With a total spend of £6,000, Nicole and Garin’s wedding was all about the DIY. After their registry office ceremony, they hosted a garden party reception in their own home. Not only did doing almost everything themselves save a ton of cash, but they were able to do it exactly how they wanted.

The day was not defined by a strict colour palette or theme; they wanted it to feel authentic to them, spontaneous and laid back. “We just wanted everyone to have a lovely day with plenty to eat and drink,” Nicola shared.

Everything was DIY – the flowers, the bar, the invites – in fact the only person other than the photographer that they paid to do something was the barman, a close friend of their son. Their reception was a true labour of love, with the couple transforming their garage into a bar area and setting up tables, chairs and lighting outside. “Our budget was pretty tight”, Nicola said, “and while it would have been nice to have some things like the food organised by someone else, we couldn’t justify the expense. The biggest cost was all the alcohol – we had loads left over too!”

Despite the challenges of organising such a DIY wedding, Nicola and Garin loved the process and the day itself was a beautiful blur. “The best part of the wedding was looking across the garden and seeing everyone’s happy faces, feeling the love for us in that moment,” the bride reminisced. “The only thing we’d change is we wish we could have fitted one more table in to have more guests!”