A CARAVAN park has seen a growing interest in people booking wedding receptions as a means of saving money on their big day.

St Margaret's Bay Holiday Park has been dealing with increased bookings since the start of the year.

Getting wed nows costs on average £21,000, with each person invited spending £547, according to research by Debenhams. So people are finding inventive ways to trim the expense.

Simon Spinney, general manager of the St Margaret's Bay Holiday Park, said: "We have got a wedding booked for the first week in September. We don't have a licence to do the wedding itself but all the catering afterwards and evening events we can do.

"A lot of newly-weds and guests will stay at the park as we have a hotel with 21 rooms and 161 chalets and caravans, which can prove ideal for a lot of people."

Mr Spinney said the surge in booking for wedding receptions is a welcome source of income during the typically quiet autumn and winter seasons.

He added: "The cost of having a wedding is becoming prohibitive for a lot of people. If they can find ways of lowering the cost they will."

Mr Spinney said the venue in Reach Road has no immediate plans to apply for a wedding licence.

He said: "There's quite a lot of work involved in getting a licence. It's not something we are looking to do. We do a lot of other events such as Christmas parties and work parties."