THE average cost of a traditional wedding is reportedly around £18,000.

With many couples already struggling to get a foot-hold on the property ladder, saving for a deposit on their first home often takes priority.

But there are ways to ensure you have a special day to remember without spending a fortune as Schoolday sweethearts Lucy Illingworth and Jacob Phillips are proving as they prepare for their July nuptials.

Contrary to the flash affair many brides opt for to celebrate their big day, the couple are planning a quirky alternative - with a little help from their family and friends!

"We’re not very fussy about spending lots of money… must be our Yorkshire roots but we are both certain that we want our wedding to be a big fat happy party with our friends and family," says Lucy, from Yeadon.

"Because we are young, and sprung it on our parents a bit, we're working with a minimal budget but we wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m studying art at university and Jacob has his own business developing arts in the community so we both have a pretty DIY attitude towards it, which is nice because I know that all the hard work will pay off on the wedding day when we see what we have achieved through good friends, family and a bit of hard work."

The couple have boycotted commercialised venues offering more expensive packages and applied to license their local theatre in Guiseley for their special occasion.

Guiseley Theatre is a sentimental venue for them both. "I did dancing shows there when I was a kid," recalls Lucy,

And Jacob, from Guiseley, runs weekly drama clubs there as part of the community based arts business he set up after leaving Guiseley High School where he and Lucy met all those years ago.

The 20-year-olds met when they were just 11. "He sat next to me and was an absolute clown and irritated the living day lights out of me, but we quickly became best pals and we still are today!" says Lucy.

"We didn’t officially get together until the day before my 18th birthday but when it happened it was like one of those ridiculous rom-coms and all of our friends said that they had seen it coming for years!"

After getting together in 2013 the couple finally got engaged on September 13, 2014 when they were 19.

Lucy recalls the proposal: "I work in a cafe and had just finished a seven hour shift. He decided to walk me up a hill and I complained the whole way!" she laughs.

Jacob says he had intended to propose the week before but the ring wasn't ready! Armed with a bouquet of flowers, he recalls picking Lucy up at the train station.

Seeing the flowers, he thought she may suspect. Thankfully she didn't. Soaking up the scenic view at Fairy Dell in Menston, Lucy savoured the moment when, brandishing the ring, Jacob proposed.

And she didn't hesitate with her reply. "I was just about to leave Yorkshire to go to university in Manchester and I've never been more certain of anything in my life!" she says.

The couple are hoping to set up home in Bradford, and Lucy will commute to continue her studies in interactive art at Manchester School of Art.

"It’s not always easy going back and forth all the time and being away from each other, but we look forward to our wedding because we know that it's the start of spending every day together," says Lucy.

Since Jacob's proposal, the couple have been pressing ahead with planning their summer wedding. They created personalised 'Save the Date' cards from photos of them covering themselves with colourful paint.

With the date set for July 20, they're now busily preparing for their big day which promises to be a quirky occasion.

While the vintage era appeals to both Jacob and Lucy, the theme isn't intentional. They just wanted their celebrations to reflect their quirkiness.

"It fits in nicely with our style," says Lucy.

The couple are staying tight-lipped about their outfits, but they say they will befit this quirky occasion.

Following the service in the theatre, the couple will have their marriage blessed at St Oswald's Church, Guiseley, which has connections to Jacob's family.

The wedding feast is a very special and celebratory afternoon tea back at the theatre where the celebrations will continue into the evening with their family and friends.

"Everyone has been very supportive and helpful and they’re all drawing on their talents to make it work!" says Lucy, referring to the help they are receiving from family and friends.

"Jacob’s dad will be making the wedding cake, his grandparents are growing sweet peas in their allotment and making jam for wedding favours. My family are copiously removing labels from jars, decorating them, making paper flowers and my grandma has an allotment full of flowers for button holes, bouquets and decorations. Just goes to show what can be achieved if you set your mind to it."

Vintage doyenne, Caroline Brown, who runs Rose & Brown vintage events in Saltaire and recently organised the first Off the Wall Wedding Fair at Cliffe Castle Museum in Keighley, says: "We're really thrilled to have found Lucy and Jacob, a couple who encapsulate the fun, alternative approach that is the concept of this event."

Caroline, who celebrated her own vintage-themed wedding in 1999, believes vintage is becoming a popular wedding theme in modern times.

"Weddings with at least a touch of vintage and a good deal more 'handmade' than they used to, are growing in popularity. They're both good ways to make it a really personal, appropriate and non-debt inducing fantastically special day."