Donna and Christian Mizzi's wedding a vintage-inspired steal

WHEN Donna and Christian Mizzi tied the knot, their vintage-inspired wedding included everything from a carnival atmosphere to miniature goats.

Not content with the traditional glitz and determined to keep costs down, the Carrum Downs couple pulled off the wedding of their dreams for $8000.

"People spend a lot of money on weddings these days," Mrs Mizzi said.

"We tried to stay away from typical wedding things. Straight away I thought, 'I want to do it my own way'."

Her creativity has now put her in the running for Bride of the Year 2013 with Bride to Be magazine.

The pair exchanged vows at Karrawingi Park, Moorooduc, on October 26 and the reception was at Hastings Community Hall.

"It was important for us to have our individual personalities come through on the day," Mrs Mizzi said.

"We really wanted our guests to know that this was Donna and Christian's wedding... and we managed to achieve that through doing everything ourselves."

A pair of miniature goats joined the bride and groom at the ceremony.

"Everybody who knows me knows I like goats," Mrs Mizzi said.

"People thought it was silly, but really loved it at the same time. The goats were really cheeky."

The bride made all the decorations and her bouquet and she found local suppliers which she said helped keep costs down.

"For the bouquet, I used coloured polystyrene balls and added lots of ribbons to make it pretty," Mrs Mizzi said.

"We sourced our food and tablecloths from suppliers in Frankston and Somerville, and we had our cakes made locally by my workmate's sister, who also lives in Carrum Downs."

For the all-important dress, Mrs Mizzi wanted something different "with a bit of quirk" and managed to find one online for $140.

She paired it with a bright red cardigan by Alannah Hill, which she picked up at a sale, and matching red shoes.

"I couldn't find shoes that I liked, so I decided to repaint an old pair of shoes in red and put glitter on them."

Ms Mizzi said the vintage theme developed naturally.

"We love hunting vintage bazaars and making our own things so it fitted in with our lives. It took on a vintage and carnival vibe on its own.

"Our wedding ended up being an extreme version of what we're like anyway."

Mr Mizzi made the cake table, which had a canopy attached, adding to the carnival feel. He also helped make the themed photo booths, which made snapping pictures quirky and fun.

For the table settings, Mrs Mizzi roped in her grandmother and aunties to scour markets and op shops for vintage jars and doilies.

The only thing the couple splurged on was photography, hiring Melbourne-based professional photographer Eric Ronald.

"We didn't want to compromise on photography. We've managed to capture some wonderful memories in a style that really suited us," Mrs Mizzi said.

Bride to Be editor Sarah Stevens said Mrs Mizzi's entry for Bride of the Year stood out because it reflected strong personality.

"Donna has just put so much effort and personal touches into the day," Stevens said.

"It was quite a unique style. When you look at the wedding photos you can see both the bride and the groom's personality in it and how fun the day must have been."