I made £800 at my own wedding by being one of UK’s tightest brides – I didn’t serve booze & asked for cash
IT’S wedding season and soon you’ll hear church bells jingle and credit cards beep.
There’s no doubt weddings are expensive with happy couples shelling out on average an eye-watering £25k for their big day.
Meanwhile, shops such as Shein and Temu have got in on brides’ desperate desire to save cash, flogging frocks for bargain prices.
But no one has gone as far as Nicole Summers from Syston, Leic., who might well be the UK’s cheapest bride – even asking those who came to her nuptials in April for cash.
On average she made just shy of £12 per person.
The cheeky 30-year-old stay-at-home mum, now wed to barber Shaun, 34, spoke to Anna Roberts and Alley Einstein.
AS I walked down the aisle and glimpsed Shaun, smart in his suit, my heart felt like it was beating a million times a minute.
But at the back of mind I couldn’t help but giggle – because I’d made a hell of a lot of money too.
I’d asked my 70 guests for money gifts only and insisted on a cash bar. I didn’t want china plates or toasters – I’ve got all that.
And whereas most brides create Pinterest boards of fancy dresses ranging in the £1.5k to £4k, my frock cost me just £90 from the Oxfam charity shop.
It did originally sell for £2.5k from Pronovias designer but – still with tags on – was sold off cheaply after a woman who’d called off her wedding donated it and I cashed in.
Wedding Dress Trends 2024
Sophie Creed, bridal designer and founder of bridal brand e&w Couture shared the most popular wedding dress designs for this year.
Sustainable Chic
Bridal fashion in 2024 is embracing a powerful shift towards sustainability, with brides looking closely at what fabrics are being used to make the dresses.
Many brides are also looking to wear a second-hand dress or a vintage number.
Boho Bliss
The bohemian aesthetic is effortless and laid-back elegance – ideal for relaxed weddings. Whether in a garden, on a beach, or under the stars, the boho trend is also great for nature-inspired weddings.
Couples opting for outdoor venues, and bohemian-inspired dresses with flowing silhouettes, floral lace, and whimsical details with blend in with the natural setting. It’s about bringing the romance of the outdoors into the wedding wardrobe.
Bohemian-inspired dresses often feature vintage-inspired lace, flowing sleeves, and ethereal details that stand the test of time.
Satin Elegance
Satin wedding dresses are capturing the hearts of brides who appreciate the marriage of modern simplicity and classic luxury.
This trend suits weddings that prioritize an elegant, refined aesthetic, making it an ideal choice for formal celebrations, chic city weddings, or any event where the bride envisions herself in a gown that exudes sophistication and grace.
Bold Romance
Oversized and bold modern showcase a shift in bridal fashion.
This trend is for the bride who dares to be different, breaking away from tradition and embracing a vibrant, contemporary aesthetic on the most important day of her life.
I’m sorry she might’ve suffered heartbreak but it was a banker for me – especially as my mum, Adele Clarke, 59, a retired post lady paid for it as a treat.
I spotted some secondhand shoes to match the gown and didn’t care they were from a charity shop – to me they looked perfect.
Brand new they should’ve cost £100 from Carvela, but I paid £5.
The charity shop gave me the mid-length veil with a headband attached for free, saving me another £300.
I figured if I could save thousands on my wedding gown and accessories, my three bridesmaids needed to do their bit.
Sale dresses from Asos – but she didn’t buy them!
I found their soft pink sequin full length gowns to perfectly match my pink and cream colour scheme on sale in Asos.
Instead of buying the dresses as a gift, I made my bridesmaids fork out for their outfits.
The dresses cost £20 in the sale instead of the full prices of £112.
The bridesmaids didn’t mind as long as the dress I chose could be worn again.
Every bride wants a beautiful bouquet and I did too. But I wanted to save cash, so I got to work, scouring my local Dunelm and B&M.
It cost me just £10 to pick up fake roses and baby’s breath. Then, using a ribbon from a charity shop, I made my bridal bouquet for £5.
A bouquet made from, um, glue?
I had loads left over so, armed with my trusty glue gun, I created posies for the bridesmaids and even corsages for the best man and three groomsmen.
I know some people think that’s tacky but I was determined to keep costs down. The average UK wedding costs £27k but I don’t have that kind of money to spare.
