There’s nothing we love more than a wedding that feels like a true extension of the couple getting married. One that represents who they are and what they stand for. That’s exactly what Zoë and Jack did. They built their wedding from the ground up. Literally.

They turned a polytunnel in their own garden in West Cork into into a full-blown wedding venue, transformed freecycled furniture into ceremony seating, and built a DJ booth out of waste palettes. Nothing about it was traditional, polished, or outsourced to others. Not even their photos! The bride, a keen photographer, shot all the detail shots herself the morning-of, and then had a friend take over for the rest of the day.

The couple’s main priorities were budget, sustainability, and community. “We kept it as second-hand and homemade as possible,” said Zoë. “We freecycled over 100 chairs, buying every piece of cutlery in the local charity shops, collecting jam jars for drinking glasses, freecycling fridges for our bar, using old palettes to build said bar and DJ booth, making old yoghurt pots into candle holders, buying second-hand wedding pieces on Facebook marketplace, begging every local DIY shop for old wallpaper sample books to hand cut and string into 140m of bunting. We stole empty kombucha bottles from friends for vases and dried all of our own venue flowers… the list goes on.” Over two years, they collected, crafted, and thrifted everything needed to host 100 guests – all for a total of €7,000.

Their ceremony took place at Levis Corner House in Ballydehob, a pub and live music venue the couple already loved. “We know the owners, so it was really special to have it there,” they said. The ceremony was secular and gender-neutral, soundtracked by friends performing Bombay Bicycle Club and Daniel Johnston.

Speeches were also done during the ceremony, before guests travelled to the couple’s garden for the reception. The polytunnel was both dining hall and dancefloor. Food was a huge part of their sustainable focus. They hosted a meat-free wedding with vegan organic wines, a buffet cooked by the couple and their friends, and food trucks instead of formal catering. The next day, they threw a barbecue using leftover food and drinks. “We threw a whole extra party for a total cost of €50!” Zoë said.

“There were honestly no regrets or things we’d change,” said Zoë. “Guests said we thought of everything – eco toilet paper, plastic-free bathroom baskets, a good bar, good food, and a good party. I know this sounds weird, but we wouldn’t want to do a budget-less wedding. We’re so proud of how little we spent. Confining ourselves really tightly made us think creatively, and in turn, more sustainably about how we could recycle, re-use and thrift what we wanted to create a beautiful elegant day. If money were truly no object, we’d have kept it the exact same and spent a couple hundred grand on getting Weezer as our wedding band!”

For all its DIY success, Zoë is quick to admit that weddings like this take serious time “We’d recommend any couple who wants to do a wedding like ours sets a date at least two years away – it gives you a chance to slowly collect, find and craft which will save you thousands. Be prepared to trawl freecycle groups, every charity shop and become unhealthily attached to Pinterest. It’s very helpful to have storage space, too! We underestimated just how much work it is to cater for 100 people!”

When asked about the wedding industry, Zoë had a refreshingly grounded take. “We actually think vendors charge very fair prices,” she said. “We just couldn’t afford them. But having done everything ourselves – photography, catering, planning, styling, building – we know how much work goes into it. People have said I should do this for a living. I’ve told them they can’t afford me.”

Their best advice for other couples? Be honest about what you want and give yourself time. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help and rope people in,” Zoë concluded. “Some of the best memories came from those big chilli-and-beer dinners after a full day of building. Seeing our uncles chatting with our best friends. The community that was formed. That’s what made it so special.”