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People are applauding newlyweds for their beautiful $500 wedding. Here's how they did it.

It was just as exciting as one that cost a ton of money.

via Nadya Vysotskaya/Unsplash

Weddings don't have to break the bank.

Having a big, expensive wedding seems like the worst way for a young couple to start their lives together. For those who get mom and dad to foot the bill, no problem. But in the U.S., 28% of couples reported going into debt when paying for their weddings and the average celebration costs $29,200.

“It’s one of those life events that’s really tied to emotion, to your values, what’s important to you,” researcher Elyssa Kirkham told CNBC. ”[People are] willing to take on debt and do that trade-off if it means they can get closer to achieving their dream.” Kiara Brokenbrough and her new husband, Joe, have received a lot of attention recently because they bucked the trend and had a beautiful wedding for just $500. The wonderful thing about the celebration is that its focus was on the couple and those who love them.

"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," Kiara told Good Morning America. ”And then you celebrate with food, drinks and dance. And that's exactly what we did."

After trying on a few $1,500 dresses at a traditional wedding shop, Kiara decided to save some money by purchasing a dress for $47 at Shein. She revealed her money-saving decision in a TikTok video that went viral.

@kiarabrk

Reply to @maalikaelise dress included! $47 on @SHEIN 🤩🤩 #weddingtiktok #weddingdress #cheapwedding #blackbride

The dress impressed a TikTok user named Kristen. “I be tryna tell yall cost of things don’t matter. It’s how you put it together and wear it. AND BABYYYYY YOU PUT IT TOGETHER AND WORE IT,” she commented on the video.

The couple also cut costs by having the runner and flowers donated by her family. As for the venue, they chose a free location overlooking the ocean on the California coast. "Our goal was to just be as minimal as possible," Kiara told Good Morning America. "And to spend the least amount of money as possible." She was also super practical when thinking about her dress. "I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a dress because I had the mindset I'm gonna wear this one time for a few hours," she said.

 

The Brokenbroughs saved money on the reception by having guests pay for their food and drinks. "The people we have there, they understood the assignment, they understood the things that we were trying to do, and they really supported us," said Kiara.

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

The Brokenbroughs’ decision to have an affordable wedding to start their marriage on good financial footing was an incredibly savvy move and, according to research, it could bode well for the couple’s future. In the end, the cost didn't matter, it was still a wonderful celebration. "The energy was great, and people were just there to truly celebrate us," Kiara told NBC 4. "When I got out of the car, I just ran because I was just so excited. I'm like, I'm ready to do this."

The linked study on how wedding spending correlates with a couple's longevity was done in 2014 and found that "marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony.

"If the research still holds up, the Brokenbroughs’ attitudes toward finances could be a predictor of a long and happy marriage.

“It could be that the type of couples who have (an affordable wedding) are the type that are a perfect match for each other,” one of the study’s authors, Hugo M. Mialon told CNN. “Or it could be that having an inexpensive wedding relieves young couples of financial burdens that may strain their marriage,” he added.

This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Man tears up at his wedding sharing emotional vows to his new 7-year-old son

Already showing up as a wonderful dad 🥲

 

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Not a dry eye in the house

When two people marry, they bring not only each other into their lives, but also any children from previous relationships. It’s been a growing wedding trend for grooms to also give vows to these children, offering them unconditional love, support, protection and ultimately pledging to be a parental figure in their lives.

Recently a groom named Eldridge Buchanan gave some special vows to his new seven-year-old-son Kayden during his wedding to Asia Green Buchanan.

The touching moment, captured and shared to Instagram by the wedding’s photographer and videographer Daka David and A Love Experience, shows Buchanan stands in front of little Kayden, as tears begin flowing.

"I want you to know, Kayden, that we're going [to] have fun. We're definitely going to do homework," Buchanan says. "But I want you to know that with everything in my body, Kayden, I'm going to pour into you to make sure that you grow up to be a young Black king that you are."

As he continues, his voice gets more choked up.

"I'm gonna teach you how to be a leader. I'm gonna teach you how to be a man of integrity, a man of respect, a man that values himself. And most importantly, I'ma show you every single day what it looks like for a man to love a woman and to love his family and to lead his family so that when you grow up, you will know exactly what that looks like and you'll know exactly what that feels like. So I vow to you from this day forward that I'm gonna love you, I'm gonna teach you, I'm gonna guide you and I'm gonna pour into you because you are a king. And you're my king. I love you, man."

