Blackpool TikToker who shares money saving tips online reveals how she had dream wedding on a budget

A Blackpool TikToker who shares ways to save and make money online has revealed how she managed to have her dream wedding for just £20,000.

29-year-old Amie Holt, 29,has been speaking to Abbott Lyon, about what her £20k wedding budget got her, what she spent most of her money on, and advice to those who are planning their own wedding.

Talking about how she met her husband George, who she married in April, Amie said: “I met my husband George on a night out in Manchester, where we were both living at the time. We swapped numbers, and the rest is history.

“We’ve been together eight years now. I always thought the chances of meeting the love of your life in a bar in Northern Quarter were slim, but clearly, they were never zero."

Describing her wedding style as modern and minimal, Amie said she tried on loads of dresses before fining ‘the one’.

She said: “I wasn’t bothered about my wedding style looking dated in a few years because I always think it’s very obvious when you got married anyway, but I do tend to lean towards a more minimal style anyway.

"The one thing I knew I wanted was a backless dress, and I actually saw the dress I ended up going with very early on, it was the first one I added to my inspo gallery.

“I’m not a very girly girl, I hardly ever wear dresses, so I actually really struggled with looking for a dress, it felt like I was playing dress up in most of them.

“I tried on loads of dresses in bridal shops, sample sales and from high street brands, but then I saw the exact dress I’d saved first in an online sample sale and took the risk of ordering it - I knew it was the one for me instantly and it only need very minor alterations too."

Amie, a stay at home mum, decided to have her wedding ceremony at Liverpool Registry office in St George’s Hall, and then headed over to Hope Street for the rest of the day.

She said: “I was surprisingly chilled about the planning at the start; it took us a year of being engaged before we even decided to look around venues!.

“We only saw one, Hope Street Hotel, and as soon as we went up to the roof terrace, we knew it was perfect for us.

“It has panoramic views across the city, and we knew it would be a hit with all of our guests, as most of them weren’t from Liverpool, some had never even been before. We actually had a house move just before our wedding, and a holiday soon after that, so it wasn’t until a few weeks before that it got a bit stressful."

After navigating the wedding industry Amie said it is important to ask about pricing when planning on a budget.

The mum-of-two said: "I would love to see some transparency in the industry.

“It’s so hard trying to even put a budget together when so many places are secretive about their pricing. All of the vendors we went with either had their prices readily available or were more than happy to send them over, but a few we got in contact with made you jump through hoops to get any more information on pricing."

Amie offered her advice for those who are starting to plan their own wedding on a budget. She said:"Remember that the day is ultimately about celebrating the two of you as a couple.

“It’s all about being in love, and being surrounded by everyone you love. I promise on the day you won’t even be paying attention to the candles or name cards, or any of the details that feel really stressful in the planning stage."

With the wedding costing a total of 20k, Amie breaks this down sharing where most of her budget went:

• Venue £13.5k - This included our wedding breakfast, evening snacks, drinks package, a DJ, 11 rooms at the hotel, and some other little bits like a tasting menu, easels, cake stands, etc

• Photographers & content creator £2,750

• Accommodation £750 - This was for Amie’s best friends and immediate family to stay over the night before our wedding

• Flowers £750 - This covered flowers for the tables, my bouquet, my daughter’s bouquet and my husband’s buttonhole

• Hair and makeup £750 - This was for Amie, her mum and best friend on the day, as well as a trial for me before, and Amie’s wedding nails

• Ceremony and legal fees £560

• Outfits £450 - This included my wedding dress plus shoes and accessories, alterations, my veil, and the outfits for both of Amie’s children

• Rings £360

• Stationary £100 - This included invitations, signs, a card box and some activity books for the children attending

• Confetti £90

• Cake £90 - From Patisserie Valerie

Follow Amie on TikTok for more money saving tips here.