A bride has revealed how she pulled off her dream wedding for just £1,700 – and even bagged a stunning dress for just £15.
Tyler Griffith tied the knot with husband Cameron Griffith, 24, in May and the couple vowed to keep wedding costs to a minimum.
The 25-year-old spent six months hunting for bargains, buying second-hand and taking on DIY projects to create their perfect day.
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Tyler says the day was “everything she’d ever dreamed of”.
“The day was amazing from start to finish and was everything I’ve ever dreamed of as a little girl,” Tyler, from Manchester, told What’s The Jam.
“It was most certainly my dream wedding.
“I managed to cover absolutely everything that I wanted and we had the best time with friends and family.
“I definitely think couples feel pressured to spend more than they can afford and we didn’t want to fall into that trap for us the day and spending time together was the most important thing.
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“We didn’t want to stress ourselves out with things costing too much and decided to do it as budget as we could.”
In the UK, the average wedding costs around £20,000.
The pair exchanged vows in their local church before celebrating with 25 friends and family at a nearby party venue.
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The savvy bride snapped up her mermaid-style Shein wedding dress for just £15 on Vinted, while accountant Cameron also found his £40 suit on the app before having it tailored for just £15 by a local seamstress.
The church ceremony cost £625, while the reception venue came in at £500, including a hot and cold buffet.
The couple spent £180 on hair and make-up, £180 on photography, £200 on decorations and £80 on their cake.
The remaining costs covered finishing touches including an £8 bouquet, £1.60 jewellery, a £4 veil, 30 party favours for £11, £3 confetti bags, an £8 welcome sign, a £5 guestbook, a £13 box for cards and a £23 aisle runner – all of which came from online retailer Shein.
They also enlisted friends and family’s help to create their own table centrepieces that set them back £7 each.
Stay-at-home mum Tyler said: “On my wedding day, I felt the most beautiful I’ve ever felt in my life.
“My first reaction when I tried the dress on was, ‘Wow.’
“I was so shocked by the quality and how beautiful it looked.
“None of my guests thought it was from Shein and they were very surprised when I told them.
“I feel I saved hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.
“I’d never planned to buy from a bridal boutique because it wasn’t within my price range.
“I personally find them too expensive.
“I ordered it because it looked similar to another dress I wanted that cost a lot more money.
“It was actually the first dress I tried on and I immediately fell in love with it.
“I still looked at other dresses afterwards, but I kept coming back to the first one.”
Tyler and Cameron first met online through a mutual friend while they were both at college. Cameron proposed at Red Wharf Bay on Anglesey, Tyler’s favourite beach, in July last year.
She said: “I felt very emotional and immediately started crying with happiness.
“We did start planning the wedding pretty much straight away because we were both so excited and couldn’t wait to start planning.
“We had a rough budget and we knew we wanted to keep it simple and not spend a fortune.
“For me, it was about the day more than anything else.”
Tyler believes couples shouldn’t feel pressured to spend beyond their means simply because they’re getting married.
She added: “I definitely think couples feel pressured to spend more than they can afford and we didn’t want to fall into that trap.
“For us, the day and spending time together was the most important thing.
“We didn’t want to stress ourselves out with things costing too much and decided to do it as budget as we could.
“My advice would be to scope about everywhere and always look at other alternatives and options before buying something or booking something.
“There is almost always another way around it but at the same if you really need to spend that money, don’t be afraid to do it.
“After all, it is your wedding day.
“We were aware that some things were going to be costly and non negotiable.”
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