Photo: Instagram / TikTok
Balling on a budget.
By Kurtis Condra — Written on Aug 10, 2022
Newlywed couple Kiara and Joel Brokenbrough who went viral for their dream wedding on an even dreamier budget are now beginning to show how they cut costs on their big day.
Having enjoyed their wedding day without compromising on their financial goals, the couple are now sharing how others can do it too.
The newlyweds spent just $500 on their wedding.
Kiara's first viral video revealed that she arranged her wedding and reception for $500 in just two months.
After people watched the video and were impressed by her feat, they began to storm her comments and ask how it was done.
"Lol I doubt the dress and tux are included, but that would be dope!" one comment asked, and Kiara responded, showing the price of her wedding dress was only $47.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Kiara shared that she and Joel met in Vegas in 2016 and began officially dating in 2020, but at first, it was not their plan to have a $500 wedding.
"It just turned out that way. Our goal [was to] not go into debt and to use the resources that we had so that we did not have to come out of pocket [for] a lot of money."
Kiara says that she wanted to keep their wedding nontraditional and straightforward and only purchase the essential things.
Kiara shows where she shopped and how she saved.
Her wedding dress from Shein cost only $47, her husband's tuxedo cost $100 from Boohoo's men's section, and for accessories, Kirara found jewelry from a local dollar store while her husband shopped on Amazon for a pair of shoes costing $50.
For the venue location, Kiara and Joel decided to pick View Point in Los Angeles as their choice because it is a public location free for public. Wedding venues can average around $6000 so this was an amazing way to cut costs.
"If it is a public place, be sure to call and make sure it's OK," Kiara warns if others are going to plan the same thing she does. "Get the rules of the city, the state, and just make sure you're abiding by those rules to avoid getting ticketed."
Her bridal bouquet was also free as Kiara's godmother created her bouquet at no charge, and the bride even did her own hair, which could have cost $300 or more.
Their most significant budget save was opting out of a traditional reception which can cost around $22,000.
Instead of doing that, Kiara and Joel kept their party going at a lounge with each family member paying for their own food.
Some praised Kiara for her budget saving, but others called her wedding "tacky."
"It doesn't make sense? A divorce is more expensive than a wedding. What kind of quality of marriage are you gonna have if your wedding was 500?" one comment said on her TikTok, so Kiara decided to fight back.
"I think there has been this cultural pressure to have a certain type of wedding and entertain and please others. If you want to spend thousands of dollars on your wedding, that's great," she said.
"I personally don't mind it because it doesn't affect me at all. If you have the budget for a thousand-dollar wedding, by all means, have one. Do what is financially best for you."
Many still didn't understand the reason she had her wedding at such a low cost.
Kiara says she wants to show you don't need a lot of money to have a perfect wedding but instead do what makes sense to you.
If you want to know how Kiara did this, you can follow her YouTube channel, TikTok, and her Instagram, where she explains how she was able to get all of this done.
Kurtis Condra covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics for YourTango. He is also a poet based in San Francisco, California. You can keep up with his poetic journey on Instagram.