A church minister has discovered a unique means of supporting young couples hoping to be married but discouraged by the rising cost of a wedding.

In a bid to help them beat the credit crunch Reverend Andie Camper has auctioned a wedding ceremony on popular online auction site eBay.

50 year old Andie, the minister for the Westgate Chapel in Lewes, East Sussex revealed that he came up with the revolutionary way to encourage couples to marry after growing more and more frustrated at the increasing amounts of cash being demanded for weddings.

He commented:-

“Marriage is about loving each other and that is what our church stands for. Our role should be to wish them well in their lives rather than making it a commercial venture.

I’m offering the venue and my services as a minister free.

I wanted to help young people who are frightened off by the overwhelming cost of getting married, and who are probably already struggling with the cost of setting up home, particularly in this time of recession.

It’s difficult enough for young people to pay for their homes and their lives together, so the idea is to save them from spending a fortune elsewhere.”

The average overall cost of a wedding, including the cost of the venue, honeymoon, reception, cake and dress etc. has risen recently to somewhere in the region of £25,000.

Reverend Camper is offering a ceremony at the Westgate Chapel for just £50, a fraction of the cost of a Church of England ceremony which costs approximately £250.

The eBay auction ends on Tuesday 20th January and the highest bidder will be married at 2.00pm on Saturday 9th May.