Picking the Venue
When Ashley made the decision to get married to the man she had been in love with all of her life, Colby Cosgrove, she had no idea how things would turn out. Shelley, her mom, knew exactly what she was doing at all times, including when she accompanied her daughter to look at the location of the wedding, despite the fact that not everyone appreciated her frugal character.
When Ashley and the other members of the family discovered that Shelley had decided to hold the event in the gymnasium of a nearby school, they were taken aback. As they entered and began to explore the interior of the East Valley High building, the Arizona mother informed her children that the location was ideal and that, as a result of the generosity of her acquaintances, they were able to use the facility at no cost.
The Reactions of the Bride and Her Mother-in-Law
As was to be expected, not everyone approved of Shelley’s point of view. Ashley was appalled by the choice that Shelley made, and Denise Cosgrove, who is Colby’s mother, expressed her concerns and disapproval of the situation. Denise told TLC:
“I thought it was a joke. Nobody in the right mind is serious about having it in a gym.”
Thankfully, it didn’t take long until Ashley came around and said, “This is going to be the cheapest wedding ever.” Getting a location for your wedding for free is a major help because wedding venues are typically the most expensive component of a wedding budget and can demand a significant amount of money.
Choosing the Flowers
Shelley’s attention then turned to the next critically crucial component, which was the floral arrangements for the wedding. She discovered a Holiday season decorating warehouse that stocked a large selection of out-of-season flowers in its inventory. Shelley went on to explain:
“It’s a seasonal distribution company that would have flowers and those flowers are out of season right now and so they would be cheaper (sic).”
Denise, the mother of Colby, expressed her displeasure and stated that nobody would go inside a Christmas warehouse to buy wedding flowers rather than going to a florist. The manager of the warehouse stated that Shelley paid less than ten dollars for a box of artificial poinsettia flowers that she bought.
The Cake and the Wedding Dress
After that, Shelley focused her attention on selecting a cake for the wedding, but she was shocked to find out that it could cost her up to $400. “I think spending $400 on a wedding cake is ridiculous. It costs what, $2 for a cake mix?” she said.
Shelley wanted to avoid spending a significant amount of money on a nice cake, so she suggested to her family that they should prepare their own cake instead. Then, she approached the proprietor of the store and inquired about the possibility of borrowing their display cake so that they may show it off at the wedding. Shelley considered it to be a preferable alternative due to the fact that she wouldn’t have to spend any money on it.
Shelley’s next objective was to locate a bridal gown for the lowest possible price once she had taken care of the reception location, the flowers, and the cake. She accomplished this by taking her kid with her to a pawn shop and presenting her with three different outfits from which to select one. After trying on each of the dresses, Ashley decided that she preferred one of them.
The future bride thought the dress was beautiful, despite the fact that it was somewhat constricting. After that, it was time for her mother to haggle over the price, and in the end, they decided to purchase it for $75. As time went on, Ashley and Colby were finding it increasingly difficult to conceal their enthusiasm for the big day.
Spending less on the wedding’s catering and officiating costs
Spending less on the wedding’s catering and officiant can be a significant savings. The wedding day arrived, and Shelley’s friends stepped in with some last-minute preparations, which helped save approximately $900 in food expenditures.. The ladies stepped up to offer in the preparation of mouthwatering sandwiches for the reception.
Shelley didn’t tell anyone about another method she used to save money until much later, and that was the fact that she was an ordained minister and would perform the wedding ceremony for her daughter. Because of this, the mother of two was able to save around $300. When Colby was asked how he felt about the penny-pinching nature of his mother-in-law, he responded as follows:
“I’m not totally excited about where and how we’re getting married but I am excited to make that commitment to Ashley.”
Despite the fact that many people were shocked by how Shelley handled the situation, particularly her adamant refusal to spend more than the allotted $1,000 on the wedding, she served as an example for those who wish to have their wedding without going into debt. I was wondering what your thoughts were on the story?