Lately, a newly married couple in Brooklyn found a way to keep their wedding reception expenses under control.
Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars on a traditional ceremony at a restaurant, they decided to hold their wedding celebration on the L train.
Daniel Jean, 39, and his wife Esmy Valdez, 38, officially got married in a private ceremony on June 27th. However, they wanted to share their joy with friends and even strangers on the train.
“We didn’t have the money to do the dream reception that I’d always envisioned. I decided to surprise her by having a dope reception on the L train,” Jean revealed.
With the help of their friend Jodell "Joe the Show" Lewis, they organized a full-blown wedding party on the L train for an estimated cost of only around $3,000.
This cost is significantly lower amount compared to the average $63,000 spent on weddings in New York.
The ceremony had 20 of their friends participating, along with random passengers on the train.
They decorated the space themselves, prepared the food, cakes, drinks, and music to create a lively and vibrant atmosphere.
The Jeans also hired an event planner to professionally coordinate everything. He also hired a local chef to provide the food for the wedding celebration with a cake, drinks, and music from a DJ.
Although much less expensive than a traditional wedding reception, the subway wedding was still an unforgettable experience for the bride Esmy.
She said that despite the unique location, it was a joyous celebration that allowed them to start their marriage without the burden of debt.
When the bride, Esmy, saw everything set up on the train, she was very happy and felt she had made the right choice.
Esmy said that in this city, people often think men need to have expensive things to impress the woman they love. But their reception was all about the love between the couple, not about showing off wealth.
According to a May 2024 report from The Knot, tying the knot with a traditional ceremony and reception in New York City can set couples back more than $63,000.
This hefty price tag is roughly 80% higher than the national average wedding cost in 2023, which hovered around $35,000.
Remarkably, to economize, some couples are utilizing AI technologies such as ChatGPT to reduce their wedding expenses.
Alternatively, some budget-conscious couples are skipping fancy wedding services and choosing stores like Costco for flowers, cakes, and decorations.
