A couple from Greater Manchester have held their wedding inside a charity shop, sourcing most of what they needed from the store.

The wedding was held in Emmaus Mossley’s Secondhand Superstore in Tameside on 8 September, with the venue providing recently donated church pews and a mix of dining chairs seating the more than 100 guests.

The couple, Nina and Stefan, are charity shop fanatics, and have shopped together at Emmaus for over 15 years and volunteered at many of the charity’s events.

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Nina commented:

“Our wedding day was beyond all expectations. Thanks to everyone at Emmaus Mossley, we were able to have a sustainable wedding, temporarily using all the stuff that’s available within their charity shop to make the most nourishing, wonderful and diverse space.

 

“The engagement ring, my earrings, Stefan’s waistcoat, all room decorations, glassware, crockery, and a lot of our guests’ outfits all came from Emmaus. Basically, everything that made our wedding shiny came from their Secondhand Superstore.”

She added:

“I’d say our wedding cost around £200 and that covered my second-hand dress, two wedding rings, Stefan’s outfit, naan breads, orange juice and lemonade. I could never put a price on our wedding though because it was only made possible by the time and effort given freely by the people at Emmaus Mossley and The Vale, along with the generosity of family and friends with their wonderful contributions of homemade cakes and lovely shared dishes of food in the evening. You can only get to have a wedding like that by being part of a really strong community and by having some amazing friends.”

Hazel Hodkinson, Retail Manager at Emmaus Mossley, said:

“Nina and Stefan’s wedding was such a lovely event and a real honour for our community to host. This is the first time in our charity’s 27-year history that we’ve held a wedding, and we believe it may be the first wedding in a UK charity shop too.

 

“Nina and Stefan have always supported Emmaus Mossley, shopping with us, donating items and giving their time and skills to volunteer when we have events. Their wedding was a lovely way to show our appreciation to them both as they are an integral part of the Mossley community.

 

“This wedding event was definitely a one-off for our charity but many couples have sourced wedding items, tableware, dresses and clothing from our Secondhand Superstore. We always have a good selection of wedding dresses available and our team is happy to assist anyone in sourcing more sustainable wedding day supplies.”

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.