Bachelor in Paradise Casey Woods’ fiancée Christine Patruno reveals all the creative, money-saving DIY details of her upcoming wedding!

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Patruno said the couple’s wedding will take place in February 2025 in Miami Beach – where the two first met.

“I’m originally from New York and February is a great time for New Yorkers to come here,” says Patruno.

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Woods, 38, proposed to Patruno in February and the couple shared their happy news in a joint Instagram post.

“Some news from last weekend 💍. We’re getting married 💜,” they wrote on February 16 alongside a photo of themselves posing together in front of a group of palm trees in Miami. In the photo, Patruno held up her hand to show off her engagement ring.

And while her fiancé might have played a role in a franchise centered around storybook romances and over-the-top blockbuster dates, she says she’s taking a more realistic approach to wedding planning.

“I didn’t want a big wedding,” she says. “I just felt like, I’m 33 and Casey is 39. I’ve been to so many weddings. I’ve done all of this. I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone and I felt like we could spend the money on better things.”

Casey, however, saw things differently and told Patruno that he wanted to organize a celebration where all of the couple’s friends – from all walks of life – could come together for one evening.

“We kind of met in the middle and said we’re going to do things our way,” Patruno says. “I want to be careful not to exceed the budget that our families were able to give us.”

This means you can save costs on things like flowers and decorations, she adds.

“I don’t spend thousands of dollars on flowers. I just can’t afford it,” she says. “But I like to make my own floral arrangements and live off Trader Joe’s.”

So she will make the arrangements herself, using bouquets from the supermarket and inexpensive vases, as well as enlisting the help of her friends.

Signage for the event will also be a DIY project. “I bought signs for the bar menu and the vases I needed for the flowers at the dollar store for $29,” she notes.

Patruno also says that she will forego a bridal shower and large bridal party and that her best friend Craig will perform the ceremony.

“I’m wearing the traditional white dress,” she says, adding that the couple will deviate from the usual wedding ceremony in some ways.

“We’re not having the wedding in a church, and we’re not having any parent dances,” she says. “We’ll do our dance, but we won’t have any speeches at the wedding. We want everyone to have fun.”

She continues: “I’m not spending money on glamour for the wedding. I love makeup and I’m pretty good at it, so I’m going to do that. And one of my best friends in New York is a hairdresser and her wedding gift is to do my hair.”

The couple has also decided that instead of a traditional registry, they will ask for donations for their honey fund, which will be used for their honeymoon in Japan and various home projects.

And then there is the guest list, which includes Patruno.

“No charity invitations,” she says, laughing. “I’ve been to weddings where my friends have said, ‘I don’t know half these people.’ We’ve cut our guest list to 80.”

However, there are some areas that are non-negotiable for both Patruno and Woods.

“Because we were mindful of the cost of flowers and other things, we were able to ensure the wedding would be on a Saturday,” she says. “And we’re upgrading our alcohol package to include premium spirits. That sounds better to me than flowers.”

For her, Patruno says, planning the wedding meant constantly reminding herself that the celebration lasts “only one day.”

“Ultimately, the couple will have to bear the financial cost and it’s easy to give in to the pressure to throw an over-the-top event,” she says. “The irony is that it’s meant to celebrate the rest of your life – why would you start your life and end that celebration in debt?”