I got married in a $47 dress and posted it on TikTok to show that weddings don’t need to be expensive

• Vlogger Kiara Brokenbrough wore a $47 SHEIN dress to her wedding and filmed it on TikTok.

• She also vlogged the rest of her marriage ceremony, which charge $500, to display they do not need to have to be high-priced.

• This is Kiara’s tale, as explained to to Charissa Cheong.

This as-advised-to essay is centered on a discussion with Kiara Brokenbrough, and it has been edited for duration and clarity.

When my partner and I received married in February 2022, we resolved to have a smaller and modest ceremony. He experienced lately relocated to California to live with me, so we felt that we shouldn’t expend much too significantly and rather selected to preserve up for our new existence together.

I perform as a social media supervisor in Los Angeles, but I also have my own YouTube channel the place I publish vlogs about my lifetime. I knew I wanted to vlog my wedding to display viewers my reception and decorations.

I also determined to write-up a TikTok exhibiting my marriage dress on March 18, as a teaser for my YouTube collection about the wedding ceremony. It turned my most viewed TikTok with 920,000 views.

The gown only cost $47 simply because I purchased it from SHEIN, a clothes site based in China. I usually wished a a lot more very affordable gown to save on charges — we only spent a overall of $500 on our wedding day ceremony and reception, and that contains the expense of my costume and his $100 tux.

Over-all, I am delighted that I made the decision to have a modest and intimate ceremony, and I’m definitely happy to have unfold a information that it really is a lot more critical to spend in your relationship than your wedding day or your outfit.

I am 6 ft tall, so I was anxious that a dress I requested on the internet would not fit me

The dress I ended up carrying wasn’t really my to start with preference due to the fact I had my eye on an additional backless, extended-hem gown from a different web site that was a bit much more costly, but they didn’t have it in my size.

Story continues

I discovered on Google that SHEIN experienced a very very similar costume, and it was only $47. I experienced in no way requested an outfit from SHEIN just before, so I didn’t truly know what to hope. Ahead of I opened the offer soon after the dress arrived, I was really nervous that it wouldn’t healthy and I would have to return it, because I’m six ft tall and most attire slide a bit limited on me.

When I place on the dress, it fit completely and did not need to have any alterations. It also didn’t seem inexpensive at all, and I was glad that I designed these types of an very affordable invest in mainly because if the dress have been to get dirty on my wedding day day, I wouldn’t genuinely have cared.

I hope my determination influenced other people to commit a lot less on their weddings

Our marriage started with an personal, 30-particular person ceremony in an outside locale that we did not have to pay out for. We rented 30 chairs for $76 and a triangle-formed arch for $230. The flower petals, cake, and the runner on the ground were being all gifted to us, and for the reception, we all went to a close by restaurant where all people paid for their have meals and consume.

I made the decision to share clips from a online video of me striving on the gown on TikTok a handful of weeks after my wedding ceremony. As much more and a lot more folks watched it, lots of soon-to-be brides began commenting that I influenced them to opt for a a lot less high priced costume far too.

I’m happy my online video was ready to positively handle the stress that a whole lot of women of all ages sense to splash out on a marriage outfit, and the supportive response built me all the a lot more self-confident that I created the suitable decision with my dress.

I preferred my vlogs to show the actuality of acquiring married, not a hyped-up illusion of it

I’m so joyful with the way every little thing turned out, but I also needed to film the experience to exhibit my viewers that your wedding day day may not be a photo-excellent working experience.

There had been times in my vlog when I was sad because I would dreamed about my marriage ceremony considering the fact that I was a kid and I wasn’t in a position to have this massive, high priced fairytale marriage ceremony that so lots of individuals communicate about.

Total, I hope my YouTube and TikTok movies remind brides that their marriage ceremony dress would not make or outline them.

I also hope they really encourage partners to remember that their connection is the basis of their relationship, and that is significantly more vital than owning a marriage with limousines or pricey decorations.

For much more tales like this, check out coverage from Insider’s Electronic Tradition workforce listed here.

Examine the initial write-up on Insider