Bride Sarah Wilkinson saves for 20 years to wed herself

Sarah Wilkinson said her wedding day was "beautiful", despite there being no-one else at the altar

A woman who spent 20 years saving for her dream wedding has thrown herself her own big day after not meeting the right partner.

Sarah Wilkinson, 42, decided to hold a wedding ceremony conducted by her celebrant friend at Harvest House in Felixstowe, Suffolk.

The credit controller said the occasion was a natural progression after she treated herself to an engagement ring.

"It was a lovely day for me to be centre of attention," she said.

"The ceremony wasn't an official wedding, but I had my wedding day.

"I think you get to the point where you think 'I might not have this with a partner by my side, but why should I miss out?'

"That money was reserved for my wedding - it was a case of it's there and why not use it for something I want to do."

Ms Wilkinson said she spent four months looking for her perfect wedding dress

Ms Wilkinson, who lives in the town, said she splashed out £10,000 on the celebration after saving each month and adding any extra windfalls she had, such as bingo wins.

The bride was surrounded by 40 of her closest family and friends for the ceremony on 30 September and another 40 people in the evening at the tennis club opposite.

She told BBC Radio Suffolk her friends were not surprised to hear of her outlandish plan to stage her own wedding.

"No-one stopped smiling all day and everyone said what an amazing time they had," said Ms Wilkinson.

"Nearly every single one said 'that's such a Sarah thing to do'."

• Listen: 'Why I decided to marry myself'

Ms Wilkinson said she wrote 14 vows for her to honour, with the first being a promise never to relinquish control of the TV remote.

She said she came up with the idea of the wedding when she turned 40 in lockdown and decided to buy herself a diamond engagement ring she had always wanted.

The wedding featured a traditional white sequinned gown, a tiered cake topped with a figurine of a bride kissing a frog, and her mother walking her down the aisle.

Her friend - professional wedding planner Katherine Cresswell - conducted the ceremony.

"As much as it was about Sarah, it was about bringing everyone together," said Ms Cresswell.

"There's always a need to celebrate and I think we need it more than ever right now."

Despite getting her perfect wedding day, Ms Wilkinson said she had not ruled out meeting any future grooms.

"Not at all... but it was just a case of giving up looking because it's a lot of effort," she said.

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