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Tarryn Pitt loves scouring thrift shops for treasures, from vintage canning jars to velveteen armchairs.
"I've been thrifting my whole life - it's one of my favorite things to do, at least once or twice a week," she said. "Pretty much all of my home decor came from a thrift store."
She was browsing in secondhand stores where she lives in Prineville, Oregon, when she got an idea about her upcoming wedding.
The average wedding in the U.S. now costs about $33,000 - an amount she said she found extravagant and also created a lot of environmental waste.
"I wanted something that was unique and fit my personality," said Pitt, 25. "A thrift store wedding dinner seemed like the perfect answer."
She and her fiancé, Holt Porfily, are inviting 307 guests to their outdoor mountain wedding in Sisters, Oregon, on May 3, then hosting a catered dinner of steak, chicken, and a variety of salads and desserts.
All of the wedding tableware and decorations at the outdoor meal will be thrifted.
"It's honestly not just about saving money for us, though," Pitt said. "What we're doing is super sustainable, and I love giving old things new life."
So far, she said, she has spent less than $2,000 on her wedding dinnerware and decorations, about half of what she priced out to rent similar items.
"There are loads of beautiful vintage plates and glasses sitting in thrift stores for between $1 and $3 apiece," Pitt said. "Nothing needed to match - that was the fun of it."
She has been stocking up for the past several months on items - all in excellent condition without chips or scratches - during her time off from her job as a barista, she said. She tested all of the plates and glasses for lead after she bought them, she said, and is planning to use recyclable plastic utensils because old flatware can harbor bacteria and become corrosive.
"The last thing I'd want to do is poison everyone at my wedding," Pitt said.
Once she had stocked up on floral dinner plates, dessert plates, platters and glassware, she started buying dozens of other gently used treasures for the tables: napkins, tablecloths, candle holders and small picture frames. Pitt plans to use vintage medicine bottles as wildflower vases.
"I can't wait to see what it all looks like on our wedding day," she said.
In late December, she posted a TikTok video of some of the plates she had found during one of her thrift shop excursions. Pitt said she was shocked when the video received more than 3.6 million views and 2,200 comments.
"As a collector of antique china, I cannot tell you how much I love this idea," one woman commented.
"They're GORGEOUS and they're a little piece of your personality," another person wrote.
"Yep, I'm stealing this idea for sure," commented someone else.
Other TikTokers noted they had done something similar at their own weddings or bridal showers.
"We did this for our wedding, and it was so special to me!" one woman commented.
"We did this when we got married in 2016 and our guests still talk about it. What a lovely selection you have!" another TikToker said.
Pitt said the response has been so positive that she now plans to keep only a few plates after the wedding, and she hopes to rent the rest to other interested brides and grooms. She said she will keep the price low for obvious reasons.
"It's definitely better for the environment, and it's an easy way to do something that people will remember," she said.
Pitt said her fiancé also has a creative streak and is all in on her table decorating plan.
The couple met in fourth grade when they were in the same class, but they didn't reconnect until they attended a mutual friend's wedding in 2022.
"We became good friends, and it just grew into something bigger from there," she said.
Porfily said he admires Pitt's eye for a beautiful (and thrifty) find.
"It's truly remarkable to consider the array of unique treasures she has found," he said. "Her dedication has not only resulted in an impressive collection, but also added a personal touch to our wedding that will make it genuinely one of a kind."
He said he's not surprised that Pitt's video has encouraged others to follow her lead.
"It's inspiring to see her creativity recognized and celebrated," Porfily said.
The couple is saving for a house, so they aren't sure yet if they'll have a honeymoon after their wedding this spring, Pitt said. But she admitted there's one area where she won't be cutting costs. "I decided against having a thrift store wedding dress," she said.