Arizona Mom Reveals How She Arranged Daughter’s Wedding for Just $1,000

A mom-of-two invited criticism from family, friends, and strangers alike when she decided to throw her daughter's wedding for only $1,000. Here's everything she did to stick to her non-negotiable budget, from buying out-of-season flowers to baking the wedding cake.

Shelley Watson hails from Mesa, Arizona, and is known for her thrifty lifestyle for over two decades. However, nobody could have anticipated that her frugal ways would extend to her daughter, Ashley Watson's wedding in 2019—a piece of news that astounded everyone.

Reluctant to let go of her penny-pinching nature, Shelley was determined to throw her daughter's wedding on a fixed budget of just $1,000. And to anyone wondering how she made it possible, she shared the complete details in an exclusive episode of TLC's "Extreme Cheapskates."

Picking the Venue

When Ashley decided to tie the knot with the love of her life, Colby Cosgrove, she was oblivious to how things would turn out. But whether or not someone approved of her thrifty nature, Shelley knew what she was doing, even when she took her daughter to see the wedding venue.

Once the venue, flowers, and cake were taken care of, Shelley's next target was finding a bridal gown for the best price.

Ashley and the other family members were flabbergasted when they saw that Shelley had chosen a local school gym as the venue. As they went inside and looked around the East Valley High building, the Arizona mom told them that the location was perfect and, thanks to her friends, they could use it for free.

The Bride & Mother-in-Law's Reactions

As was expected, not everyone was happy with Shelley's perspective, with Ashley detesting her decision and Colby's mom, Denise Cosgrove, voicing her concerns and dislike on the matter. Denise told TLC:

"I thought it was a joke. Nobody in the right mind is serious about having it in a gym."

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Ashley came around and expressed, "This is going to be the cheapest wedding ever." Wedding venues are generally the most expensive in a wedding budget and may require a huge sum of money, and getting one for free takes a load off it.

Choosing the Flowers

After sealing the wedding venue for free, Shelley focused on the next important thing—flowers. She found a holiday decoration warehouse with a wide variety of out-of-season flowers. Shelley explained:

"It's a seasonal distribution company that would have flowers and those flowers are out of season right now and so they would be cheaper (sic)."

Colby's mother, Denise, voiced her disapproval and said nobody would go into a Christmas warehouse to buy wedding flowers instead of going to a florist. According to the warehouse manager, Shelley purchased a box of fake poinsettia flowers for less than $10.

The Cake and the Wedding Dress

Afterward, Shelley turned her attention to picking a wedding cake and was taken aback when she discovered that it could cost her around $400. "I think spending $400 on a wedding cake is ridiculous. It costs what, $2 for a cake mix?" she added.

Not wanting to spend too much money buying a fancy cake, Shelley told her family they could bake their own cake. Then she asked the shop owner if it was possible to borrow their display cake so they could flaunt it at the wedding. Shelley saw it as a better option because it wouldn't cost her anything.

Once the venue, flowers, and cake were taken care of, Shelley's next target was finding a bridal gown for the best price. To do that, she took her daughter to a pawn shop and gave her the option of choosing from three dresses. Ashley tried on the dresses and ended up liking one of them.

Although the dress was a little tight, the bride-to-be found it gorgeous. Then it was time for her mom to bargain on the price, and eventually, they bought it for $75. Ashley and Colby couldn't contain their excitement for the big day as time passed.

Saving on Catering & Officiating the Wedding

Finally, after several months of planning and extreme budgeting, the wedding day arrived, and Shelley's friends pitched in with last-minute preparations that helped save almost $900 in catering costs. The ladies volunteered to make delicious sandwiches for the reception.

Another money-saving secret that Shelley revealed much later was how she would officiate her daughter's wedding as an ordained minister. Doing so helped the mom-of-two save nearly $300. When Colby was asked how he felt about his mother-in-law's scrimping nature, he said:

"I'm not totally excited about where and how we're getting married but I am excited to make that commitment to Ashley."

While many were appalled by how Shelley handled things, especially her refusal to do anything beyond the $1,000 budget, she set an example for people wanting to throw their wedding without breaking the bank. What are your thoughts on the story? We would love to hear your feedback on Facebook.

Click here to read another story about a California couple who spent $500 on their wedding to stay debt-free and shared tips on how they did it.