They said “we don’t” to a lavish wedding.
Sasha McDonald, 24, and Rory Allison, 25, downsized their pricey wedding to a more minimalistic event to spare themselves financial poverty.
“Financial strain was definitely something we were worried about. And we thought, ‘Why would we start our marriage in debt?’ I wasn’t willing to sacrifice holidays and dinners for this one day,” McDonald told Kennedy News and Media.
The young Scottish couple, who dated for nine years, booked a traditional white wedding at a stately home in Dumfries, Scotland, for nearly $37,000, which included a list of vendors.
“We came across a venue that we both really liked and was what we wanted at that time. We booked that and were super happy with it,” McDonald confessed.
Although their big day was set for 2025, McDonald and Allison stressed over the aftermath of their big celebration.
“We were stretching ourselves thin financially for just one day to spend an extortionate amount of money, and it just did not align with us anymore,” she said. “I just thought, ‘Why would we spend more on a wedding than a house deposit?’”
The couple canceled their 100-person marriage ceremony in favor of an intimate affair in March 2025 at a French-themed hotel in Glasgow with 25 guests.
“We said to each other from the start that we’d marry each other tomorrow, so why are we doing this? The rose-tinted glasses just came off,” she added.
Prior to making this decision, the couple restricted themselves to only working and saving, eliminating vacations from their calendar to prepare for the grand wedding.
Despite Allison working as an engineer and McDonald working as a nurse, the pair took on side hustles to help fund their wedding.
McDonald competed for the title of Miss Scotland 2024, where she placed as a finalist. The pair also worked as wedding model couples.
However, all that work made them realize that the wedding they envisioned for themselves wasn’t what they truly wanted. So, instead of spending over $30,000, the duo plans to spend $10,000 on a small wedding.
“Cancelling the original wedding and rebooking this felt like such a weight off our shoulders. We felt like we could keep getting married at the center of it.”
Even though they lost nearly $1,300 by canceling their venue, it’s still a major savings compared to what they would have spent keeping the celebration at the stately home.
She did keep the vendors she originally booked, but she wants to get crafty with handwritten invitations and bouquet floral arrangements curated by her.
“People are putting themselves into debt to have this picture-perfect day. I think a wedding should be about marriage and the person you’re marrying. It shouldn’t be a production or show,” McDonald admitted.
With their wedding only months away, the couple has no regrets about their decision and encourages other soon-to-bes to reconsider whether the wedding they have planned is what they want.
“I would say if you’ve got an urge to cancel your big, traditional wedding, look into it. Your wedding is one day, your marriage is every day,” she shared.
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