Celebrating true love without excess

Rebecca Loftus is planning a wonderful summer wedding but doesn't think extravagance would add to the occasion

They met speed-dating a year ago, became engaged in Egypt last November, will marry in Co Wicklow in June and plan to do voluntary charity work for exploited children in Thailand during their six-month honeymoon in Asia and Australia.

Rebecca Loftus (30), from Greystones, and Maurice Dore (30), Galway, experienced love at first sight during their four-minute speed-date at the Alexander Hotel in Dublin.

"His eyes were so honest, I saw into his soul," says Rebecca. Maurice knew instantly that Rebecca was "the one". Within three months, Rebecca, who works in media production, had moved to Galway to be with Maurice, a logistics manager and a championship rower with NUI Galway.

Four months after meeting, they bought a house together, which they are now selling so that they can settle down in Co Wicklow after the honeymoon to be near Rebecca's family and start their own.

"I feel that we've each completed a circle in our lives and now we're beginning another one together. When you meet that special person, it's such a blessing," Rebecca says.

But as much as she believes in true love, Rebecca - who converted to Catholicism at the age of 20 - doesn't believe in extravagance and is limiting her wedding budget to €18,500, far lower than the average wedding spend. She'll be entertaining 172 guests for that money by bargaining with suppliers, seeking discounts and using an Excel spreadsheet to tot up the figures.

The bridesmaids' dresses cost €130 each and the shoes €40 per pair in the January sales. Her own floor-length dress with train cost €1,600, after she bargained the retailer down from €1,850. She saw the dress at a wedding fair and tried it on in the exhibition space at the end of the day.

"My mom started crying. When it's the right dress, you just know," Rebecca says.

She is borrowing a friend's veil, baking her own cake and saving €700 by doing her own flowers. A relative is doing the wedding video free of charge and no money will be spent on room decoration at the hotel.

REBECCA FELT THAT spending €400 on wedding cars was "unjustifiable", so her cousin in the car trade will borrow an 06 BMW for the day, another cousin has offered his Mercedes and the groom's brother is chauffeuring Rebecca's mother in his DeLorean. The post-wedding three-course hotel meal will cost €44 euro per head.

"Very few people will be there for the food," Rebecca says. "My family and friends are important to me and I want to have a wonderful day, which I think you can have without choosing the most expensive menu."

To keep guests entertained, she has splashed out on a band (€1,300) and DJ (€250) and will be putting baby pictures of everyone at the top table on the guests' tables, then conducting a table quiz.

Rebecca's mother, Lynne Reece Loftus, a designer and illustrator with her own printing company, Failte Originals, was dominated by her mother at her own wedding.

"I felt very strongly about not putting my stamp on Rebecca's wedding," she says. "It's great to be involved to the extent she wants me to be, but it's her wedding at the end of the day."