‘We spent £56 on our wedding and got married in gym kit and work wear’
For many brides and grooms the outfits they wear to tie the knot are one of the important aspects of the day, but that wasn't the case for Demi and Jake Doody who go married in their gym kit and work clothes.
The couple decided to ditch the idea of a big white wedding and instead said 'I do' on their own in the clothes they wear every day.
Demi, 27, had grown up wanting to wear a typical wedding dress and even had the exact gown picked out.
But when it came to tying the knot with her partner, Jake, 29, she decided to switch her plans.
Instead the couple spent just £56 on a registry office wedding and tied the knot before Jake went off to work as a floor fitter and Demi headed to the gym.
After the 15-minute ceremony they went about their days as usual before surprising their three kids with the news.
Later, the couple celebrated with a movie night and an Indian takeaway and say they wouldn't have it any other way.
"We got married at 10am on a Wednesday," Demi, a stay-at-home-mum, from Dudley, Midlands, explains.
"I wanted it to just be the two of us.
"I didn't want anyone to ruin my wedding."
While Demi says the couple have the money to be able to get married the way she'd initially imagined she says ultimately they "didn't see the point" on spending that much on just one day.
Demi and Jake, who owns a flooring company, met 12 years ago and immediately hit it off.
Having already started their family together, they got engaged in December 2021 when Jake bought Demi a ring for Christmas.
"I said 'what's this?'," Demi explains.
"I said 'I'll just say it is in an engagement ring' and we told everyone we were engaged from there."
Demi had originally wanted a big wedding.
"Growing up I already knew what wedding dress I wanted," she says.
"But the older I got the more I thought I'm not one for this big wedding.
"I get anxious around people."
Demi also says she worried about family arguments and she didn't want that to be a part of the couple's special day, so she suggested they have a simple registry office wedding - just the two of them.
"It's about saying yes," she explains.
"Jake said 'are you sure? We only do it once'."
She continues: "At first I thought I'd get a nice white dress but then I thought what is the point for 15 minutes.
"My partner was in work clothes and I was in my gym kit."
The couple decided to keep their wedding a secret and asked Demi's sister Katie Wilkes, 30, and her girlfriend, Emma, 29, to come and meet them on August 26, 2023.
The pair were to act as the couple's witnesses, but weren't initially told the reason they had been asked to meet.
"I told my sister it was an emergency and to come," Demi explains. "Then I told her I was getting married. She couldn't believe it.
"I was in hysterics for the vows.
"It's our memory. No one has that memory but us."
After the ceremony Demi went to the gym and Jake went to work before they reunited in the evening, with kids Jayden, 11, Frankie-Lee, seven, and Bailey-George, five.
"I set up the living room with blankets and bought lots of sweets," Demi says.
"We told the kids when they got back and they couldn't believe it.
"We put on a film and then ordered an Indian takeaway."
Demi says some of her family were initially "disappointed" about the way they chose to wed, but she reminded them it was their special day and they had to celebrate it in the way that works for them.
Instead of forking out thousands for a big, white wedding the couple have put their savings into doing up their house, but hope to one day go on honeymoon together.
Recalling their friends and family's reaction when they told them how they decided to tie the knot Demi says: "No one believed us.
"They thought it was fake.
"£56 to say 'I do' - I think that's a bonus."
UK weddings: the facts
It is supposed to be one of the best days of your life, but it is likely to be one of the most expensive, too.
Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis the average British wedding now costs £20,775, according to wedding planners Bridebook's UK Wedding Report 2024, which polled 6,000 married and engaged couples. This is the first time that figure has topped £20,000.
If you factor in the wedding ring and the honeymoon, the average costs shoots up to £25,952.
Unsurprisingly, however, the cost of weddings differed considerably from region to region. The average cost of a wedding in London is now £36,778, while the average cost of a wedding in Scotland and Wales is £19,387 and £15,529 respectively.
As well as the cost of the wedding, the date you choose to tie the knot is also important, and turns out brides and grooms are quite particular about when they get married.
According to wedding planning resource Guides For Brides, the most sought-after wedding dates in the next three years are dominated by Bank Holiday weekends and “aesthetically pleasing” symmetrical dates.
Weekend weddings remain popular as ever, and the months of May and June are the move favoured times of the year to hold nuptials, the website’s analysis of more than 12,000 wedding enquiries found.
In 2024, the most popular date for a wedding falls on the August Bank Holiday weekend, with the upcoming Saturday 24 August taking the top spot.
Additional reporting SWNS.
Read more about sex and relationships:
‘I saved thousands buying my wedding dress from a charity shop’ (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
Why vow renewals can rejuvenate marriage, as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen celebrate 10th anniversary (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Why do brides throw their bouquets at weddings? (Yahoo Life UK, 2-min read)
