$3,000 wedding: Raleigh bride saves money by exclusively using Amazon for wedding

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Ashley Hicks is a new bride who married on June 8, 2019. The one thing she and her husband, who works in finance, knew they wanted as they started their new life, was to not go into debt for the wedding.

"I think the average in North Carolina is like $34,000 to spend on a wedding and my husband was like we're definitely not doing that," Hicks said.

Hicks, an ABC11 intern, was engaged in February and wanted a June wedding. With a short window to plan, she turned to wedding planner Natalie Duncan who recommended using Amazon for quick turnarounds of purchases and many options for comparison shopping.

Hicks took the advice and ordered everything she needed on Amazon to plan her wedding.

"We bought my dress, shoes, bridesmaid dresses, their shoes, their jewelry, my husband's suspenders, all the groomsmen's gifts-except bowties, our table settings, and the plates, it was a long list," Hicks said. "We had about 150 guests, and I probably spent about $3,000 total including our food, all the attire, decorations, everything!"

The new bride says the detailed reviews on Amazon were key to making the right purchase. Hicks would find what she liked in a local store or online and look for something similar on Amazon.

Her dress ended up being one of the biggest cost savings items she found on Amazon after trying on a style she loved in a store.

"It was like a thousand dollar dress and I was like hmm, I don't know," Hicks said. "It was a cute dress, but, knew what I wanted and I wanted mermaid, I wanted lace."

Hicks said she had her measurements taken and found a similar style on Amazon from a dressmaker in China.

With good reviews and a lot of communication online, she ordered a similar looking dress from that dressmaker for a fraction of the cost.

"I paid $100," Hicks said. "Technically, it was $99, but, I paid 100 and I think a few cents for tax. She was like-okay it will be here in two weeks. It came, I put it on and it fit perfectly."

Hicks says her advice for anyone planning a special occasion is to use your resources and know you don't have to go into debt.

No surprise, Hicks finds Amazon to be a great resource.

"Any event in the future, I would do it anytime," Hicks said. "Amazon is amazing!"