Our dream vintage wedding cost just £6,000 – everything was second-hand and came from scrapyards

A thrifty couple have revealed how they threw their dream wedding for only £6,000 using second-hand bargains.

Melissa Drabble, 40, and husband Mark, 41, run the scrapyard Tin Man Scrap in Buxton, Derbyshire, and always knew they wanted to add a DIY spin to their special day.

Rather than spending thousands renting out items, the couple – who met in 1999 and share children Chloe, 21, and Nathan, 20 – decided they could make a lot of the items they needed from scrap metal.

Melissa said: ‘To have a wedding that was different was always my aim. I love to stand out from the crowd. I felt it was my challenge to make our wedding from things we could reuse and recycle.

‘On the day, guests asked, “Where did you get this?” And I told them, “The skip!” It was a lot of pressure to get everything done but it went to plan on the day and looked even better than I hoped.’ 

Over the course of their 24-year relationship, Mark started experimenting with ways to repurpose scrap metal – which led to them founding their own scrap yard.

However, the pair have also started selling on some of their best finds which they couldn’t bear to melt down in recent years.

Their reclamation yard, Derbyshire Reclamation, was then born in 2012 – which became the source of much of their secondhand wedding. 

Six months before their September 2021 wedding, Mark and Melissa began scouring their collections for unique wedding decorations.

After searching through some of their multiple skips, the couple found chairs, candlesticks, cake stands and goblets for their reception in their garden.

In total, they spent £110 to repaint their tables and chairs blue and then a further £160 on fabric to cover them.

The couple bought a £1,500 marquee from Facebook Marketplace which they then sold for this same amount. They spent £110 repainting the chairs and a further £160 on all the tablecloths and chair covers

Pictured: the crockery the couple bagged for free after finding a cafe that was shutting down and clearing out their stock

The pair opted for a retro feel for their wedding and opted for sustainable paper flower bouquets and playground rides

Left: Melissa’s paper flower decorations which cost £30. Right: Some of the retro decorations they found in their scrap yard

In their skips, they also found some trendy disco balls and a real phone box to decorate their venue for no additional cost. 

What’s more, all the tables were free from a local pub which was being demolished, and their plates and glasses were borrowed from a friend for free. 

That said, Melissa’s approach did require more work than simply renting furniture through a supplier. 

She said: ‘I had lots and lots of help from my close friends who helped me every single night making things and painting.

‘It actually bought us closer together – that’s what weddings are for.’

Meanwhile, the couple also scoured places like Facebook Marketplace to buy items instead of hiring – so they could sell them on through their second business.

Their £1,500 marquee was found there – and sold on for the exact same price a few months after the wedding.

They also snatched up garden decorations including a 1920s merry-go-round, vintage bumper car and an elephant playground set which they restored to later sell on.

They had a buffet made by Melissa’s mum and brother in the evening.

After splashing out £1,500 on her wedding dress and £500 on Mark’s suit, the couple cut costs by bagging £60 bridesmaid dresses from charity shops. 

What’s more, the bride also chose £30 origami flowers to cut costs there too. 

The bride said: ‘The wedding wasn’t intentionally a money saving challenge.

‘Ultimately a wedding is about the marriage and we wanted to make sure it stayed the focal point.

‘Sometimes weddings can be so big that it kind of feels like the emotion doesn’t exist.

‘But because of the nature of our jobs, I knew that I wanted everything to be handmade and personal!

‘I also really wanted to do things that could be kept and cherished for years to come.’

Over a year on since the wedding, they’re still loving married life, and say their wedding was one of the best memories.

Melissa said: ‘I’m so passionate about saving things from landfill so with my wedding, I wanted it to be as vintage as possible.

‘I love nostalgic things with a history – I wouldn’t dream of buying something too modern. With a bit of TLC, you can make something completely new and totally unique.’