14 DAY TRIAL // Getting married in this economy is no walk in the park, it is often being said. Everything is expensive and, in order to see things turn out the way one wants them, one has to get started at least one year ahead. Lee and Colette Clark wanted to postpone their dream ceremony for the following year, when an eBay auction made it possible for them to have it for no more than £51, the Daily Mail informs.
Lee proposed to Colette in April this year, but he soon found himself out of a job. Both decided to put off the wedding for next year in the hope that things would be better by that time and they could have the reception they dreamed of without compromising anything. Incidentally, they also found an auction on eBay for a wedding reception at the three-star Buckatree Hall hotel, near their home in Telford, Shropshire, which also included a complimentary overnight stay for the bride and groom.
The reception was put up for auction due to a last-minute cancellation, the two lovers, now husband and wife, recall. They would have gone up to £1,000 with their bidding, but £51 was more than enough. “The happy couple were given a red-carpet welcome when they arrived at the hotel for their wedding. As part of the package there was Buck’s Fizz, a three-course meal with wine for 35 guests, plus a 50-person evening buffet. The package at the 62-room hotel also included table decorations including linen, cake-stand and floral arrangement, toastmaster to announce the happy couple, plus a complimentary overnight stay on the wedding night for the bride and groom.” the Mail says.
All this would have normally run up to over £1,500. The bride even got lucky when she found her ideal wedding dress, which turned out to be on sale and cost a mere £450. Overall, it was a one-of-a-kind ceremony, just like the two had always imagined it, for just a fraction of the real cost. Moreover, their luck did not stop here, as, soon after the ceremony, Lee got a new job and Colette is expecting the couple’s first child, the Mail further says.
“We just thought we would see if we could strike lucky. I’d never used eBay before but Lee is a big bargain hunter and is always using it. It went absolutely perfectly. It was everything we expected it to be and the weather was lovely. The hotel staff have been great and they really made our day special.” Colette says of the bargain wedding reception.