Gem Austin, aged 27, an administrator, and Mark Millings, aged 36, an engineer, of Norfolk Street, Semilong, were talking about postponing their wedding for up to a year because they were struggling with the cost of having the dream day they hoped for in Kenya.

Gem had even bought a wedding dress for £8 from TK Maxx to cope with the cost.

But, luckily for her, her mother Trish Shaw had entered her in the Daz Bride competition, organised by the detergent company, and Gem got an email in November to say she had won the £2,000 dress and £5,000 towards the wedding of her dreams.

She said: "I just rolled my eyes and thought 'gosh, mum and her silly competitions'. When I got the email I was absolutely gobsmacked, and I cried.

"The money came through first and we got the Deluxe wedding package in Kenya, which cost £5,066. So we only had to pay £66."

The bright red dress, which was inspired by what Eastenders' character Kat Slater wore on her wedding day, was a bonus for Gem, who adores the colour, and said the dress "fits like a glove".

The couple are flying out to Kenya on February 5 for three weeks, and will get married on an African beach on February 11, their second anniversary.

They will have Kenyan dancers at their wedding, and later in the holiday they will go on a safari trip and a hot air balloon ride.

Gem added: "Believe it or not, I'm not about having a lot of fuss for my wedding. We know we wanted to be together, it was just a matter of how to do this aspect of it."

Gem and Mark are asking wedding guests to donate any cash they would have spent on gifts to Savana, a charity that offers help to women who have encountered or experienced sexual assault or violence.