This savvy mum has revealed how she managed to pull off a beautiful wedding day for just over £1,000.
Lana Richardson and her partner, Stephen Kearney, got married for a total of £1,115 after deciding they’d rather not splash out too much 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.
They also planned the wedding in just six weeks!
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.
Despite being six months pregnant, Lana decided to take on the added stress of doing her own hair and makeup, allowing the couple to save stacks on professional beauty artists.
The newlyweds landed lucky with bigger costs being taken care of.
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, a £25 bouquet from a local flower shop.
With only 13 guests attending, Lana told how the day was intimate but was perfect for what she 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 on January 23rd and ended up making no progress with wedding planning so just did it.”
In terms of regrets, her only one was that they didn’t invite more extended family and that they didn’t hire a photographer, but with such short notice they made do.
Lana added: “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!”
Here’s Lana’s full cost breakdown:
- 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
Now that is how you do a budget friendly wedding!