A savvy bride from Macclesfield bought her dream wedding dress for £5 from a charity shop and confetti from Vinted - for a ceremony costing less than £5,000.

Amy Ward, 28, and her husband Gregory, 30, tied the knot on May 24 in a 'secret' ceremony with just eight guests.

They made huge savings by buying pre-loved - buying confetti and their two-year-old son's outfit from Vinted.

The pair also went for coffee afterwards, instead of a bar.

Despite the cutbacks, the couple said their wedding was really 'special' and felt that there was nothing they missed out on.

Content creator Amy said: "It was such a good day, and it felt amazing to have the wedding we'd spoken about for years.

"Having our son there felt really special.

"If you want to plan your wedding on a budget, write down your priorities and what's non-negotiable, and don't worry about what people think.

"It's your wedding, so make it about what matters to you, and figure out what you can leave out.

"There are ways to save on most things, whether it's charity shops, Vinted or looking in the sales.

"You can also do a town hall wedding, instead of a big fancy venue, and you can always borrow things from friends and family."

Amy and Gregory decided in December 2025 to get wed and settled on having a small, intimate ceremony to take the pressure off.

"There was no traditional engagement or anything, but we'd been talking about it for years," she said.

"It was a secret wedding, we didn't tell our friends, we just wanted to do it our own way, without any pressure."

They set themselves a £5,000 budget and spent the next six months planning their dream ceremony.

As the pair met in Sheffield 10 years ago, they chose a small events space in the city for their venue, which cost just £1,440.

"We only had the venue for a few hours, so that helped to cut back on costs," Amy said.

They also spent £84 on the notice of marriage and £625 on the registrar.

They had a half-hour-long ceremony and then spent around an hour having drinks and cakes in the venue, before the pair headed out for a coffee with their son.

"We love coffee, it was so nice to just sit down and take it all in after getting married," she said.

Although many people spend thousands on their wedding dress, bargain lover Amy managed to find a perfect frock for her big day from the charity shop for just a fiver.

"They never usually have occasion dresses in that charity shop, so this was pure luck," she said.

"It was from a bridal range, and was about £150 retail price, so I was so happy to get it for £5."

Gregory managed to bag his suit from TK Maxx for £80, and the pair bought their two-year-old an outfit from Vinted, which cost just £20.

They also managed to bag 20 bags of confetti for £8.24 on Vinted, and instead of spending hundreds on flowers, picked up a bouquet from a local florist, which set them back £44.57.

Despite their strict budget, Amy said they were able to have everything they wanted at the wedding by cutting back on timings.

They hired a photographer for three hours, instead of the whole day, which set them back £900, and instead of paying for a sit-down meal after the ceremony, they just went out for food at a local restaurant, where they paid a £100 deposit, with the rest of the costs covered by their family.

Amy also spent £496 on her hair and makeup, and their wedding cake was gifted to them by a family member.

In total, the entire wedding came to £4709.72, meaning the couple were almost £300 under budget.

They plan on having a party at a later date to celebrate with family and friends.

Amy advised 2026 brides to consider buying pre-loved and cutting back on things that aren't important to you, in order to save on your big day.

She shares budgeting tips on her Instagram account @amysbudgeting.

Breakdown of Amy and Gregory's wedding costs:

Ceremony - £2,149

• Notice of marriage - £84
• Registrar - £625
• Venue - £1,440

Memories & fun - £949.48

• Photographers - £900
• Camera film - £9.99
• Vows & invite cards - £31.25
• Confetti - £8.24

Food & stay - £757.75

• Accommodation - £529.54
• Meal deposit - £100
• Drinks - £103
• Coffee - £25.21
• Cake - gifted

Beauty - £496.40

• Bridal trial - £210
• Hair & makeup - £252.40
• Nails - £34

Outfits & accessories - £357.09

• Outfits - £203.05
• Alterations - £65
• Jewellery - £26
• Flowers - £44.57
• Body tape - £18.47

Total = £4,709.72