‘Every time I went shopping at the supermarket, I was paying for my wedding’

When Queensland woman Melanie started planning her wedding, the costs quickly started piling up. Then, she had a brilliant idea that saved her thousands. 

Weddings are a lot of things: a time to dance, party, and celebrate two people who love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Weddings are also bloody expensive; while you may have a ring on your finger, you’re likely going to have a much lighter wallet by the time you say ‘I do.” 

But for one Queensland couple, their wedding was far cheaper than most, thanks to a special secret.

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It was the wedding of her dreams and it barely cost a cent. Picture: 7Life

Bride funds her wedding using loyalty points

It’s been decades since Melanie started using Flybuys, quickly becoming a steadfast and dedicated fan of the reward system.

For every purchase she makes in her local Target, Coles and Kmart, she’d swipe her loyalty card, collecting the points for each dollar she spent. 

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She’s been storing her points, waiting for the perfect moment to use them when she needed them the most. 

So when her partner, Clay, popped the big question, she knew exactly what to do with her boatload of rewards. 

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Celebrating her 50th birthday, Clay “handed me a birthday card with two tickets to Antarctica,” she told 7Life. 

“And then another card, which was a wedding card that asked me to marry him.” 

Three weeks after popping the question, Clay and Melanie had a venue booked and ready to go. 

Then the costs of the wedding started piling up. 

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"It was 365 days of doing nothing special which made our day perfect." Picture: 7Life

“I am not doing anything different or anything special”

However, as it turns out, the points could be used to score plenty of discounts for her big day. 

After months of scanning her Flybuys after every purchase, she was able to afford the things she never thought possible. 

Makeup? Covered! Her bouquet of flowers? Didn’t cost a cent. The entire bar tab? Free! 

All up, Melanie saved at least $5,000 for her wedding. 

“It was 365 days of doing nothing special which made our day perfect,” she said.  “Flybuys saved the day.”

Flybuys, which was launched in 1994, rewards shoppers with points for every purchase they make at the accepted stores. 

Shoppers can trade their points in for discounts at certain stores, get their hands on an exclusive gift, cheap or free flights, or swap the points for cash. 

Melanie opted for the latter, storing her points and exchanging them for cash, meaning she could splash out on the luxuries she thought she’d never have. 

“Every time I was buying my groceries at Coles, I was paying for the wedding.” 

“I am not doing anything different or anything special, I am just scanning my card like you do with your credit card to pay.” 

Originally published as ‘Every time I went shopping at the supermarket, I was paying for my wedding’