upworthy

weddings

Love Stories

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.

From Your Site Articles
weddings
Pets

Couple includes 19-year-old dog in emotional wedding ceremony days before crossing rainbow bridge

"As much as it's our celebration, it's a celebration of Jack as well so everyone we love can say goodbye."

jamierossweddings/Instagram (used with permission)

Senior dog Jack is part of his owners' wedding ceremony days before he will cross the rainbow bridge.

Dogs are more than pets—they are family members. They are there for big life events and the mundane days. For couple Ryan and Libbee, their wedding day would not have been complete without their 19-year-old dog, Jack. It was a bittersweet day of celebration—and one of Jack's last with them.

Wedding videographer Jamie Ross (@jamierossweddings) shared in an emotional video on Instagram the story of how Ryan and Libbee chose to honor their pup Jack on their big day, allowing family and friends to say their final goodbyes (and "good boys") at their ceremony.

"I don’t usually get emotional at weddings these days—I stay pretty focused on filming, but this story got me," he captioned the video. "When I arrived on the wedding day, it was immediately clear how much Jack meant to his Ryan & Lib, and I knew I had to capture whatever I could."

In the video, it begins with bride Libbee sharing about Jack. "So Jack, he's 19. He turned 19 three weeks ago. And he's going to go to Heaven on Monday. So this weekend, as much as it's our celebration, it's a celebration of Jack as well so everyone we love can say goodbye to him," she says. Scenes from the wedding day are played as the couple cuddle and kiss Jack together.

She explains that Jack traveled everywhere with them all over the world. "I feel like he's touched a part of everybody's lives in his 19 years, so celebrating him," she added.

In another clip, Ross captured the couple's vows, which included a special anecdote about Jack. Groom Ryan says, "And even though our trio is about to become a duo, I know it won't be long until we are filling the backseat again," he says through tears.

Groom Ryan (@ryandyer21) shared more about what it meant for Jack to be a part of their special day in the video's comment section. "@libbeedyer and I are so blown away by all the love and amazing comments from so many people! I’m sure Jack would be absolutely thrilled by all the attention. We hope he’s watching us from up above while working through an endless pile of bones 🦴 🤍," he wrote.

Following the wedding, Ryan shared a post following up on Jack's final journey. "Earlier today we had to say the hardest of goodbyes to our beautiful boy. Over 19 years of the most amazing memories that we’ll cherish forever. So incredibly grateful for the time we had but it will never be enough," he wrote.

In the carousel, he shared a photo of them holding Jack's paw in his final moments. "Navigating through this next phase of life won’t be the same without you. You’ll always have a piece of our hearts 💔 Rest easy our forever best friend ❤️," he added.

The couple's emotional wedding video got an overwhelming response from viewers in the comment section. "Crying 😭 this is such a beautiful tribute to Jack. Rest easy sweet boy 🤍," one wrote. Another shared, "This has ruined me 💔🥺🥺 what a special family ❤️." Another viewer commented, "Jack said: my life is complete, these two are going to do so well together and they will have lots more pups in their life, approved and sent by me 🥹🥹🥹🥹."

From Your Site Articles
wedding
Modern Families

Woman arranges dream wedding at hospital so her mom can walk her down the aisle

She and her fiancé planned the whole thing in just 2 weeks to make sure Mom could be there.

Canva Photos

A dream wedding is something many people fantasize about from the time they're young kids. Beyond the flowers and the dress and the table settings, we all like to envision it as a day of joy spent surrounded by the most important people in our lives; our parents being chief among them

An adult child's wedding day is an incredibly emotional milestone for any parent. In many ways it's the final stop on a long journey, in which you entrust someone else to become your child's primary caretaker. When you really stop and think about it that way, it's no wonder even the most stoic moms and dads cry like babies at their kids' weddings!

One woman is going viral for highlighting just how important it is to include Mom and Dad. She recently shared tear-jerking footage from her wedding, held at a hospital so both of her parents could be in attendance.


Giphy

Dominique Faludi got engaged to her fiance, Tom, and was exciting to dive into planning her dream wedding. But her mother's declining health made the usual wedding timeline a lot more complicated. The idea of potentially getting married without her mother there just wasn't acceptable for Faludi.

So she and her fiancé decided to do something drastic. Not only did they choose to have the wedding at the hospital where her mom was being treated, they dramatically sped up the process, throwing the entire thing together in just two weeks. Miraculously, the couple pulled it off, with stunning decor and a full audience of beloved family members in attendance — many of whom had never met! It was all a whirlwind, but it's hard to argue with the finished product.

Most important, Faludi's mother got to share an incredible moment with the bride-to-be in her hospital room, where Faludi did a surprise dress reveal. The moment was full of tears and smiles and all the love that you'd expect.

"Getting married at the hospital to have my parents walk my down the aisle was the best decision we’ve ever mad," Faludi wrote in the caption.