I think it’s bonkers that people spend what’s effectively a house deposit on a day – I know some people who are still paying off their weddings.
I even used the iron to steam open the fabric buds making the bouquets look even posher.
When I booked the golf club for the reception I wasn’t willing to tell the manager the event was a wedding.
When venues hear the words ‘bride and groom’ prices skyrocket.
A little white lie, but no guilt
So, and I don’t feel guilty about this as it’s no big deal to them, I booked the room for a ‘party’ not a ‘wedding party’ and paid just £150.
I wanted a budget-friendly snack option so I just gave people sweets.
Plus who wants the bother of catering for kids and dietary requirements? To compliment our sweets, I hired a lady who did candy floss and nachos. She cost £100 . People got to grab a snack when they wanted. The kids loved it. We fed 70 guests for £100 and it was lush.
The venue manager told us if we were bringing in food a cash bar would have to operate.
That suited me. Wedding bar bills can hit thousands of pounds.
I listed a cash bar operating on the invitations. I knew if someone thought paying for their wedding drinks was an etiquette fail they wouldn’t come.
Cash bar to save cash
I designed the wedding invitations on my phone. Instead of posh cards and stamps I emailed and WhatsApp-ed guests.
We got married at a registry office. The simple ceremony and the legal fees involved cost us £400 – that was the biggest cost.
I refused to fork out for confetti. I grabbed cream and pink crepe paper and sat for hours each night punching little confetti circles. I know people will consider this bonkers and say I should have splurged but I found it therapeutic.
Shein, Teum, Lidl and Aldi topped my shopping list for wedding decorations. I even found items in the grocery aisles. The glass domes with pampas grass in them became my centrepieces and cost us about £5.
I scavenged a disused piece of wood and used it as a display board – it looked so chic, so many guests commented on it.
His and her wedding bands can cost thousands so I bought nickel silver rings for less than £125.
Dos and don’ts of wedding dress codes
By Josie Griffiths, Fabulous deputy editor and bride-to-be.
Josie Griffiths said: I’ll never forget the wedding I went to in October 2022 where a guest wore a white dress.
It was ill-fitting, knee length and looked nothing like an actual wedding dress, but that didn’t stop everyone judging her.
The rules on wedding guest outfits – which are annoyingly loads stricter for women than they are for men – are meant to be about “not upstaging the bride”, which in reality is quite hard to do on someone else’s wedding day.
But if you get it wrong as a guest, you do end up looking a bit silly, and in front of loads of people who don’t know you personally.
It’s just not the occasion for your new white dress, as much as online stores love dumping them in the ‘wedding guest’ section.
I’d avoid anything too tight/short, and ditch super formal gowns unless the dress code calls for them – you don’t want to be in a full length sequin gown at a smart casual event.
Personally I don’t like black dresses either, it isn’t a funeral.
Otherwise you should be pretty safe. Technically wearing red means you’re in love with the groom, but that’s the kind of rule most people would scoff at nowadays.
I do always check what colour the bridesmaids are in, just to be safe, after the Spanish wedding where I watched them walk down the aisle in the exact same dress I’d had in my Asos shopping basket just weeks earlier.
If in doubt, safest to just double check with the bride… but if you’re already doubting your dress that might be all the answer you need.
People ask if I felt awkward saying ‘we only want money’ on the invites but I didn’t. I’ve got a house.
In the end we ended up with £800 or £11.42 from each person.
Everyone told me it was the best wedding they ever attended. People are now asking me for wedding advice. I am helping three people plan their weddings using my super money-saving ideas.
I know some people will tell me my frugal financing breached etiquette rules… who cares?
Charging your guests to celebrate your big day makes complete sense. The ‘I Do’ surcharge is something everyone should do. It’s why when I walked up the aisle I had an extra spark in my eye.
I think it was win win and kerching kerching for guests and us.
One guest said we’d started a trend. A costless wedding rather than a costly walkdown the aisle.
What does the groom think?
I loved helping Nicole with our super money-saving wedding.
After work each night we’d make decorations together.
“Nicole had amazing ideas and I was stunned by how she turned bargains into bridal bouquets and decorations’
“We agreed we wanted to avoid wedding debt. I am proud of how we saved money. It was an amazing wedding and proof you don’t need to spend thousands.
