A U.K. couple made the surprising decision to hold their wedding reception at a local McDonald’s (via The New York Post), serving guests double cheeseburgers as opposed to tiered cakes.
Newlyweds Ellie, 26, and Alex, 27, were initially planning on holding a more traditional wedding ceremony and reception with all of their family and friends at a rented hall with catered food and a bar. But when they did the math and realized that would cost them $10,000 or more, they reconfigured their special day.
“We looked at venues and we were being quoted thousands and then our guests would have had to book rooms on top of that. There were other things we needed,” Ellie, a mother of two, explained.
Bringing only their nearest and dearest, the happy couple congregated at their local marriage bureau office and had their nuptials taken care of for a cool $70. Then, they adjourned to a nearby McD’s where the wedding party scarfed down some celebratory cheeseburgers. All told, they spent just $500 on the entire wedding, including their Golden Arches feast.
“We couldn’t justify spending [at least] $25,000 on one day. It’s ridiculous. I just wanted to get married,” Ellie said. “We thought if we didn’t just do it then we never would so we got married in a registry office with my [mother] and Alex’s brother.” The McDonald’s plan was an impromptu addition to the itinerary. “Afterwards, I was starving,” the bride laughed, “so we went to McDonald’s.”
Ellie reported that the couple would use the significant chunk of cash they saved to take two separate honeymoons—a “mini-moon” to Paris in the near future and then, later this spring, a week-long trek to Dubai. Though unconventional, she has no regrets about her pared-back celebration. “It was an amazing day,” Ellie said. “It completely took the pressure off. We didn’t feel like we had to impress people.”
Source: Men’s Journal