I saved £15k on my ‘Martin Lewis’ budget wedding – I used Temu decorations & my cake was from M&S

A bride had a Martin Lewis-inspired wedding on a budget to save cash – with a £50 dress bought on Vinted, a supermarket wedding cake and artificial bouquet.

Claire Kerry, 33, wanted to create her dream wedding day after her partner, Ryan Kerry, 35, an NHS administrator, proposed.

But as an avid fan of money expert Martin Lewis, Claire believed she could do it on a budget without sacrificing anything.

The savvy bride bought her two dresses from Vinted for around £50 each, shoes in the New Look sale for £14, and did her own make-up on the day.

Their venue was adorned with artificial flowers totalling £15 bought from Temu and their cake was £30 from M&S.

They DIY-ed their place cards, seating plan, and a ‘crisp wall’ too.

After scrimping on some things they could afford to splash on others – including personalised rings, a live band and hiring a Bentley – without breaking the bank.

The full wedding cost around £6,776 – which they estimate saved them around £15k on the average wedding – and they said the big day went by without a hitch.

Claire, a neuroinclusion consultant, who lives in Arnold, Nottingham, said: “We like going on holidays and having meals and being sociable.

“We didn’t want to decline invitations out because we were saving up, or generally let the wedding take over our lives.

“I didn’t want it to come across that we were being tight, but I’m a big fan of Martin Lewis so I just did what I could to save money where I could.

“The perception is that you have to go mad and get the perfect ‘Instagrammable’ wedding, but it gets out of control.

“But it went even better than we had hoped – I don’t think anyone could even tell it was on a budget.”

Keen travellers Claire and Ryan got engaged in November 2021, while on holiday in Bruges, Belgium.

They quickly realised an expensive wedding would mean less money for future holidays.

They didn’t want to sacrifice anything so channelled Martin Lewis’ savvy approach and found ways to keep costs low.

They booked the Nottingham Registry Office – where actress Vicky McClure tied the knot last year – and opted for a local bar for the reception afterwards.

The two venues together came to just £3,429, including a buffet for 70 guests – a saving of over £650 compared to hiring a venue and a registrar.

They picked a two-hour photo package for £550, then created an online link for guests to share their own photos taken throughout the day.

They were quoted over £50 for a seating chart and place cards, so they got crafty and printed their own, which they designed on Canva.

The venue quoted them £500 for decorations so they decided to tackle it for themselves for under £100 – by buying table runners and artificial flower garlands from Amazon and Temu.

By making savings on those things, we were able to spend money on the things that were more important to us.

Claire Kerry

Claire bought her shoes in the New Look sale and her two dresses – for the ceremony and reception – second hand on Vinted for under £100 for both.

She said: “My wedding dress was a second-hand Diane Harbridge for £54 – and nobody could tell it wasn’t brand new.”

The groom, his groomsmen, and Claire’s ‘bridesmen’ – instead of bridesmaids – all wore suits they already owned, so the only expense was matching £6 ties from the Next sale.

Claire got savvy and hunted out a local hair stylist for the day, who charged just £70.

As for make-up, after being confronted with quotes as high as £550, she booked a Charlotte Tilbury make-up class in the weeks prior and purchased £377 of products – then did it herself on the day.

Claire said: “I’ll admit to splashing out and spending £377 but I can continue using products after the wedding, so this felt like more of an investment rather than spending similar or more for just one day.”

They bought a cake for £30 from M&S and cupcakes for £45 from Waitrose, and sat them on stands from Facebook Marketplace, which cost just £40.

Claire said: “By making savings on those things, we were able to spend money on the things that were more important to us.

“We are not materialistic and prefer to have experiences as they are more memorable and special.”

These more pricey choices included a £925 wedding ring workshop where they made their own bands ahead of the big day.

They chose a band rather than a DJ, because of their love of live music, costing £530.

And they splashed out on transport for the day by hiring a Bentley for £455.

The day, which went ahead on May 11, was a perfect success – and they enjoyed sunny weather all day long.

The entire thing came to around £6,776 – but went so well Claire said you couldn’t tell.

It was followed by a week-long Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon, a must-have for the keen globetrotters.

Claire said: “We didn’t want to look back and realise we’d spent a house deposit on the wedding, or have a three grand dress in the wardrobe that won’t be worn again.

“It’s about having a nice day without the credit card debt after.

“I don’t think anyone even noticed.

“When people complimented my dress, I thought ‘I only paid £54 for it’ and it made me feel prouder.

“Some people must get so anxious about the costs, or worry that their wedding will be rubbish if they don’t have a ridiculous budget.

“But we need to change the narrative – it doesn’t need to be like that.”