You don’t need a ten-carat diamond ring to show how much you love someone. The same goes for an expensive wedding ring. While these luxury items are appreciated by many, they are not necessary when it comes to love. Love is an intangible thing between two people, and items like wedding rings or events like weddings are simply external ways of celebrating that shared love and what possibilities it means for the future.
One Los Angeles couple did something extraordinary. While they held a beautiful wedding ceremony and invited many family and friends, they were able to pull off their special day on a limited budget of just $500. How did they do it? In a series of social media posts, the beautiful couple explained how they were able to take their frugal mentality and use it to have an extremely affordable wedding that still made them happy to be getting married.
“Our goal was to just be as minimal as possible,” bride Kiara Brokenbrough told Good Morning America. “And to spend the least amount of money as possible.”
The average American wedding costs upwards of $30,000. That includes the venue, the wedding cake, a catered meal for dozens if not hundreds of guests, and a DJ or live band to get the crowd up on the dance floor. Although Kiara knew that weddings were expensive, she was determined not to go into debt to celebrate the love she had for her husband.
Kiara took a different approach to her wedding. While some people plan their special day as though it were going to last forever, Kiara took a more realistic approach. She wasn’t going to shell out thousands of dollars for a party that lasted for only a few hours.
“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,” Kiara said.
Kiara was able to shop online for her wedding dress and found one for just $47. When it arrived in the mail, she tried it on and fell in love with it. The quality was not bad given the low price.
“Was it my dream dress? No ma’am, but no regrets on this dress decision at all.”
Meanwhile, the groom spent a bit more on his suit. He shelled out $100 to get what he was going to wear for the wedding.
Kiara also found the perfect location. There was a beautiful area overlooking California’s rolling hills. The only catch was that it was off the highway.
“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,” said Kiara. “And then you celebrate with food, drinks, and dance. And that’s exactly what we did.”
Kiara made it clear to her guests that this was not a fancy wedding. It was a simple celebration of love and unity between two committed people.
“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.
After the ceremony, the wedding moved to a lounge where people ordered food and drinks.
“It felt so good to be around people who genuinely supported us and weren’t looking to be entertained. We wouldn’t have been able to pull this off if it wasn’t for the contributions of our families and close friends! It took a village, and our village showed up!” Kiara wrote on Facebook.