I planned a gorgeous wedding on the cheap – my dress & venue were free, & my bridesmaids wore £10 Shein frocks

A BRIDE has revealed how she paid for her entire wedding on a shoe string budget.

Ellie May Cato, 21 revealed that to cut costs, she used her mother's old wedding dress, which didn't cost her a penny.

She also decked out her bridesmaids in Shein and PrettyLittleThing dresses, which all cost under £15.

3

3

3

In a TikTok video, the mum shared that instead of forking out to get her hair and makeup done, she did her face herself and then got a friend to style her locks for £20.

She added that she and her husband got married in a local church, and revealed that instead of paying for the venue, they donated £500, to help with the church's upkeep.

Instead of hiring a fancy car for the day, Ellie was ferried around by her brother, which cost her nothing.

She also didn't pay anything for the reception, which was in a working man's club.

The most expensive parts of Ellie's wedding were the rings, which cost her £550 and were made by a family member and the decorations at the reception, which set her back £900.

Ellie's friend made the wedding cake, which cost just £20 and she didn't spend a penny on entertainment, as her friends and family made up their own games at the reception.

She spent £175 on a DJ and made her own bouquet, using flowers from Morrisons.

The total cost of Ellie's wedding was just £2,645.

According to a recent survey by Hitched.co.uk, the average cost of a wedding in the UK in 2023 was a whopping £20,000, over ten times what this couple chose to spend on their big day.

Ellie said: "You do not need to spend a lot to have a special day".

The bride's video, which was posted under the username @ellliemaycato has gone viral, racking up over 154,000 views on the video sharing platform.

TikTok users raced to the video's comments section to share their thoughts.

One person said: "This is what a wedding should be about".

Another person said: "Totally the right way to do it. You all looked beautiful."

A third person added: "I had my nans wedding ring, flowers from Home Bargains and did my own hair and makeup.

"It was the best day ever".

A fourth remarked: "Well done and your marriage will last.

"We did the same many years ago."

Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: fabulousdigital@the-sun.co.uk and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.