From a Fake Cake to a Free Dress: Couple Reveals How They Sliced the Cost of Their Wedding

The best things in life are free, and this couple is taking that mantra to the altar.

Read: Bride With Third-Degree Burns Gets Her Dream Dress As Store Gives Away $55,000 in Free Gowns

Realizing the average wedding costs $27,000, Susan Anderson and Doug McCoy knew they wanted a lavish wedding without breaking the bank.

Now the couple is revealing how they were able to cut costs without skimping on the style.

Arriving to the venue, Anderson and McCoy skipped spending hundreds on a limousine, and instead called an Uber with the touch of their smartphones.

While some prefer the cordiality of a pastor, that can cost around $300. Instead the newlyweds were married by Anderson’s step-dad, Rich, who happened to be an ordained minister.

“It was an amazing ceremony,” Anderson said. “It was also a great way to save money.”  

While picking a beautiful white gown is a rite of passage for most brides, a new dress costs an average of $1,300. So Anderson skipped the price tag and borrowed one from her friend.

“I just asked her, and she was like, ‘Yeah, that’d be great. It’s just in storage. Nobody’s using it,’” Anderson said.

Her best friend, Emily, even added, “I’m so happy that she gets to share it. It makes us even closer.”

The couple avoided flowers, apart from the sweetheart centerpiece, which doubled as the bride’s bouquet.

When it came time to cut the cake, attendees didn’t even notice the masterpiece was made of Styrofoam and covered with real fondant to complete the illusion. A slice of real cake was hidden inside a trap door on the bottom tier for the cake cutting ceremony.

Read: Homeless Couple Receives $20,000 Wedding Donated by the Community

When the fake cake was wheeled to the kitchen, servers brought out slices of a sheet cake purchased from Sam’s Club for $80. A real cake could've cost them around $2,000.

“It was delicious!” one wedding-goer said “It was light, and moist, and excellent.” 

Watch: Bride Battling Terminal Breast Cancer Gets Free Wedding of Her Dreams: 'It Was Perfect'