Weddings are booming post-pandemic with an 81% rise in couples truing the knot since the end of rolling lockdowns.
But as the cost of living crisis worsens, is it possible to say, “I Do” without breaking the bank?
Being frugal is in fashion for both economic and environmental reasons.
Recently married Finn Ni Fhaolain says you can have a dream wedding for less than €2,000. This is less than a tenth of the €25,000 found to be the average spend on the Big Day in a survey by Confetti magazine.
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Marine biologist, chef and surfer Finn, who lives in Bundoran, Co Donegal, says sustainability is the key to limiting on spend. She married Dutchman Huib on the Portuguese island of Madeira in February last year.
Finn, 31, told the Irish Mirror how and why she had such a thrifty wedding.
She added: “I work in sustainability – as a marine biologist, sustainability is very important to me.
“We got married –just ourselves, a registrar and a translator. We had a very small party after the ceremony in Madeira.
“The biggest cost for us was the wedding planner and she doubled up as a translator too. She organised all of our paperwork and translated the ceremony, and it was lovely.
“My dress cost €20 on Depop, and it fit like a glove. I wore black cowboy boots and my husband wore mostly black. So I just stitched a black velvet ribbon on to my dress.
“It was all second-hand.”
Her grandmother Catherine Stapleton inspired Finn’s sense of pre-loved style.
Finn, who is originally from Dublin, explained: “It was my granny who got me into second-hand shopping, she lived in Dundrum and was obsessed with the Oxfam shop around the corner.”
She carried a hand-made bouquet, with all locally-sourced flowers.
She said: “I made my own bouquet, Madeira is famous for tropical flowers.
“So I just went to the older flower-sellers at the markets in Madeira and bought flowers from there. They were really sweet and they gave me the greenery for free.
“As it was Covid, there were curfews, so we treated ourselves to stay in an Eco Hotel.” (an environmentally sustainable hotel.)
“It was lovely to support a local business and they made a big fuss of us.”
Finn’s wedding bouquet cost €20, including the ribbons. Pre-made bouquets start around €100.
Finn - who now goes under her arried name Finn Van Der Aar - adds: “Making up the bouquet myself was fun - and a steal too.”
Finn and Huib, 32, had their honeymoon at an Eco Hotel for four nights with breakfast and dinner every night and a massage for bride and groom at a cost of €600.
She adds: “If you include the planner, the paperwork and clothes for the bride and groom, plus a drinks reception at a hotel bar for friends, we got everything for under €2,000.”
The couple have a special reason to celebrate their sustainable lifestyles, with Finn due her first baby later this Summer.
