This savvy mum has revealed how she managed to pull off a beautiful wedding day for just over £1,000 and all with planning it over six weeks.
Lana Richardson, 33, and her partner, Stephen Kearney, 39, got married for a total of £1,115 after deciding not to splash out on the big day.
The couple from Belfast, Northern Ireland, have revealed how they cut costs and had their dream wedding on a tight budget by buying things from Vinted and even doing hair and makeup themselves.
Lana said: “We were having our second baby and couldn’t justify the cost of a big wedding so when I was six months pregnant, I made a snap decision to just do it as soon as possible.”
After deciding to ditch the idea of a glam wedding, the couple decided to plan out their entire wedding with just six weeks until the big day.
The smart thinking bride found unique ways to cut her costs including paying just £10 for her son’s suit by finding a good deal on Vinted and even using a voucher to bag a night in a top hotel in the area.
Although six months pregnant, Lana also took on the stress of doing her own hair and makeup, allowing her to save stacks on professional beauty artists.
The newlywed pair landed lucky with bigger costs being taken care as their wedding rings were family heirlooms passed down to them and generous family members even helped to pay for their dinner reservation after the ceremony.
Lana revealed how she frantically ran around the day before her wedding to find the perfect fresh bouquet and ended up getting exactly what she was looking for £25 from a local flower shop.
With only 13 guests attending, Lana told how the day was intimate but was perfect for what her and her husband wanted.
She said: ” I used to write for a wedding magazine and had complete decision fatigue because I’d seen so many possibilities. We got engaged in January 23rd and ended up making no progress with wedding planning so just did it.
“In terms of regrets, I wish I’d invited extended family and maybe had around 30-50 guests and I would have liked a photographer but it was such late notice and we couldn’t find anyone.
“We didn’t really have to give anything up to be honest, we had all that we wanted.
“Most people told us they wish they’d done it our way because there was no stress of planning and zero debt afterwards.
“Best part of the day was the ceremony itself, it was intimate and a bit chaotic because my two-year-old kept trying to take his suit off and asking the woman officiating if he was getting married!”
It may not have been the best idea for the couple to have a big wedding, however, as there are some wedding requirements which would cause people to refuse to attend.
This is what many people said when Redditor Glittering-alarm7671 on shared the dress code for a wedding she was attending – tan and cream.
After sharing the three dresses she was considering, people were quick to debate the choice of colours for the dress code.
“I hate it. EVERYONE will have to shop for this wedding,” said one person.
Another agreed: “This one is beyond bananas.”
A third said: “Not going to lie, I’d probably skip the whole dang wedding out of sheer annoyance.
“Dictating what color palette guests wear is obnoxious enough, but beige?”
A brreakdown of Lana and Stephen's budget wedding
Dress and shoes – £100
Ceremony – £180
Dinner and venue hire – £800 (paid for by family)
Son’s suit – £10
Flowers – £25
Hair and makeup – free
Rings – free
Hotel stay – free
Groom’s suit – free