The £4,000 Field: Worst Wedding Budget Decision Ever? | Don’t Tell The Bride

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]The next [music] morning, while David dreams of floating up, up and away, Ellie's up in atom. She's [music] brought sister Chloe and bridesmaid Abby to see her dream venue. I was going to do it in like a barn cuz [music] I love like all like vintage stuff. And my mom's friend had her wedding here a little while ago, and this is a place that I thought of straight away that I'd love to [music] get married in. Basme Manor is a 300-year-old converted barn ideal for [music] an intimate, romantic, indoor, feet firmly on the ground wedding.

[00:00:31]>> Oh, look. I love it. I just have [music] fairy lights everywhere like all around these bits. What they call beams.

[00:00:38]>> Beams. All around the beams. Jam jars all [music] the way down. Then I have Nikki's little girl like throwing rose tails. I just want a simple ceremony.

[00:00:47][music] I don't want like anything like huge and over the top. I think this is [music] just right. It's cozy and it it feels like homely, doesn't it?

[00:00:57]>> I'd love it to be somewhere like this for Elliot.

[00:00:58]>> Yeah, definitely.

[00:01:01]>> Only time can tell.

[00:01:03]>> I'm not like [music] a stately home girl, am I? Really?

[00:01:06]>> No.

[00:01:09]>> So, it's a good job the boys haven't come to see a stately home. Oh, [music] look, they have. Still, this one holds happy memories for David. We're outworth college is where I used to come to college and it is the venue that I dreamt about.

[00:01:23]>> And this country loving boy is after a picture perfect location with plenty of outdoor space to host [music] his hot air balloon wedding followed by, wait for it, a Mad Hatter's tea party reception. Always good to mix things up a bit on your wedding day.

[00:01:37]>> I want to be able to see nothing but the world that I love around me. Time to meet facility manager Andrew to discuss the options.

[00:01:47]>> This area we do have marquees for weddings during the summer months.

[00:01:51]>> It looks a lot smaller than I remember it being.

[00:01:53]>> Will will this impress the bride to be?

[00:01:56]>> She'll be surprised and it will impress her. So, we're checking both boxes there.

[00:02:02]>> There's one thing I need to ask, which is I'd like to have a hot air balloon bought in.

[00:02:07]>> We have had balloons on the estate before. Um, so I don't see being any real major British issues there at all.

[00:02:13]>> This is my venue. Yeah.

[00:02:15]>> Yeah. This is a picture I had in my head.

[00:02:17]>> It's good bit of land to work with to be honest cuz you got everything. You've got the view. You've got >> the wildlife.

[00:02:24]>> It's well nice, isn't it? I don't want to be like outside in the cold shivering because you know that I'm a mooney cow and I'll be like, "Oh, I'm cold. I'm cold." And [laughter] my hair my hair.

[00:02:35]It's got like a woman's touch with like all the little like details and like flowers and stuff. It's quite peaceful and quite calming, like really homely and Ellie likes things like that.

[00:02:45]>> I'd want um jam jars with like lace around them.

[00:02:48]>> Different size jam jars.

[00:02:49]>> Yeah.

[00:02:49]>> If she got this place, I think she would be so happy.

[00:02:54]>> Quiet you. Mind made up. David's off to talk money. And as he's not using any other facilities, it should at least be cheap, right?

[00:03:04]>> All right. So you need to get down onto prices if you was >> if we were just to look if you were organizing everything yourself >> I'd look at a facility hire of £4,000 for the day.

[00:03:13]>> So that's £4,000 for an area of grass in the grounds.

[00:03:17]>> How does that sound to you then David?

[00:03:19]>> Um >> pricey way over budget.

[00:03:22]>> It looks good to me.

[00:03:24]>> What?

[00:03:24]>> Perfect. Okay. Well, I'll show you your hand. Congratulations.

[00:03:26]>> Thank you very much.

[00:03:27]>> Wow. That was some tough negotiating.

[00:03:30]>> That's one one thing down. The main thing now is to get the marquee and then everything else is coming flooding in.

[00:03:38]>> So, having spent [music] a third of his budget on a piece of grass, David spends almost £3,000 on a circus style marquee complete with tables, chairs, and a dance floor to go in it. All adding to his increasingly [music] eclectic wedding theme. Like, >> how do I deal with it?

[00:03:54]>> Yes.

[00:03:55]By the end of this first [music] week, he spent well over half his budget, and he still has a lot to buy.

[00:04:02]>> Rings, food, drink, hendu, stag do, suits, bridesmaid's dresses. But I'm at a complete loss to think what these things are going to cost.

