California couple goes viral after spending just $500 on their wedding
The average wedding in the U.S. costs nearly $30,000
A newlywed couple went viral for their $500 budget for a wedding in Maine.
On Good Morning America, Kiara and Joel Brokenbrough explained how they were able to pull off their big day for just $500. Meanwhile, the average wedding in the U.S. costs nearly $30,000, according to The Knot.
@kiarabrk Reply to @maalikaelise dress included! $47 on @SHEIN 🤩🤩 #weddingtiktok #weddingdress #cheapwedding #blackbride ♬ audio credit is rennyxaudios – 70s80s90s00s
“My wedding dress was $47!!😮 I didn’t want to spend hella money on a dress I would wear one time for a few hours & that would get dirty (we had an outdoor ceremony),” Kiara captioned several images of her wedding dress on Instagram.
Kiara purchased her wedding dress from online fashion retailer Shein, and documented her dress-shopping experience on social media. Her TikTok video has been watched by nearly 1 million people. She also shared her wedding journey in a YouTube vlog.
Check out the couple’s wedding video below.
“Our goal was to just be as minimal as possible,” Kiara told GMA. “And to spend the least amount of money as possible.”
Kiara and Joel made the smart decision to not go into their marriage without unnecessary financial debt from a lavish wedding. Their family and friends pitched in with cost-saving contributions, including helping to secure a free location to host the wedding.
“A lot of people gifted us things. My godmom gifted us flowers. My sister gifted us a runner. My godsister and my auntie gifted us with a cake,” the bride told GMA.
Wedding guests also supported the effort by paying for their own food and drink.
“The people we have there, they understood the assignment, they understood the things that we were trying to do, and they really supported us,” Kiara explained.
“You have a wedding, with witnesses there to witness you, vowing to your spouse, vowing to God that you guys are going to stay together for life,” she said. “And then you celebrate with food, drinks and dance. And that’s exactly what we did.”
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