Thrifty groom organised dream wedding but won’t pay for any of it as he’s making guests pay for the four-star venue
They are charging guests £150 for the venue, decorating the reception with secondhand flowers and asking a local busker off the street to perform
A THRIFTY groom organised a dream wedding for his bride-to-be for just £2,000 - by getting their guests to pay for the venue.
Frugal Ben Farina, 33, and fiancee Claire Moran, 37, thought they’d never get married because they couldn’t afford it.
But Ben refused to let money stand in the way and carefully planned ways to save a fortune - including decorating the reception with secondhand paper flowers, asking a local busker off the street to perform the music and buying a £50 suit off ASOS.
And the pair will tie the knot at a £14,000 four-star venue - which they aren’t paying a penny towards.
Eagle-eyed Ben spotted a cancellation at Knockerdown Farm in Gainsborough, Lincs, and managed to bag the countryside retreat for the discounted price of £10,000.
It boasts a Georgian hall and 16 self-catering cottages and is nestled within three acres of beautiful scenery.
But he’s charging his 60 guests £150 each to stay on the site, plus £50-a-head for 20 kids - meaning he gets the venue for free.
Ben, of Matlock, Derbs, said: “It might sound stingy but as a guest myself at other weddings I’ve had to fork out more than that for hotels.
“The way I see it is they’re getting a weekend away, which is basically a holiday, and we get a free wedding. It works for everyone.
“When I asked her to marry me and told her how cheap we could do it, she burst into tears and said yes."
Ben, who has a three-year-old girl with Claire and is also stepdad to her 17-year-old daughter, is starting the wedding later than usual at 3pm so he only has to feed his guests once with a £250 hog roast.
A family member, who is a head chef, has promised to make canapes for just £30, which he’s kindly agreed to pay out of his own pocket.
And he’s asked his teenage stepdaughter, who is studying hair and beauty at college, to sort the make-up for Claire’s three bridesmaids free of charge.
After that, he’ll plug his iPod into the speakers already provided by the venue for the disco.
They’re sourcing all of the alcohol from Morrisons, which means the supermarket provides glassware free of charge.
Ben said: “We’re not looking for a really extravagant day. What matters to us is that we’ll be married and are able to celebrate our day with our friends and family.
“We bought a house last year and we have two kids to support. Spending a fortune on just one day didn’t feel right to us.
“We have better things to spend our money on and we don’t want to get into debt."
The cost of the wedding
Hog roast £250
Wedding dress £500
Bridesmaid’s dresses £120 (£40 x 3)
Ben’s suit £50
Best man’s suit £50
Busker £100
Photographer £300
Booze £500
Total £1,870
(Plus £130 for extras they haven’t bought yet)