Watch the highlights from the special day here:

@dominiquelissa

Getting married at the hospital to have my parents walk my down the aisle was the best decision we’ve ever made🥹 cherishing these moments of joy right now.

People were incredibly moved by the footage, and by Faludi's dedication to remembering what a wedding is really all about.

Over five million people watched Faludi's clips from the wedding and surprise dress reveal. Commenters couldn't get enough:

"You and your husband are the absolute blueprint for what what marriage means and a shining light for what the day means to family. Thank you for sharing."

"As a mama. I am balling my eyes out watching this"

"I’m a wedding photographer— so many people get wrapped up in the decor and colors and so many fun things; but this is what it’s about"

"It never matters where you get married. But it always matters who’s there to share that moment."

Faludi's stunning wedding is an amazing reminder. With wedding costs ballooning completely out of control (the average wedding in the U.S. costs over $30,000), and venues and destinations and experiences becoming more and more extravagant with each passing decade, it's worth pausing to remember that the aesthetics aren't what's really important. What really matters is the people who show up. Your partner, of course, but trusted friends and closest family are just as vital. Some studies have indicated that as the cost of a wedding rises, so does the likelihood of divorce. It could be because the people who love each other the most and have a strong network of loved ones don't get nearly as caught up in the Instagrammable-ness of the wedding as some other couples might.

@dominiquelissa

Grwm & chat all things engagement and getting married in 4 days! Eeeep #engagementstory #wedding #grwm

"Whatever flowers I got, that's fine. The dress, I kind of knew what I wanted and it's perfect," Faludi said in another video. "I'm just trying to keep it all together and say yes to everything my mom wants because it is my day, but it also is her day because her whole life she's been waiting to walk me down the aisle."

Mission accomplished!

From Your Site Articles
weddings
Friendship

Watch this groomsman go from cringey to fierce as he learns to nail the 'chicken head' dance

He spent the whole bachelor's trip learning the dance in time for the wedding.

Photo credit: Canva

Watch groomsman learning to dance go from cringey to fierce.

Rhythm is something that people are naturally born with. It makes things like learning how to dance or keeping time with music a lot easier. Of course people who don't have a natural ability to catch the rhythm of a beat can still learn to dance through learning to count the steps. Practicing while watching others who do know the specific dance helps move things along a bit faster.

This sort of group effort is likely why some people have very little trouble line dancing but have a hard time with any sort of freestyle type of dance. Phil Sloves, a Broadway actor, was recently in a wedding, but before he watched a friend commit to eternal love, he was determined to learn how to dance. But not just any dance. The actor wanted to learn a dance called "chicken head." Unsurprisingly, the dance involves a lot of rhythmic coordinated movements designed to make the person's head appear to move like a chicken's would move.

Sloves decided that the best time to learn the dance would be while the guys were away on the bachelor trip. The group of men recorded Sloves' progress over several days leading up to the wedding. At first the man's efforts were seemingly off beat and uncoordinated, but they appeared smooth. The next attempt looked like Sloves might have taken a few steps back in progress because he seems even less coordinated than the previous attempt.

gif of mustached man dancing Fathers Day Dancing GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy

As the trip progresses, so does the man's dancing skills as the other men demonstrate and give him pointers. By the time the wedding rolls around, the Broadway actor has officially gone from cringe to cool when he kills the dance move at the reception. The amount of effort he put into perfecting this dance likely means he will be breaking out the "chicken head" well into his nursing home days.

Others can't get enough of his failed attempts turned perfection with one person writing, "I'm not going to lie i did not have a lot of faith lmao but he ate thatttt."

Another person appreciates the support the others show, "It’s yall being so supportive and schooling him. He was a good student with good teachers."

man dancing at weddingGetting Married Party GIF by PartifulGiphy

"The way he unlocked his confidence once he knew he had it," someone else says.

"The facial expression in the hotel room when he got it is diabolical. GO PHIL," one person says while adding the fire emoji.

Clearly Sloves was dedicated to learning the dance and had a group of good friends willing to take the time to teach him. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but seeing the confidence grow as the video progressed lets you know that the actor was ready. Thanks to his friends being supportive, he was able to go into the wedding reception with full confidence in his ability to do at least one dance well.

 
 @aneesanael My boi @Phil Sloves was on a mission fr. #trending #chingy @huggybruh ♬ Right Thurr - Remix/Explicit - Chingy 
 
 

"He said I’m not going to embarrass you my boi," another writes.

"The joy on his homie face when he was finally hitting that shhh," someone else chimes in.

According to one person, this dance will be seen anywhere Sloves is present: "He’s about to be doing this, EVERY. WHERE! Grocery stores & all."

As one commenter says, "GO AWF PHIL." You've earned the right to do that dance for the rest of eternity. Way to go on trying something new and sticking to it until you got it right. We could all use these kind of supportive friends.

From Your Site Articles
bachelor party
Trending Stories