[00:04:12]>> With his spending at risk of spiraling out of control, there is someone who's more than happy to offer advice.

[00:04:18]>> No, he's not the best planner. He's got a good mom, though, that that [laughter] often helps him out.

[00:04:24]7,000 without any of this.

[00:04:27]>> Leaves us just short of five grand to do all the rest.

[00:04:31]>> I think it's not all going in the right pots at the minute. Yeah, I think he might need to uh cut some corners with some things to allow for his lavish venue.

[00:04:41]>> With cost cutting [music] in mind, David and Eddie head to a wedding dress shop.

[00:04:46]>> Hello.

[00:04:48]>> But they're not here to buy. [music] They're here to be inspired.

[00:04:52]David is planning to save money by designing Ellie's dress himself.

[00:04:57]>> No, [music] really.

[00:04:58]>> We're actually getting one made.

[00:04:59]>> You're going to get a dress made, aren't you?

[00:05:01]>> Yeah.

[00:05:03]>> Eddie, my best man. His mom's a seamstress and makes bridal dresses as well. So, I need to have a good idea of what I want to be made. I think I've got a clean enough image and a good enough imagination to create something more magical than she probably would have imagined herself. Across town, Ellie's brought her mom, sister, [music] and bridesmaids Nikki and Charlotte to an upmarket boutique where she's hoping to [music] find her dream designer wedding dress. I think until I walk into a shop, I'm not going to know what I want.

[00:05:34]>> I love that.

[00:05:36]I like that.

[00:05:38]>> I like the I like the back.

[00:05:40]>> You should try one of those other ones on to compare as well.

[00:05:43]>> I like that one.

[00:05:44]>> It's really nice. Oh, wow. That looks really >> like Downtown Abbey.

[00:05:48]>> Yeah, that's lovely.

[00:05:50]really lovely.

[00:05:52]>> With an array of stunning gowns [music] to try, surely she'll find the right one in no time.

[00:06:00]>> Oh my god, that is so princessy like Cinderella.

[00:06:03]>> I don't think it's me.

[00:06:05]>> I don't think it looks good with short hair.

[00:06:07]>> Why?

[00:06:08]>> I don't know. It's not the one. No.

[00:06:12]>> Well, the next one's bound to be perfect.

[00:06:16]>> [music] >> I don't feel comfort.

[00:06:20]>> Ellie, you're actually turning to a bridezilla cuz you can't find ANYTHING [laughter] YOU LIKE.

[00:06:24]>> I DON'T like it.

[00:06:26]Where do >> you start, mate? What are you looking for? I'm about as skilled as you are at this at the moment, mate. So, just look and see. [music] Tell me what you think looks nice.

[00:06:35]>> Across town, wannabe designer David is [music] also looking confused.

[00:06:40]>> This is scary.

[00:06:44]Does it take long or short?

[00:06:46]>> Well, mo the majority of the day is outside, so I don't want to have anything that's going to be dragging along the floor.

[00:06:53]>> Unaware she'll [music] be stomping through a field and then dangling above it.

[00:06:57]>> Ellie's finally found a dress she likes.

[00:06:59]>> I love this.

[00:07:00]>> I look like a Greek goddess.

[00:07:02]>> Like Kim Kardashian.

[00:07:04][laughter] >> A floaty, [music] floor sweeping, glamorous gown.

[00:07:10]>> Amazing. Oh my god, >> I love this one. It's perfect. It's glamorous and not too over the top. I love the material.

[00:07:20]So, it flows, don't it? [music] >> I really didn't think she'd go for anything like that at all. And now I'm really worried about the dress. I really don't know what he's going to end up with.

[00:07:29]>> She's not sure short, but it's short.

[00:07:31]>> I like that.

[00:07:32]>> Meanwhile, David's got his eye on a short 1950s prom style dress.

[00:07:37]>> Do you reckon? Do you reckon that's a [music] sensible choice?

[00:07:40]>> That's it, mate. That is it. Absolutely.

[00:07:43]A 50s frock should fit in perfectly with the [music] rural Madhatters air balloon tea party theme.

[00:07:48]>> I could see her probably picking something like that herself.

[00:07:51]>> Well, she didn't.

[00:07:52]>> Get the dress on.

[00:07:55]>> Look, he's getting into it now.

[00:07:58]>> I'm going to look lovely on our big day.

[00:08:00]I love it.

[00:08:01]>> Yeah, it's a done deal.

[00:08:04]Just quick get out [music] the door quicker and then we might be able to keep it. [laughter] Thanks for your help. Brimming with [music] inspiration, it's time for David to put pen to paper and actually design the dress.