Couple have $600 wedding planned in just two weeks

By Ben Barry via SWNS

A couple spent $600 on her wedding and planned it in just two weeks - thanks to a $50 wedding dress and asking friends to bring their own food.

Bride Shelby Phelps, 26, was determined to keep costs low when she wed her partner, Garret, 26, in front of 25 guests.

They bought outfits from Poshmark, and the groom's best men and bridesmaids' bought their own.

A friend was their photographer, while another filmed a wedding video. Another pal baked their cake - carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

The couple used what they could find to decorate - including wildflowers they picked in their community, and decorations and food were made by friends.

The couple asked for donations from friends, which saved them around $10,000.

Despite their low budget, the pair say their wedding was "the most beautiful day of their lives" and they "wouldn't change a thing."

Shelby, a river guide, from Bryson City, North Carolina, said: "It was by far the most beautiful day of my life.

"Everyone had a good time - we didn't need to spend thousands for it to be perfect.

"It was like God gifted us the most beautiful day humanly possible. There were butterflies everywhere - it was like a dream.

"Our ceremony took five minutes.

"We ended up having a bonfire celebration and since it was a common trail, we had random hikers coming through and hanging out with us - we danced to music until dark."

Shelby and Garret met on Tinder in February 2017.

After exchanging messages, Shelby decided to drive an hour-and-a-half to meet Garret from Kalamazoo, Michigan, US, to Hastings, Michigan, US - and says it was the best first date she has ever had.

Shelby said: "I was going through a hard time in my life. We were messaging back and forth.

"He sent me a bible verse and I was super drawn to go on a first date with him.

"It was the best first date of my entire life.

"He made our entire dinner from scratch, we made Hawaiian ham and cheese sliders, and crab rangoons.

"Garret was down to earth and made a lot of eye contact.

"This is a man that goes out of his way to be thoughtful in every single way, he is a true partner.

"Whenever I am doing anything or need help, he's the first person to step up and ask."

The couple didn't have a traditional proposal - with Garret writing a list of goals when he couldn't sleep and one of them being 'to marry Shelby in two weeks' in April 2020.

The couple originally planned to have their wedding on April 18, 2020, but ended up getting married early on October 11, 2019.

Garret was sleepless one night and created a list of things he wanted to do - including marrying Shelby within a fortnight, on a mountain in Bryson City, North Carolina, US.

Shelby said: "My biggest goal was to thrift a dress as soon as possible.

"We live in a community of river guides and told people we didn't want gifts but if they wanted to show their talent they could take pictures, bake a cake and create the food.

"One of our friends took the pictures, one friend made a wedding video, and another friend is insanely good at baking so made our cake.

"Anything that was decorated we used wildflowers we found."

Wedding price list -

• Poshmark Wedding dress $50
• Second hand chacos $25
• Patagonia groom's vest $80
• Prana groom's pants $50
• Cake $100
• Materials for the cake $40
• Sunflowers from florist $30
• Polaroid film $80
• Pizza £100
• Beer $45

The couple can be found on TikTok at @thecolorofflow