couples

"My wedding cost $1.70"

The average Australian wedding costs $36,000. For something that only lasts a few hours, that's pretty mind-blowing.

One couple in the UK has decided to do things differently, setting a budget of one British pound (that's $1.70) for their big day.

Wait, what?

Georgina, 36 is an artist and Sid, 39, is a singer-songwriter. They first laid eyes on each other at an art fair in Glasgow in 2009. The rest is frugal history. He proposed in Berlin last year and the couple have settled in Inverness in Scotland.

They wanted their wedding to reflect their lifestyle. They are dedicated to recycling and self-sufficiency.

The couple reached out to friends on Facebook.

The dress

Georgina found her dress on freecycle.com, a site that offers goods for free, exchange or for very little. The 1960s vintage gown was the only expense and cost $1.70. Typical bride spending the entire wedding budget on a dress! Sid wore an old tweed suit he has owned for years.

The ring

They wedding rings were hand-crafted by Georgina using antlers she found in their garden. Yes, we said antlers.

The venue

The couple decided to get married in the barn behind their cottage home. They decorated the venue with flowers donated by local growers and bales of hay from farmers. Her mother Susanne was the MC and her father Harry entertained the crowd with his saxophone.

The ceremony

Local reverend Peter Donald pronounced them husband and wife and guests made a donation to his church in exchange.

ADVERTISEMENT

The photographer

An official wedding photographer worked for free in exchange for Georgina offering her freelance film editing services to him.

The food

The reception was a picnic and each guest had to bring a plate and drink. How fun. They dined on home-made quiches, sausage rolls, boiled potatoes, fresh bread and salad.

The cake

Georgina's aunt baked the cake. It was a three-tiered chocolate orange cake.

"I don't see the point in these massive weddings," the happy bride said. "It takes away from what marriage is truly about."

'There is nothing to gain from spending a huge amount of money. 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.'

They are splurging on their honeymoon though, spending  month in Berlin. Georgina explained that while they will spend more money on their honeymoon than on their actual wedding they will still be able to save because they have so many friends living there.

Because that's exactly the kind of house guests you want on your doorstep...newlyweds who are trying to save.

Congratulations Georgina and Sid!

How did you save money on your wedding?

We think Georgina and Sid's wedding cake, baked by their aunt, was simply beautiful. Much better than some of these wedding cake fails.

Georgina and Sid photo and video credit YouTube. Wedding cake gallery by Alex Lily.