We canceled our $37,000 wedding for one big reason

They say “no” to lavish weddings.

Sasha McDonald, 24, and Rory Allison, 25, scaled back their expensive wedding to a more minimalist event to avoid falling into financial poverty.

“Financial stress was definitely something we worried about. We thought, ‘Why are we starting our marriage in debt?’ “I’m not willing to sacrifice my vacation and my dinner for this,” McDonald told Kennedy News & Media.

The young Scottish couple, who have been dating for nine years, spent nearly $37,000 booking a traditional white wedding at a mansion in Dumfries, Scotland, which included a list of vendors.

“We came across a venue that we both really liked and wanted at the time. We booked it and were really happy with it,” McDonald admits.

Although their big day is set for 2025, McDonald and Allison are stressed about the consequences of their big celebration.

“We spent a fortune on just one day and it was stretching us financially and it just wasn’t working for us anymore,” she said. “I just thought, ‘Why are we spending more on a wedding than How much more is the down payment to buy a house?'”

The couple canceled their 100-person wedding and instead held an intimate wedding with 25 guests at a French-themed hotel in Glasgow in March 2025.

“We said from the beginning we were getting married tomorrow, so why would we? The rose-tinted glasses just came off,” she added.

Before making this decision, the couple had only focused on work and saving, canceling holidays from their calendars in preparation for the big wedding.

Even though Alison is an engineer and McDonald is a nurse, the two took on side jobs to fund their wedding.

McDonald competed for Miss Scotland 2024 and was a finalist. The two also served as wedding model couples.

However, all this work made them realize that the wedding they had envisioned for themselves wasn’t what they really wanted. So instead of spending more than $30,000, the two planned a small wedding for $10,000.

“Canceling the original wedding and rebooking felt like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders. We felt like we could continue to focus on getting married.”

Although they lost nearly $1,300 by canceling the venue, it was still a significant savings compared to holding the celebration at a stately home.

She did keep the vendors she originally booked, but wanted to get creative with the handwritten invitations and bouquet arrangements she curated.

“People go into debt just to have this beautiful day. I think weddings should be about the marriage and the person you’re marrying. It shouldn’t be a production or a show,” admits Macdonald.

With just a few months until their wedding, the couple have no regrets about their decision and are encouraging other soon-to-be-weds to reconsider whether the wedding they’re planning is what they want.

“I would say if you’re thinking about canceling a big traditional wedding, please think about it. Your wedding is one day, your marriage is every day,” she shared.