UK Couple Spends $1.50 on Their Wedding
Using found, recycled or donated items, the pair's only expense was a gown.
Sept. 4, 2013— -- With all of the bells, whistles, escort cards and apps designed to enhance weddings these days, it's easy for couples to quickly blow their budget. But a U.K. bride and groom are spending their honeymoon in frugal glory. According to the Daily Mail, they spent $1.50 on their wedding.
"'There is nothing to gain from spending a huge amount of money," Georgina Porteous, who lives with her groom Sid Innes in Inverness, Scotland, told the Daily Mail. "The day is supposed to be about marrying the person you love and for us all that mattered was that we were becoming husband and wife. We didn't want or need a big, fancy affair."
Instead, the couple wanted to take the money they might have spent on a lavish wedding and invest it in their home, or in a six-month trip, Innes explained in a video on nineMSN. "It seemed like quite a lot of money for such a one-off thing," he said.
To achieve its ambitiously low budget, the celebration relied upon using found, recycled or donated items and services from the 70 friends and family who attended: the rings were carved from antlers found in Porteous' garden, an aunt baked a three-tiered chocolate-orange cake, the bride's father played 1940s jazz on his saxophone for ambience.
"There was quite a relaxed atmosphere, and everyone was chatting to one another," Porteous told the Daily Mail. "Then when it got later, everyone was enjoying the music and joining in with all the dances."
Guests had all been asked to bring food and drink to the reception, which took place in a barn behind the couple's residence. The vicar and photographer had both waived their fees in exchange for something else: guest donations to the local church and film editing services, respectively.
Aside from the required marriage license fee of 70 pounds, the only money the couple spent on their nuptials went to Porteous' wedding dress. The handmade 1960s-style gown was found on freecycle.com, where users can swap unwanted, used items. The bride bought it for 1 pound (approximately $1.50).
After reveling in their eco-conscious affair, the newlyweds decided to splurge a bit on a honeymoon in Berlin, where they had also gotten engaged.
"We love it, and we have friends living there, so we will still be able to save some money," said the bride.