£51 EBay bid wins one couple a complete wedding package
Couple win wedding for £51 on EBay
One couple really struck gold after a hotel put a complete wedding package up for sale on EBay following a cancellation. Despite setting aside a maximum of £1,000 for the bid, all it took was a mere £51 to secure the wedding deal.
As part of the bargain nuptials the couple were treated to a red carpet welcome with a Bucks Fizz reception followed by a 3 course meal for 35 guests, a toastmaster and a further evening buffet for 50 guests. And to end the perfect day the newlyweds were treated to a complimentary overnight stay in the hotel’s honeymoon suite.
After contacting the 3 star Buckatree Hall Hotel in Shropshire with a view to booking their wedding there, the hotel’s staff tipped the couple off to the cancellation slot which had just gone up for sale on EBay. Ordinarily a wedding reception at this venue would set you back at least £1,555. Groom-to-be Les Clark had just been made redundant from his Civil Engineering position so their wedding was being conducted on a very tight budget.
As a regular EBay user, Les wasted no time in placing a bid for the wedding reception. The bride, Colette Palin said they jumped at the opportunity saying:”We just thought we would see if we could strike lucky.” And Strike it lucky they did, winning the package for just £51.
And the bargains kept on coming as the 25-year-old bride managed to find the perfect dress with a whopping 50% discount taking the cost down to £450.
The hotel’s manager, Jason Petty, explained that they had the idea of posting cancellation bookings on EBay a while ago, and the lost wedding booking gave them the perfect opportunity to try out their new strategy as he said: “The date came up and we knew we weren’t going to sell it so I thought, let’s go for it.”
The newlywed’s lucky streak shows no signs of stopping either; since they tied the knot Les has found a new job and Colette has revealed she is expecting their first baby in spring of next year.
Kelly Cooper is the Editor of Wedding News and oversees the work of all the writers. Kelly has worked extensively in the media for the past 10 years, first as a trainee with her local newspaper in Norfolk, and before going it alone as a freelance journalist where she wrote for a number of women’s publications, including bridal magazines. The experience and knowledge which Kelly brings to the role of Editor at Wedding News has been invaluable enables the site to progress and develop on a variety of levels.
That’s such a wonderful story! I wish I could win a wedding like that. I’m jealous but happy for them! I’m working on saving money for my own wedding which is in a few months. So far, our planner, http://www.gatheringguide.com/ec/event_planners.html, has managed to save us a bit of money. Here’s hoping we can do it within our budget– so far so good!