I said yes to the dress... and it only cost me $19 from a supermarket

"I wanted to do it as cheaply as possible and I scoured everywhere for the best deals," Charlotte revealed. The couple created a Facebook group to send out invites and you won't believe how much their wedding rings cost...

Charlotte Deering, 27, dreamed of her perfect wedding day, it was to be an Alice in Wonderland theme. When she started planning her nuptials to Caine, 26, she thought it was "ridiculous" to spend thousands.

The childhood sweethearts, who live a "frugal life" decided they needed to get creative and look outside of the box for wedding vendors. 

They combines their money-saving hacks and managed to pull the day off with the total coming to £2000 ($3800 AU). And yes, that total included Charlotte's wedding dress. She said 'yes' to the dress at Tesco (UK supermarket chain) for the bargain price of £10 ($19 AUD).

“I wanted to do it as cheaply as possible and I scoured everywhere for the best deals,” Charlotte, from Cheshire, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

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"I haggled to cheaper prices"

“I love to be frugal and show people that you don’t need to spend thousands to have what you like – with a little extra work, it’ll come together without the huge price tag," the budget savvy bride added.

“It’s all for one day after all and for me, it’s not worth getting into debt and stressing over.

“I wanted to enjoy every second and know we had done it all our way while ensuring to cut costs.

“I haggled for cheaper prices, used coupons and free trials, as well as any sales, including Tesco, where I found the perfect wedding dress for £10.”

The newlyweds decorated the hall themselves, and to keep prices down during the reception, guests had to pay for their own booze.

The couple saved thousands on their wedding day. Source: Instagram

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Finding discount codes and cashback offers kept costs low

As for the music? They used a free trial of Spotify premium, with their wedding rings costing £30 ($57 AUD) from Argos (a catalogue retailer).

To stick with the Alice in Wonderland theme, the couple purchased decorations from Temu. The pair bought fake flowers, jar lights, and candles from the discount site and scoured cashback sites for extra savings. 

Charlotte tasked her sister with making the cake, her sister-in-law with baking 100 cupcakes, and haggled with the catering company to serve their 90 guests delicious street food.

She said: “Instead of sending out invites, I created a Facebook group, which saved us hundreds of pounds on postage alone.

“I was able to keep everyone up-to-date and message people easily."

As far as sticking to the theme, the bride added: “I bought some Alice in Wonderland bits from Amazon, such as teapots, which really made the whole day feel unique and brought the Mad Hatters’ Tea Party to life.

“I also searched for any discount codes available while shopping around, which helped with keeping the decoration costs low.

“For the sweets table, I bought a tub of them from B&M and dished them out into jars which we gave to children as party favours.

“I popped to Iceland and grabbed some frozen bits for snacks in the evening, which only cost £30.”

Charlotte also hit the jackpot by utilising the “20% off first orders discount” from ASOS, with Caine’s suit costing £120 ($230 AUD) in total – which he’s now using for work too.

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The decorations were from Temu and Amazon. Source: Instagram

The dress that keeps on giving! 

The glam team consisted of Charlotte and Charlotte alone! The bride leaned on TikTok and Instagram to get the hair and make up look she wanted. 

Charlotte revealed she was able to relax and enjoy every moment of getting ready rather than rushing around to various appointments.

“The people who run the venue took pictures and said it was the nicest wedding they’ve ever had," she said.

“Our family and friends thought it cost us a fortune and I had so many compliments on my dress.

“People were in disbelief about how cheap it was and quite a few said it’s given them inspiration for their own wedding dress.

“I’ve been wearing it throughout summer, so it’s gotten plenty of use out of it – it was important for me to buy something I could wear again.”

Charlotte and Caine had no bridesmaids or a best man and asked friends to snap photos of them at their local park to avoid paying for a photographer.

The bride's top tip when it comes to budgeting is to always ask.

 “It’s important to ensure you’re getting the best deal, but at the end of the day, anything off is a saving," she added.

“I asked to pay in full and if they could reduce the cost slightly since they didn’t have to wait for payment.

“It’s also really good to see if you can pull in favours from people you know and ask for their help as a wedding gift.”

The mum, who shares her savvy tips on Instagram, @themoneyferret, believes her wedding was “better than most" and is gifting centrepieces to family for Christmas as keepsakes.

“Don’t worry about pleasing people and just because it’s not traditional, doesn’t mean it’s not special.

“It’s about whatever works for you – but it was a dream come true.”

Originally published as I said yes to the dress... and it only cost me $19 from a supermarket