A couple spent just £2,600 on their wedding by booking the venue for FREE and buying flowers from Morrisons.
Ellie Cato, 22, and her partner Dave, 28, wanted to get married but had to stick to a tight budget after using their savings to buy a house.
The mother of two was not afraid to ask for favours and got the venue (the function room of her village men’s club) for free.
She wore a wedding dress from a charity shop (originally worn by her mother Jenny Lyndon, 49, on her big day) and spent just £47 on four bridesmaid dresses from Shein and Pretty Little Thing.
They found a package that included their buffet, drinks and decor for just £900 in a Boxing Day deal.
Ellie, 22, and Dave, 28, tied the knot earlier this year after meeting while both working in a hotel.
Ellie and Dave Cato got married earlier this month, but they didn’t want to spend a fortune on their nuptials, so they looked for deals wherever they could
The couple spent £2,687 in total, saving £17,313 on the average UK wedding price of £20,000.
Ellie, who works in a cafe in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, said: ‘It was our day.
“We didn’t want anything special. Everyone pitched in. I asked people for help.”
Ellie met Dave, a purchasing assistant, in 2018 when they were both working in a hotel.
Ellie and Dave “didn’t want anything fancy” for their wedding day, so they asked friends and family for help in any way they could.
The couple bought their wedding flowers from Morrisons and found a catering deal for their cake, other food and alcohol for £900 in a Boxing Day sale.
Ellie and the bridesmaids’ bridal bouquets were purchased from Morrisons.
The pair were first friends before hitting it off and Dave proposed in August 2019.
A year later they welcomed their daughter, Esmae, now three, and bought their house.
In January 2022 they decided to plan their wedding.
Ellie said: “I said ‘let’s get married’. I knew I wanted to do it as cheaply as possible. All we cared about was the food and the DJ.”
Ellie’s dress was her mother’s, which in turn had previously been obtained from a charity shop.
The couple held their wedding ceremony in a church before their reception at a local venue that hosted them for free.
Ellie’s dad walked her down the aisle at church before she said “I do” to Dave.
The couple kept the details of their wedding low-key, with Ellie doing her own make-up while Dave bought a £200 suit from M&S, which he has worn several times since.
The wedding reception venue allowed Ellie and Dave to host their guests for free since they were locals.
Ellie revealed that many of their decorations were secondhand and they enlisted the help of family and friends for the day.
Ellie and her bridesmaids did their own makeup for the day, as Ellie has “never been a makeup person.”
Ellie was trying on her mother’s wedding dress to see if it would fit and she heard her parents getting excited and knew she had to wear it.
She said: “I bought it from a charity shop. It was really beautiful. I didn’t have to make any alterations to it, it just fit.”
Ellie bought her two sage bridesmaid dresses from Shein for £10 and two from Pretty Little Thing for £13.50.
Dave bought his suit from M&S for just £200 and has been wearing it ever since.
The couple tied the knot surrounded by family and friends in Leicestershire.
Ellie’s bridesmaids wore dresses from Pretty Little Thing and Shein.
She said: ‘They looked just as good as the ones you pay hundreds of dollars for.
‘The most I paid was for food and decorations.’
Ellie lucked out after finding a deal on a £900 wedding package sale for her food, drink and decorations to deck out the reception venue.
The day before the wedding, Ellie bought £30 worth of flowers from Morrisons and used ribbons from eBay to make her bouquets.
One day, she did her own makeup and had a friend do her and her bridesmaids’ hair for just £20.
Ellie said: “I’m not really into makeup. We just did it ourselves.”
The couple married at their local church on 4 June 2022, with Ellie’s parents kindly paying the £550 donation as a wedding gift.
They spent the rest of the night in the village’s men’s club function room and hired a DJ for £170, but their friends did make-up sets for the rest of the entertainment.
Her great uncle, Mike, an amateur photographer, took photos of the couple throughout the day for free.
Ellie said: “I asked him if he would like to take our wedding day photo and he was very honoured. They look very professional.”
The couple were thrilled with their wedding and said they made sure their day was special for them, not their guests.
Ellie said: ‘You feel like royalty when it’s all about you. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it. They’re invited, they should feel privileged. What matters is that we’re happy.
She continued: “People ask ‘how did you do it so cheap?’. It’s what you go for on your special day.
“People spend years saving up. You can find expensive things second-hand.”
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