A financially savvy couple from Ilfracombe in Devon have managed to avoid the credit crunch and hit the headlines at the same time with stories of their forthcoming budget busting nuptials being reported in newspapers across the UK.

21 year old Chris May known to friends and family as Titch, and his 19 year old bride-to-be Odette Fenwick have planned their big day for just £600. The couple had originally longed for a traditional church wedding with a horse drawn carriage and an extravagant reception for their guests.

But with the average wedding costing around £20,000 the couple were forced to face the fact that they were unable to afford it on garage door fitter Chris’s weekly wage of £200.

The couple and their five month old daughter currently live with Chris’s parents at their family home in Ilfracombe but are hoping to get a place of their own using savings originally put aside for their wedding, as a deposit for their first home.

Here are some of the cut price ways that they did it:-

• Wedding veil from a charity shop - £5
• Satin gloves from eBay - £5
• Necklace from eBay - £6
• Bridal lingerie from eBay - £13.00
• Wedding gown from eBay - £52
• Tiara from eBay - £8
• Reception food from supermarket - £40
• Plastic champagne glasses - £14
• 12 bottles of Chardonnay - £0.89 each
• 3 tier wedding cake - £80
• Rental of two white gazebo’s - £70
• Flowers from Local Florists - £25
• Suit Hire for the groom & best man £170
• Registry Office ceremony costs - £45
• Rings - £19
• Reception Venue - Free (grooms place of work)

Whilst rummaging through various bridal boutiques and wedding outlets for that all important dress of your dress of your dreams, have you ever stopped to consider why the blushing bride traditionally wears white?

White wedding gowns
In times gone by brides adorned brightly coloured wedding attire to indicate their happiness and elation in finding a suitable spouse. In fact white wedding gowns weren’t considered stylish until the marriage of Queen Victoria when she opted for a white wedding dress as a sign of her status.

Traditional wedding rings
Historically wedding rings were fashioned from braided grass of hemp, and were not replaced by resilient metals until some time during the 15th century.
A traditional wedding ring symbolises un-ending love and has done since the era of the ancient Egyptians. The ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand as it was held that there was one vein from this finger which runs directly to the heart.

The wedding kiss
The ancient Romans did not consider that a marriage was official until the bride and groom had kissed. The all important kiss was regarded as a sealing of contracts.

Escorted down the aisle
This custom originated from long ago when a female was considered to be the property of her Father until she was wed, hence the term ‘give away’ the bride. It signified the brides Fathers’ passing on of the ownership of his daughter to the groom.

What might once have been considered as eloping in days gone by is becoming a more frequent choice of wedding amongst many couples. For a wide variety of reasons couples are opting for destination weddings rather than a tradition ceremony at home and whilst a destination wedding can take a good deal of planning, the benefits and rewards can easily compensate for the time spent.

These days so many resorts within the UK and abroad offer wedding packages the choice is apparently endless, but some couple still opt to make the individual arrangements themselves. Your destination wedding should be able to fulfill your dreams as a couple and you should bear this in mind when selecting your destination.

If you will have any number of family or friends in attendance you will need to consider access to the venue. The ceremony, reception and guest accommodation locations should be within close proximity to each other, so that guests are able to freshen up or change clothes as and when required. If you do opt for a wedding package do check whether there are discounts available for group bookings and make sure that you take advantage of them.

You should also check if your desired wedding location requires any legal documentation or requirements in order to process the wedding prior to your arrival, particularly if the destination you choose is outside of the UK.

If you opt to plan your wedding as a package, information such as this should be offered by your agent, along with details of local photographers, florists, caterers etc so if you decide to make arrange your destination wedding yourself, you should be prepared to source this information well in advance.

Your honeymoon will be your first opportunity to spend some quality time together as newly weds and to create some romantic memories that you will remember for the rest of your married lives.

Picking a romantic setting will obviously enhance your honeymoon but selecting a fantastic location is not the only key to a successful honeymoon. Even the most scenic and attractive destination can seem uninspiring after a while if there is nothing to do.

The secret to a successful honeymoon is to plan some romantic and intimate activities in advance. The destination you choose for your honeymoon will probably include a number of impressive restaurants as do the majority of holiday destinations these days, but a more amorous option might be to share a candlelit meal in the privacy of your hotel room. A secluded dinner for two will allow you to spend some time completely alone, enjoying a romantic meal and each others company.

A sensual massage will promote intimacy and relaxation on your honeymoon, pick up a massage book with your travel guides and be sure to pack it in your honeymoon luggage in advance. Light the room with candles when you practice massage to create a calm and relaxing atmosphere.

Before you embark on your honeymoon, create a CD of music that is personal to you both as a couple, include the first song that you danced to as a newly weds at your wedding reception. There are many CD mastering companies that help you produce the CD if you don’t how to do it yourself. Music from the time that you were dating will take you back to the days when you first met and remind you of just why you fell for each other on the first place.

The tradition of the hen night is as ancient and deep rooted as the tradition of marriage itself. In days gone by all the females from future wedding party, including all of the bride to be’s family and friends gathered together at the house of one of the bridesmaids or even at the brides home to celebrate the forthcoming wedding.

The hen party entertained the bride with tales of married life and gave her advice and helped prepare her for her future as a wife. It was customary to offer the bride small token gifts to accompany her on her journey through married life, and overall the festivities were decidedly modest and low-key.

However in these modern times, the avant-garde bride expects something very different from her hen night, with the hen night celebrations occasionally requiring as much planning as the wedding or the honeymoon! Modern hen nights are exciting and entertaining, and often incorporate travel abroad or overnight hotel stays in popular towns and cities across the country. Games such as bridal bingo are quite common.

Usually, after some general ideas from the bride to be, the Chief Bridesmaid is allocated the responsibility of arranging and co-ordinating the hen night, organising the venue, hen party invitations and any other requirements for the celebrations, for example any activities that need equipment or accessories, such as the bridal bingo mentioned earlier.

On the brides part, her hen night will form part of her future wedding memoirs which she will treasure forever, so whether the plan is for an intimate get together with close friends, a night of touring bars in and clubs in a chauffeur driven limousine, or a week of non-stop partying in sunnier climes, the overall aim should be to make certain that the hen has a good time.