Getting hitched certainly isn't a cheap affair - in fact, couples spend an average of £32,000 tying the knot. Nowadays you need to save as much as a house deposit to cover the cost of a venue, photographer, dress, flowers and food. But there are savvy ways to reduce your expenditure and still enjoy your dream day.
One couple saved around £8,000 ($10,000) on their wedding by asking friends to bring their own food and shopping second-hand in charity shops instead of buying new. Bride Shelby Phelps, 26, was determined to keep costs low when she wed her partner Garret, 26, in front of 25 guests, so they roped in everyone to help.
The loved-up pair spent just £490 ($600) on their wedding and said it was "the most beautiful day of their lives" and they "wouldn't change a thing".
A friend was their photographer while another filmed a video, and a third baked their cake - carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
The groom's best men and bridesmaids bought their own outfits and the couple used what they could find to decorate, including wildflowers picked in their community.
Shelby, from Bryson City, North Carolina, US, said: "Everyone had a good time - we didn't need to spend thousands for it to be perfect.
"It was like God gifted us the most beautiful day humanly possible. There were butterflies everywhere - it was like a dream. Our ceremony took five minutes.
"We ended up having a bonfire celebration and since it was a common trail, we had random hikers coming through and hanging out with us - we danced to music until dark."
The duo met on Tinder in February 2017, then Shelby decided to drive an hour-and-a-half to meet Garret - and says it was the "best first date ever".
"I was going through a hard time in my life. We were messaging back and forth," she explained.
"He sent me a bible verse and I was super drawn to go on a first date with him.
"He made our entire dinner from scratch, we made Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders, crab rangoons. Garret was down to earth and made a lot of eye contact.
"This is a man that goes out of his way to be thoughtful in every single way, he is a true partner.
"Whenever I am doing anything or need help, he's the first person to step up and ask."
The couple didn't have a traditional proposal - Garret wrote a list of goals for the year and one of them was 'to marry Shelby in two weeks'.
Shelby and Garret, who can be found on TikTok @thecolorofflow, married early on 11 October, 2019, on a mountain in Bryson City, North Carolina, US.
Shelby's biggest goal was to "thrift a dress" and spent just £40 ($50) on a second-hand one in Poshmark, a resell marketplace.
"We live in a community of river guides and told people we didn't want gifts but if they wanted to show their talent they could take pictures, bake a cake and create the food," she said.
"One of our friends took the pictures, one friend made a wedding video, and another friend is insanely good at baking so made our cake. Anything that was decorated we used wildflowers we found."
Did you plan your wedding on a budget? We pay for stories. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
