Our grand wedding... or how a couple tied the knot for just £1,000 (including a bride's dress from eBay)

The average wedding now costs more than £20,000. Not for Gary and Julie Ratcliffe, however.

With the help of a good eye for a bargain, a bit of DIY and a firm refusal to pay over the odds, they married for a fraction over £1,000.

But there was nothing cut-price about their big day. They travelled in a white limousine, the bride wore a satin dress designed by Jasper Conran, and their 80 guests were served glasses of bubbly.

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The couple, who were both previously married, decided to cut costs after coming to the unromantic but practical decision that a new bathroom for their home in Oldham was more important.

"We did the sums having in mind that our new house would need work on it, and decided we wanted to spend around £1,000 while having everything we wanted as far as possible," the 48-year-old bride, a children's worker, said yesterday.

"The big day went brilliantly and we had a wonderful time, and when I tell my friends that it only cost £1,000 they can't believe it."

She had been stunned when one hotel wanted to charge £1,000 for the reception venue alone.

"I thought it was ridiculous, so I began looking around and found the local cricket club function room was only £140 to hire for the whole day."

A local caterer provided an afternoon buffet lunch for 40 guests and an evening meal of chilli con carne and rice or potato pie and peas for twice that number for barely £300.

Then she looked on auction website eBay for outfits and decorations, finding a £15 ivory corset-style satin dress.

The bride's outfit was completed with an imitation diamante and pearl tiara for £10 from Claire's Accessories.

"I'd gone into a wedding shop and seen some tiaras for sale in there for £200 and £300.

"So when I saw the £10 one that looked just as effective I bought that."

She made her own flower arrangements while high street stores yielded two bridesmaids' outfits for her daughter Jemma, 26, and her husband's daughter Ginney, 16, for well under £100.

Drinks for the reception came from Asda - one-litre bottles of sparkling wine for £2.99 each.

"The bottles looked expensive and the wine tasted nice, so we bought one for each table," she added.

Work colleagues arranged a professional photographer as a wedding gift, while an already planned family holiday to Majorca served as their honeymoon for the new Mrs Ratcliffe and her 45-year-old husband, who works in a supermarket.