Doncaster brides spends £1.78 on flowers at budget 'Temu' wedding
A thrifty bride has urged people not to 'look down their noses' at Temu after using them to deck out her wedding - including wowing guests with £1.78 flowers.
Clare Coyne refused to pay the £3,000 quoted to her to decorate the ceremony room on her wedding day so decided to cut costs by ordering her decor from budget website.
The 44-year-old instead spent two years purchasing the flowers, foliage, lights, signs, sash and more from the low-cost site for her big day.
The mum-of-two walked down an aisle that was adorned with hanging flowers bought for less than a fiver - at just £4.78.
She then wed under a personalised sign costing just £20 and use bouquets of flowers that were just £1.78.
Clare married 46-year-old senior site supervisor Paul Coyne after 10 years together in front of 60 members of their close friends and family on September 4.
The exams officer, who tied the knot in York, spent just £900 on her wedding decorations - a snip compared to the thousands she was quoted.
Clare said people were 'shocked' after discovering her decor was from Temu - and is urging other brides not to look down upon budget sites when planning their wedding day.
Clare, who lives in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: "I'm not embarrassed to say my decorations came from Temu.
"It would've cost a phenomenal amount if it was fresh flowers and I think it looks just as good. I was very pleased with how it looked.
"We went to a wedding fair and found out to have the whole room set up would've been thousands.
"I am quite crafty so I'll have a go at anything. I just went on Temu, bought some fake flowers and thought I'll have a go at making some things.
"I basically spent 18 months doing a different project every weekend. I literally made everything myself.
"Fresh flowers are so beautiful but I looked at the prices of them and I couldn't justify spending that amount of money.
"All the foliage and lights were from Temu. The light-up 'Mr and Mrs Coyne' sign came from Temu, all the flowers came from Temu and the cake-topper, all the sashes on the back of the chairs and the seat covers, the centre pieces, everything came from Temu.
"90% of the wedding came from Temu. I did joke at one point that we should be sponsored by Temu if they realised how much I bought from there!
"My shoes and my bridesmaids' shoes came from Temu. All the gift bags for the wedding party came from there too.
"I quite enjoyed making everything - it was part of the build-up to the wedding.
"I was impressed with the quality as they were so cheap. You'd never know it cost £1.78.
"I didn't make any secret of the fact I was DIY-ing the wedding and seeing the shock on people's faces.
"The feedback I had from guests, venue staff, and the registrar has all been that it looked amazing and high-end.
"It meant we could spend that money in other areas rather than just decoration."
Clare said guests couldn't believe the room were filled with products from Temu and is now urging other brides not to fall into debt when planning their own big day.
Clare, who got engaged in October 2023, said: "People couldn't believe I'd made it all myself. When I told them it was all from Temu, they were really shocked that it came from this cheap website that people just look down their noses at.
"You can save a lot of money. As brides, we're always under pressure to be seen to be delivering the best day as we possibly can.
"When in fact the wedding day should be about you and how you want it to be and not to impress everyone else.
"I'd say to anybody, have a go at making stuff yourself. You'd be surprised what you can actually achieve with a YouTube video and a few flowers from Temu.
"People feel under pressure to take out these loans and have these big weddings. They pay all this money and take out credit cards, it's just unnecessary pressure."