By Kate Browne

When Susannah Kersey and Gavin Farley decided to marry, they wanted a wedding with it all. And they got it:

150 guests, nine bridesmaids, five groomsmen and a reception that kicked on for 10 hours. The cost? Just a little over $2,000. The savvy couple harnessed the talents and goodwill of their circle of friends to make their wedding happen on a very limited budget. "We just recognised that every person in our community had a talent and something that they could contribute to our wedding," says Kersey.

"We thought, 'Who are the photographers in our group of people?' Then we asked them to be the photographers for our wedding. People we knew who were good with design were asked to help design the whole thing. People who were good at cooking were asked to contribute food. Everyone who contributed was a guest, so it became all about them participating in the wedding rather than just coming along."

The couple hired their local town hall for the ceremony and reception, decorated it with borrowed fairy lights, handmade origami and jasmine pilfered from a local garden. A friend made Kersey's wedding dress, her nine bridesmaids dressed themselves in everything from vintage cocktail dresses to saris. Friends in a band provided the entertainment, others managed the bar, her sister and friends sang a capella during the ceremony and a celebrant relative even married the pair.

In order to make sure her day got off the ground, Kersey had to come up with positive solutions. "I had to, because I just wanted everyone I knew and loved to be there. I had all my old best friends, new best friends, sisters there. I couldn't leave anyone out."

Kersey says she has been to lots of traditional weddings, but describes her own as the most original and fun. "I've been to ornate and princess-like weddings. There's nothing wrong with that, but our wedding was unique. It was like one big party."