For many brides and grooms, the outfit they wear to the ceremony is one of the most important aspects of the day. However, that wasn’t the case for Demi and Jake Doody, who got married in workout clothes and work clothes.

The couple decided to abandon the idea of ​​a big white wedding and instead say “I do” in the clothes they wear every day.

Demi, 27, wanted to wear a typical wedding dress since she was a child and had even already chosen the exact dress.

But when it came to marrying her partner, 29-year-old Jake, she decided to change her plans.

Instead, the couple spent just £56 on a civil ceremony and tied the knot before Jake went to work as a floor fitter and Demi went to the gym.

After the 15-minute ceremony, they went about their usual routine before surprising their three children with the news.

The couple later celebrated with a movie night and Indian takeaway and said they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We got married at 10am on a Wednesday,” explains Demi, a stay-at-home mother from Dudley in the Midlands.

“I wanted it to be just the two of us.

“I didn’t want anyone to ruin my wedding.”

Demi says the couple had the money to get married the way she had originally imagined, but ultimately they “didn’t see the point” in spending so much on just one day.

Demi and Jake, the owner of a flooring company, met 12 years ago and hit it off right away.

They had already started a family together and got engaged in December 2021 when Jake bought Demi a ring for Christmas.

“I said, ‘What is that?'” Demi explains.

“I said, ‘I’ll just say it’s an engagement ring,’ and from then on we told everyone we were engaged.”

Demi had originally wanted a big wedding.

“Even as a child, I knew which wedding dress I wanted,” she says.

“But the older I got, the more I thought I wasn’t the right person for such a big wedding.

“I get nervous around people.”

Demi also said she was afraid of family disputes and didn’t want them to be part of the couple’s special day, so she suggested having a simple civil ceremony – just the two of them.

“It’s about saying yes,” she explains.

“Jake said, ‘Are you sure? We’re only doing this once.'”

She continues: “At first I thought I was going to get a beautiful white dress, but then I thought, what’s the point, 15 minutes.

“My partner wore work clothes and I wore my sports clothes.”

The couple decided to keep their wedding a secret and asked Demi’s sister Katie Wilkes, 30, and her friend Emma, ​​​​29, to visit them on August 26, 2023.

The two were supposed to act as witnesses for the couple, but the reason for the meeting was not initially communicated to them.

“I told my sister it was an emergency and to come,” explains Demi. “Then I told her I was getting married. She couldn’t believe it.”

“I was absolutely thrilled about the vows.

“It is our memory. No one else has this memory.”

After the ceremony, Demi went to the gym and Jake went to work before they met up again in the evening with their children Jayden (11), Frankie-Lee (7) and Bailey-George (5).

“I decorated the living room with blankets and bought lots of candy,” says Demi.

“We told the children when they came back and they couldn’t believe it.

“We put on a movie and then ordered Indian takeaway.”

Demi says some of her family members were initially “disappointed” with the nature of her wedding, but she reminded them that it was their special day and they needed to celebrate it in a way that was best for them.

Instead of spending thousands on a big white wedding, the couple have put their savings into renovating their home but hope to go on a honeymoon together one day.

Demi remembers the reaction of her friends and family when she told them about her decision to get married: “Nobody believed us.

“They thought it was a fake.

“£56 to say yes – I think that’s a bonus.”

Weddings in the UK: the facts

It should be one of the most beautiful days of your life, but probably also one of the most expensive.

Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis, the average UK wedding now costs £20,775, according to wedding planner Bridebook’s UK Wedding Report 2024, which surveyed 6,000 married and engaged couples. This is the first time that this amount has exceeded £20,000.

When you include the wedding ring and honeymoon, the average cost rises to £25,952.

Unsurprisingly, however, the cost of a wedding varied considerably from region to region. The average cost of a wedding in London is currently £36,778, while the average cost of a wedding in Scotland and Wales is £19,387 and £15,529 respectively.

In addition to the cost of the wedding, the date of your ceremony is also important, and it has been shown that brides and grooms are quite particular about the timing of their wedding.

According to wedding planning resource Guides For Brides, the most sought-after wedding dates over the next three years will primarily involve holiday weekends and “aesthetically pleasing” symmetrical dates.

Weekend weddings remain popular, with May and June being the most popular times of year for weddings, according to an analysis of more than 12,000 wedding enquiries by the website.

In 2024, the most popular date for a wedding falls on the long weekend in August, with the upcoming Saturday, August 24th, taking first place.

Additional reporting SWNS.

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