Pete and Rhian didn’t have a theme for their west country wedding – all they knew was that they wanted to keep things thrifty. With a budget of just £6,500 they were able to strip things back, make clever choices and have a wedding which still felt like ‘them’ without costing a fortune! They had a register office ceremony, followed by a DIY reception at The Radnor Rooms, Bristol.

What made this wedding really special was their commitment to ignoring what was expected or going down the usual wedding industry-prescribed routes. Rhian’s dress came from House of CB and the groom wore a suit handmade by his mum with cowboy boots from a charity shop! Hair and make up was self-done, the bridesmaids wore secondhand dresses found on Vinted and the cake, flowers and DJing were both done by members of the bridal party, too.

“The main idea for us was just to keep costs as low as possible and enjoy having all our friends and families together”, the bride told us. “I think we were quite resourceful in planning and we’re lucky to have various talented friends and family members that were able to help us out.”

Their ceremony was short and simple so they could get onto the part they were most excited about – the party! “For music our friends DJ’d, but the set that got the most people dancing was the emo classics which was very fun!” Rhian explained. “We also loved going off for couples photos and doing shots in the nearby Wetherspoons!”

Overall they were so happy they went with a simple and stress-free wedding. “We were really happy with how the day went considering our budget – we think we did really well”, Rhian concluded. “It feels like a lot of the focus in the wedding industry is around how big a show you put on and how good your amenities are… But ultimately, as long as you have all your loved ones there, nice food, good drinks, good music and a great photographer to capture the memories, that’s all that matters.”