Watch it all unfold below. You might wanna grab a tissue:

In an interview with “Good Morning America,” Buchanan revelad that the entire exchange was a spur-of-the-moment idea, one that came to him mere minutes before he walked down the aisle.

“It was just kind of a heartfelt moment, a reiteration of things that we talk about on a daily basis,” Buchanan told GMA. “I just really wanted him to know in that special moment not only was I going to give a vow to his mom, but I was giving a vow to him as well—as my son.”

The sincerity of the impromptu speech was felt by nearly 46,000 viewers online, many of who commented on how beautiful it was to see, and how important that kind of influence will be to Kayden as he grows up.

“Words every boy needs to hear from a father,”one person wrote.

Another added, “he is going to watch this video when he's older and finally understand everything he said to him.”

Indeed Buchanan seems more than ready to step into his role as a father. And it’s wonderful to see. Congratulations to the entire family.

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'She just needed somebody to help her'—principal adopts student after she's suspended

An unlikely family will celebrate their ninth Christmas together this year.

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Girl sitting in detention

Get ready folks, this story is a bit of a tearjerker.

Back in 2015, Jason Smith, a school principal, met a sixth-grade girl sitting outside his office, waiting to be reprimanded for throwing yogurt at a classmate during lunch.

That girl, Raven Whitaker, would later become his daughter.

Smith recalled with Good Morning America that the 11-year-old looked like a “sweet,” “innocent” child as she admitted to him what she had done.

Trying to reason with her, Smith asked, "Well, if you were out at a restaurant, would you do that there?'"

And that was when Raven told him that she had never really been to a restaurant. As she explained to WTHR, she had spent most of her life in the foster care system, suffering under terrible conditions, and was currently living in a group home.

This immediately touched Smith. "At that point, I had felt like she just needed a hand, needed help," he told GMA. "I recognized that she needed something to go in her favor, maybe for once, that it hadn't gone in her favor in the past, but she just needed somebody to help her."

Smith went home to explore the idea of fostering Raven with his wife Marybeth. This was, understandably, a touchy subject, as the couple had wanted children of their own and not only struggled through infertility treatments, but also already had fostered kids.

But Marybeth knew her husband must have felt “passionate” about it, so they gave it some thought. And eventually they reached out to begin the fostering process. Raven ended up moving into their home in June 2015. And on Nov. 3, 2017, as Raven entered high school, the Smiths formally adopted her.

Despite it seeming strange at first, Raven noted that the Smiths made her “feel extremely welcome, like I was already in the family. They got everything that I needed without even knowing that I would be there forever. They just did it."

 

She even looks back and says she “always knew” that the Smiths would end up being her permanent family. And with that support system in place, Raven Whitaker (make that Raven Whitaker-Smith) overcame the odds. Now 20, Raven is in college studying social work and sharing her story to offer some hope to others in similar situations.

It’s amazing what miracles can happen for kids when they are placed in a loving environment. As principal-turned-dad Jason Smith told GMA, “there are no bad children…given the right opportunity, given the proper support, love and affection, all children can be successful."

Watch the full story below.

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Daughter uses DNA test to reunite her mom with family after 65 years

Their reunion was nothing short of a miracle.

@marysmoving/TikTok

Such a sweet story

Families might get displaced for a number of reasons. But luckily, advancements in technology make it more possible for those separated from their loved ones to find them once again and reclaim a sense of peace.

Good Morning America first shared the story of Mary Butler, who (with the help of DNA testing through My Heritage) was able to reunite her mother Bobbi Gambrell with siblings she had lost contact with 65 years ago, after being placed for adoption as a child.

In a tearful TikTok video, Butler shared how finding out that she had aunties, uncles and cousins was a “prayer being answered.”

The discovery was an equally emotional one for Gambrell, who was at a loss for words during a video phone call with Randalph, the baby brother she had never really known.

 
 @marysmoving literally found my people #ancestry #myheritage #23andme ♬ original sound - marysmoving 
 
 

“I can’t right now, baby,” she says in the clip, tears streaming down her face. “It’s just too much.”

My Heritage even set up an in-person family reunion. It was made instantly clear that even though they might have never met, they were clearly a family, especially when it came to their shared love of dancing.

 
 @marysmoving big shout out to #myheritage for making this happen. our time together went by so quickly. we planned for our official family reunion for July 2024! #family #reunited #reunion #adopted ♬ original sound - marysmoving 
 
 

“Family is important. It gives you a sense of belonging,” Butler reflected with GMA. “It gives you a sense of identity.” This is something that’s become even more important to her as she has begun growing a family of her own.

Watch the full story below:

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