Eleanor and her husband Feisal on their wedding day in Liverpool (Picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
‘Such an expense for one day seems like a waste of time and money to me,’ says Eleanor Hawthorne, as she reminisces about her wedding day.
The 29-year-old from Liverpool got married to her husband, Feisal, on October 31, 2022, at a time when the average UK wedding cost £18,400.
But the happy couple decided to do things a little differently – and a whole lot cheaper. In fact, their entire wedding cost them just £300.
Eleanor’s wedding dress, a vintage slip, cost just £15 and they had their reception at the local Wetherspoons. Touches like decorations and fresh flowers were scrapped in favour of keeping costs down.
Eleanor, an actor and publicist, tells Metro.co.uk: ‘We never planned to have an expensive wedding. We didn’t even plan the wedding!
‘We didn’t want to spend an obscene amount of money when we could use that money to travel the world instead.’
Eleanor in her £15 slip dress on her wedding day (picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
Eleanor and Feisal had been together for three years when they got engaged, and always knew their nuptials wouldn’t be a fancy affair.
‘All we wanted was to be married,’ says Eleanor. ‘We didn’t want all of that attention on us.
‘We didn’t want to get married for an expensive day. We wanted to get married because we love each other.’
Apart from the wedding ceremony, which was prebooked and took place at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, Eleanor and Feisal say they let their big day ‘unfold spontaneously’.
Eleanor says: ‘The day itself was really relaxed. We woke up around 6am, Feisal and his best friend went to the gym and brought me back a coffee from town while I got ready.’
The couple had friends and family taking pictures on disposable cameras (Picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
The couple then took a taxi to St George’s Hall to meet their 20 guests – making it an intimate affair – but only their parents came into the actual ceremony with them, while the others waited outside.
While a small wedding may be the source of conflict for some who have opinionated family members, everyone was overjoyed for Eleanor and Feisal.
‘No one at all disagreed and we understand how lucky we are for that,’ says Eleanor. ‘Our friends and family still talk about how lovely the day was.
‘All they want is to see Feisal and I happy. They didn’t care for a huge day because we didn’t care for it. I am so grateful for that.’
The couple had a relaxed morning together before the ceremony (Picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
Eleanor certainly wasn’t fussed about spending a lot of money on a dress for the special occasion either.
She explains: ‘My dress was just £15! I wanted something that felt timeless and also something I could wear again and again.’
When it came to the rest of the big day, the happy couple cut many ‘unnecessary’ parts of a typical wedding day out. They had no need for bridesmaids or groomsmen and chose to forego a hen and stag do.
‘We didn’t want to spend thousands of pounds on things we didn’t care about,’ Eleanor says. ‘Decorations were scrapped because we hadn’t booked a venue, and for my bouquet, I just ordered an artificial one from eBay.
‘Instead of hiring a photographer, we took our own film camera, which is my Grandad’s from the 80s, and a few disposable ones and gave them out to our friends and family so they could capture moments throughout the day.’
After the couple had tied the knot they walked into the city centre to find somewhere to eat
The couple had just 20 guests at their wedding (Picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
‘Feisal is half Iraqi, and a few of us are vegan, so we decided to grab some Middle Eastern food at a place called Bakchich – they were surprised a big group came before lunchtime, but they made room for us, and it was amazing,’ Eleanor adds.
In the afternoon, the wedding party ended up in Wetherspoons where more friends stopped by to congratulate the couple after work. Eleanor points out this ‘really took the pressure off’ her guests because they could leave when they wished.
The couple then headed back to their flat with friends and ordered pizza, and were in bed by midnight.
‘It was such a relaxed day, I’ll never forget it. It was so special,’ Eleanor says. ‘The highlight was seeing all of my closest family and friends in one place as we all live apart from each other. Seeing how well my parents and Feisal’s parents were getting on was a huge blessing.’
The couple had just their parents at the ceremony where they tied the knot (picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
With many people feeling the pressure of having to throw a big, expensive wedding Eleanor has shares her advice for those who crave a more intimate day.
‘The most important thing to remember is that it is YOUR day. Not anyone else’s,’ she says.
‘Anyone in your life that loves you and your partner should just be happy with whatever your choice is.
Not planning their wedding day took the pressure off the guests (Picture: Eleanor Hawthorne)
‘To be blunt, no one else matters but you and your partner. It’s your day, do it your way. Remember that.’
Now, the couple have been married for just over a year, and are happier than ever. ‘I wore my wedding dress one our first wedding anniversary trip to Barcelona last year!’ she says.
‘We can look back on our day in years to come and feel such warmth from the memories, knowing that it was exactly what we wanted.’
Eleanor is working with ethical jewellery brand Sacet to encourage more conscious living by spending less on your big day.
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Eleanor’s dress was £15 and the reception was held at Wetherspoons.
