New bridal plan in tow

FIRST SUN Holiday Park managers Graeme and Judy Tregonning love weddings.

Kate O'Neil

COUPLES looking to get hitched on the cheap have a new option in Byron Bay - the caravan park.

The council-owned First Sun Holiday Park is now available as a budget wedding venue, complete with cheap guest accommodation and DIY barbecue catering.

It comes as couples all over Australia look at ways to slash their wedding budgets during tough economic times.

Park manager Graeme Tregonning said the idea for weddings had come from a park guest, who suggested it would be a spectacular place to get married.

Mr Tregonning and wife Judy decided to follow through with the idea, creating a special grassed area for wedding ceremonies overlooking Byron Bay's Main Beach, with magnificent views to Mt Warning also thrown in.

“On a nice summer's day it's probably the most beautiful spot in Byron Bay,” Mr Tregonning said.

The wedding site can be hired on its own for $350 or thrown in for free when it is combined with a group booking for guests.

The accommodation ranges from a single camping site to deluxe spa cabins.

Marquees are available for the reception and couples can either bring in their own caterers or use the extensive barbecue facilities. The park can even organise a celebrant.

First Sun hosted its first wedding on a very wet Valentine's Day this year, but despite the washout Mr Tregonning said the guests and wedding party who stayed at the park still had a wonderful time.

Mrs Tregonning said bookings for spring and summer were now beginning to roll in, mostly for young couples looking for a cheap venue to tie the knot.