2 HAVE AND TO HOLD

IT was something bold, something new, and NOTHING borrowed when Katie Lear and her mother Sharon got married on the same day.

For the hard-up pair tied the credit crunch in knots with a JOINT wedding costing only £1,000.

And to save money they both wore identical £150 dresses as Katie, 20, married partner Chris Hughes and divorcee Sharon, 46, wed 45-year-old Aidan Lowe. "Wedding days are so costly and we were both engaged so we decided to share our ceremonies and halve the cost for each couple," said school supervisor Sharon.

Katie had earlier postponed her big day because of the astronomical costs of getting married which now average about £18,000 in the UK.

She added: "I thought a double wedding was a great idea and luckily we agreed on everything, and didn't fall out on the planning. We decided on a pink colour theme, and agreed on the guest list too."

The mum and daughter even shared bridesmaids - both having Katie's sisters Amy, 12, and Lucy, eight - with Katie's son Reece, three, as pageboy to both couples.

And they saved more cash by holding the joint reception at Sharon's home in Stoke-on-Trent and doing the catering themselves for their 30 guests.

They spent £200 on buffet food, £150 on the mens' suits, £40 on a pageboy suit, £100 on flowers, £80 on bridesmaid dresses and £140 on the register office. The two couples even plan to share their honeymoon - although they will wait until next year when Katie thinks her daughter Ruby, born in August, will be old enough to travel.

"It was an amazing day," says Sharon. "Watching Katie say her vows first was very emotional, and then saying my own afterwards was really lovely."

Katie's new husband Chris, 22, added: "It is a bit unusual sharing a wedding with your mother-in-law, but Sharon is like a second mother to me."

And everyone agreed it was a GRAND wedding . . . in more ways than one.

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