Planning a wedding when you’re cash-strapped sounds like a nightmare, but for these newlyweds, it was a “fairytale dream come true.”
Mom-of-two Diana Hill had always wanted to get married on a gorgeous sandy beach, wearing a beautiful dress and sipping Champagne.
And through some clever tricks, she achieved her dream wedding — for under $2,500.
After getting engaged in 2011, the 41-year-old realized her fantasy wedding might not become a reality after realizing the cost of their preferred location would be $12,500 alone.
Determined to still enjoy their special day, which took place on July 7, 2012, the stay-at-home mom and her now-husband Ray put their creative talents to the test.
“I created my own bouquet and Ray got busy in the kitchen whipping up our wedding cake,” the blushing, UK-based bride told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “The night before, we headed down to the venue and decked it out with pound-shop candles and balloons.”
Hill — who with Ray shares children Ellie-Mae, 11, Karalyn, 7, and Eithan, 1 — even managed to factor her dress budget into the overall cost, admitting she was “cheeky” when it came to finding the perfect gown.
“I visited bridal shops and tried on various dresses until I found a style I liked,” she revealed. “Then, I went home and trawled through secondhand websites and newspaper adverts to find an exact match.”
After a couple of days of looking, Hill was worried she’d never find her fairytale frock, finding the dresses with didn’t “tick the box” or were too expensive.
“Until I came across the perfect dress on eBay,” she gushed — finding her dream dress for just $75.
She finished off the look with a $4 tiara, shoes she snapped up from a bridal shop sale for $30, and a replica of the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace — from the film “Titanic” — for $2.50.
As for the venue, it wasn’t quite a wedding on a beach.
But they did secure a seafront hotel that cost them just over $600 and included a hot buffet and a DJ.
In the wildest twist, Hill said that she and her husband further saved $600 with a truly unconventional idea — combining their daughter Ellie-Mae’s baptism with their nuptials.
“It was a grand idea, as it made our special day even more special and we were able to ensure all family members were there for both occasions,” she said.
They even managed to give their guests small, heartfelt wedding favors, making a “bag of randomness” for loved ones.
Each was filled with a piece of string, a marble, a Gobstopper — the large “jawbreaker” candy — and a penny, and each item held its own special meaning.
“The string is so you can always hold things together, the marble in case you ever lose yours, a Gobstopper to stop putting your foot in [your mouth], and a penny so you’re never broke,” the happy bride said.
The Hills first met in 2010 on the dating site Plenty of Fish, and he popped the big question a year later in March 2011.
However, two months after getting engaged, the couple found out they were expecting — which ate into the wedding budget they had saved.
Now, after basking in the success of her frugal fairytale, the family of five continues to live as economically as possible by doing things like upcycling pre-loved furniture and making their own Christmas displays.
“Our wedding has taught us that you can do anything with a little budget,” she said.
“If we find a piece of furniture we like, we will upcycle it into our own creation, and with Christmas, we’ve created our own decorations, including a life-size Grinch for less than $12.50,” she shared.
“For the Queen’s Jubilee, I managed to do a whole street party for under $12.50, and I can’t wait for my next challenge with the Coronation,” the thrifty mom said.
“I loved our day and it was everything I could have imagined — it was my alternative fairytale wedding come true.”