Sally and Billy wanted nothing to do with tradition. They scrapped the big sit-down dinner, ditched the cake and favours, and tore the rule book to shreds. What they created instead was two days that were entirely their own: a London elopement followed by a full-blown gig in Exeter they called their “Wedebration”.

As wedding videographers themselves, having both days captured to perfection was one of their biggest priorities and where they allocated the majority of their budget. Verity Westcott photographed the elopement while The Costa Sisters made a video. At the reception they had Alex Toze taking photos and Rowe Films making the film.

The London elopement was pure modern British punk. Billy, a songwriter and former punk frontman, wore a bespoke tartan suit lined with skulls and finished with DM boots. Sally worked with Lyndsey of Dandelions and Pearls to design a Vivienne Westwood-inspired dress that felt both rebellious and romantic. They stomped around Shoreditch and Brick Lane, posed in the photo booth at Rough Trade East with records from their favourite bands, and then took the tube to Islington to sign the papers. “The ceremony wasn’t important to us, we went through the motions to legally get married, just the two of us,” Sally said.

The main event came a month later. They started the Wedebration upstairs in cocktail bar Bomba, where Billy’s daughters led them in with bubble guns while Spandau Ballet’s Gold blasted through the speakers. Guests were met with tacos, a magician, and speeches that turned out to be the surprise emotional high of the night. Sally spoke, followed by Fiona and Megan, aged 10 and 9, who welcomed her into the family with the kind of honesty only kids can pull off. “Billy, never the public speaker, performed a song he had written for me”, Sally said. “His girls joined in singing the chorus. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”

From there, it all descended into glorious chaos. Everyone moved downstairs into Move, an underground club. Three of the couple’s favourite local bands played. The crowd moshed, sweated, and shouted along. Confetti cannons exploded, bubble guns sprayed into the air, and sparkler flares cut through the dark. Billy even formed a new band just for the night, taking centre stage in a series of costume changes that included a Geri Halliwell union jack mini dress, gold hot pants with a leopard print jacket, and full Fred Durst cosplay for a Limp Bizkit medley. Sally joined in to sing a couple of songs. Together they stage-dived and crowd-surfed to a punk cover of I Believe I Can Fly.

Everything had a DIY, festival-gig energy. There was a glitter bar and a crisp wall built by Billy from wood, wire, and pegs. Guests left with Wedebration merch: tees, badges, stickers, tote bags, wristbands, and temporary tattoos. The couple donated the profits to the hospital rose garden where Sally had shared some of her last moments with her dad.

Their budget went on what mattered to them. Bespoke outfits, a snowboarding honeymoon in France, and photography and videography. “It was so important to spend money on the things that last after our wedding, our memories,” Sally said.

Looking back, there were a few lessons. They admitted to over-catering and watching good food go to waste. They also wished they’d asked for more help. “We had glow sticks and inflatable balls with lights in, that we intended to give out when the bands were playing but we completely forgot,” Sally said. “We also had way too much food! We didn’t allow for people dropping out last minute due to illness etc so we had ordered too much which ultimately went to waste. I wish we had planned better for this by either not ordering as much or making a plan to donate anything leftover.”

But none of that took away from what mattered: a celebration that made sense for them. “Be open minded and forget about what you ‘think’ you should do on your wedding day”, Sally advises. “If you try and fit yourselves into the box of hosting a traditional wedding, you will more than likely have to make sacrifices and compromises along the way, usually to avoid upsetting or offending people.  You don’t have to invite 84-year-old great aunt, who you haven’t seen since you were six months old and pay for her to eat a three courses and sit in a corner, complaining about the music being too loud!”