A couple who is thrifting their wedding decor had a stunning photo shoot in a Goodwill store

Speaking with Insider, Allison Kelley — who runs a namesake blog called Hey Allie — said she and her fiancé Jake met in their college communication classes. They began dating shortly after graduating from school, and then got engaged last fall. They've since set their wedding date for August 2021.

Though she planned to follow some traditions for her wedding, she also knew that as a long-time thrifter, shopping secondhand would play a role in their big day.

Kelley moved to Madison, Wisconsin, approximately three years ago. Around that time, she began working with her local Goodwill chapter to create promotional content for social media. She was recently working with the company on a new campaign, according to the blogger, when Goodwill's marketing coordinator suggested that Kelley take some wedding photos in one of its stores.

"It was originally supposed to be just me, and I was like, 'What if Jake came?'" Kelley said. "So I had to convince him."

They wore wedding gear for the photo shoot, and took pictures in the aisles, outside the store, and more.

"We had this whole setup and it was so great," Kelley said. "We were the only ones in the store, and it was so much fun to prance around and pose."

"People have been like, 'Are these your actual engagement photos? Are these serious?'" she said. "This is our fun photo shoot, but we had a separate engagement session with our wedding photographer. I wanted that more traditional engagement session, but one that also represents the fun, quirky side of our relationship, too."

"I've always thrifted, and I've always loved it," she told Insider. "When Jake and I started dating, he was always like, 'That's your thing. Go have your time; your thrift therapy session.' But lately, within the last year, he's started having his own thrift routine."

"We'll go in and divide and conquer," she continued. "I'll do my little lap that I do, and he goes to the DVDs and CDs. Sometimes he'll ask me, 'Do you wanna do a thrift date night?' and I'm like, 'Yeah I do!'"

When asked what inspired her to do so, Kelley's answer was simple: "I can't imagine doing it any other way."

"I'm a wedding photographer on the side, so I wanted our wedding to be as different as possible," she said. "I wanted it to be quirky and fun, and have people think, 'This is so Allie and Jake.'"

Kelley also purchased a few things to DIY. First was a leather jacket that she painted to say "Simply Meant To Be."

"I didn't want to order something really expensive on Etsy, and I thought I'd have more fun thrifting it," she said.

"While there are things that we bought new — we got a custom neon sign and we have disco balls — there are other elements that we've thrifted, and they were so much more fun because I feel like I spent so much time treasure hunting," she said.

Kelley told Insider that she ultimately hopes to "inspire creativity" by sharing her wedding thrift adventures on her blog, Instagram, and TikTok,

"It's OK to be nontraditional with your wedding — there's no rule book," she said. "Sometimes people feel like they have to do things a certain way when it comes to weddings because that's how it's always been done. But we wanted to stay true to us."