Ellie, 26, and Alex, 27 at their wedding.Photo:Jam Press
Jam Press
A bride and groom have no regrets about their big day after scrapping their expensive plans for a more cost-effective celebration.U.K. couple Ellie, 26, and Alex, 27, told U.K. news agencyJam Pressthat they initially planned for a large farm wedding with 50 guests that would have cost over $10K, but changed their mind when they learned they could tie the knot for just $72 (£57) at their local registry office.“We couldn’t justify spending $25K (£20K) to $37K (£30K) on one day,” Ellie told the outlet.“It’s ridiculous,” she added. “Alex would have preferred a big wedding but that’s my idea of hell. I just wanted to get married.”McDonalds hamburgers and fries with soda.Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/ GettyEllie noted that they had “looked at venues” and were “being quoted thousands” and adding to the hassle, their guests “would have had to book rooms on top of that.” She also said that she wanted to exchange vows without the “pressure of impressing guests” and have the day just belong to them and their closest loved ones.That’s what they did. In addition to booking a spot at their local registry office in June 2024, the bride bought a white gown that cost about $316 (£250) and the groom wore a suit worth about $190 (£150). The total was about $578 or £457 in total.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Their family and friends also chipped in as well. Ellie’s friend did her hair for free and her mother gifted her a bouquet of flowers worth around $113 (£90).“It was so good,” Ellie recalled to Jam Press. “When my friend was doing my hair, she was asking if I was nervous – and I wasn’t at all.“Ellie’s mother and Alex’s brother attended the intimate ceremony at the registry office and they took pictures after the ceremony with Ellie’s two kids. She shared, “It was an amazing day. It completely took the pressure off.”After the ceremony, the bride revealed that they continued the celebration with just a standard meal, saying, “I was starving so we went to McDonald’s drive-thru and I had a cheeseburger and Fanta.”The bride and groom’s parents each chipped in $632 (£500) to rent a venue for the couple to celebrate with 20 of their closest family and friends, which included a buffet with burgers and chicken wings and even a DJ.Guests were able to commemorate the day with photos taken from disposable cameras and the couple’s family and friends got to celebrate the big event throughout the night.Ellie noted that a wedding was “perfect,” adding that it was “an amazing thing to celebrate” and “people should just do it how they want it.”The money that they didn’t use for the wedding was instead put towards a luxury honeymoon — which is something that they both wanted. She and her groom jetted off to Paris after the ceremony for a “mini-honeymoon” and are set to celebrate the full thing in Dubai in May.
A bride and groom have no regrets about their big day after scrapping their expensive plans for a more cost-effective celebration.
U.K. couple Ellie, 26, and Alex, 27, told U.K. news agencyJam Pressthat they initially planned for a large farm wedding with 50 guests that would have cost over $10K, but changed their mind when they learned they could tie the knot for just $72 (£57) at their local registry office.
“We couldn’t justify spending $25K (£20K) to $37K (£30K) on one day,” Ellie told the outlet.
“It’s ridiculous,” she added. “Alex would have preferred a big wedding but that’s my idea of hell. I just wanted to get married.”
McDonalds hamburgers and fries with soda.Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/ Getty
Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/ Getty
Ellie noted that they had “looked at venues” and were “being quoted thousands” and adding to the hassle, their guests “would have had to book rooms on top of that.” She also said that she wanted to exchange vows without the “pressure of impressing guests” and have the day just belong to them and their closest loved ones.
That’s what they did. In addition to booking a spot at their local registry office in June 2024, the bride bought a white gown that cost about $316 (£250) and the groom wore a suit worth about $190 (£150). The total was about $578 or £457 in total.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Their family and friends also chipped in as well. Ellie’s friend did her hair for free and her mother gifted her a bouquet of flowers worth around $113 (£90).
“It was so good,” Ellie recalled to Jam Press. “When my friend was doing my hair, she was asking if I was nervous – and I wasn’t at all.”
Ellie’s mother and Alex’s brother attended the intimate ceremony at the registry office and they took pictures after the ceremony with Ellie’s two kids. She shared, “It was an amazing day. It completely took the pressure off.”
After the ceremony, the bride revealed that they continued the celebration with just a standard meal, saying, “I was starving so we went to McDonald’s drive-thru and I had a cheeseburger and Fanta.”
The bride and groom’s parents each chipped in $632 (£500) to rent a venue for the couple to celebrate with 20 of their closest family and friends, which included a buffet with burgers and chicken wings and even a DJ.
Guests were able to commemorate the day with photos taken from disposable cameras and the couple’s family and friends got to celebrate the big event throughout the night.
Ellie noted that a wedding was “perfect,” adding that it was “an amazing thing to celebrate” and “people should just do it how they want it.”
The money that they didn’t use for the wedding was instead put towards a luxury honeymoon — which is something that they both wanted. She and her groom jetted off to Paris after the ceremony for a “mini-honeymoon” and are set to celebrate the full thing in Dubai in May.
source: people.com
