start saying 'our wedding day is for us'," the photographer said.

While most couples, 91 per cent, get married in their home state or territory, seven per cent travel interstate and two per cent have an overseas wedding.

The Madams, who live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, travelled to a scenic Hobart Airbnb for their wedding.

Mrs Madam said the couple enjoyed a morning walk near the ocean before her husband-to-be napped on the couch while she had her makeup done.

They said their vows when they were ready.

"We just didn't want to be stuck to time frames. We went with the flow," she said.

"We had a few drinks, danced around, got photos on our terms, we weren't rushing or needing to appease anyone."

Bindi Irwin, like her mother, met and fell in love with her future husband at Australia Zoo.

She and husband Chandler Powell were among the couples forced to have a small wedding by COVID-19.

But the wildlife advocate said she cherished her wedding at her family zoo.

"Australia Zoo is our home and the most magical place in the world to have a wedding," she said.

Scott and Arrianne also chose the animal sanctuary for their wedding.

"We would highly recommend eloping at Australia Zoo. We have the most magical memories and of course unforgettable photos," the couple said.

They said it was "an incredible life experience".