A GLAM bride has shared how she put on an A-List worthy wedding for a cool £2,363 – complete with a limo, “glam team” and three night hotel stay.
Karen Aparcana held the lavish celebration in Las Vegas with only her nearest and dearest present.
The 31-year-old estimates that it should have cost around £23,000 – but thanks to her prioritising love over money, she celebrated for a fraction of the price.
Karen tied the knot with husband Kevin, also 31, on March 15 in Sin City.
Their budget included £80.71 for the marriage licence, £455 for a three night stay at the Hilton Resort’s World and £494.56 for the venue, which also provided a limo ride and flowers.
Karen picked up a dress on Amazon for £70, while Kevin’s tuxedo hire was a cool £119.
For hair and make-up, the blushing bride splashed out £257.
The couple from California, US spent a total of £2,363 to avoid splurging all of their savings amid the cost of living crisis.
“I hope that we are able to inspire people to get married the way they wish to get married,” Karen says.
“Whether that’s eloping or planning a massive celebration.
“Society can add a lot of pressure but at the end of the day a marriage is between two people who are making a lifetime commitment.”
The newlyweds picked Vegas as their wedding destination as it was their first holiday together in 2015 and has since become a tradition for them to visit every year.
I didn’t want to deal with the added stress of planning a wedding
Karen, 31
After deciding to get married in January, they managed to plan their whole day in just two months.
It was always their plan to stick to a budget to ensure they would be able to pay for features in their new house, as well as putting money towards a honeymoon trip to Japan.
“We decided to elope because we wanted a day to focus on our love and our commitment to each other,” Karen tells.
“We also didn’t want to deal with the added stress of planning a wedding.”
“We both come from big Hispanic families and the thought of planning a big wedding seemed overwhelming,” Karen continued.
“I spent hours on Amazon searching for an affordable dress that would fit my body.
“I had five dress options and my husband actually ended up choosing my actual dress.
“I was going to do my own hair and make-up but my husband encouraged me to get a glam team, so we found one for a reasonable price.”
We didn’t want to go into debt over a wedding
Karen, 31
She recalls the best part of her day being the 15 minutes before the ceremony, where she and Kevin “sat in the bridal suite and exchanged their vows in privacy”.
“It was a beautiful moment and I’m so glad we got to exchange vows in a meaningful way,” Karen says.
“My husband and I made it a point to budget.
“We have spent the last few years working on our financial health and we didn’t want to go into debt over a wedding.”
According to Hitched, the average UK wedding comes to £18,400.
And with the cost of living crisis pinching Britain’s purses, lovebirds are doing whatever it takes to cut costs.
A whopping 45% of people currently planning their wedding stated they would cut down on their guest list in an effort to save money, a study from jewellers F.Hinds revealed.