Bride feeds needy kids at luncheon when prenup blow-up cancels the wedding

Talk about making lemonade out of lemons. A New York bride didn’t let a breakdown in her marriage get in the way of shining on her big day…though maybe not in the way she expected!

Read more: Save up to 85% on the cost of your wedding dress

A big heart on the big day

Yiru Sun had already paid an $8,000 non-refundable deposit for what was to be her wedding reception this past Saturday. But she had called the wedding off two months ago because she didn’t feel comfortable signing the pre-nuptial agreement.

Instead of letting the food and deposit money go to waste, she decided to invite 60 needy children and their parents to a feast on the day that was supposed to have been her wedding day.

“I cannot be the princess of my wedding day, but I can give the kids a fairy tale,” she is quoted as saying.

Here are some ways to keep the costs of a wedding down

Planning a wedding as a participant or even just attending one as a friend or family member can cost big bucks. Here are five ways you can keep costs down:

1. If you’re planning on having alcohol, find a caterer who will let you purchase and bring it yourself, which avoids the tremendous markup.
2. Make your own flowers out of paper instead of purchasing real ones. This move alone can save you more than $1,000.
3. Buy dresses or suits that you can wear again. For the bridesmaids, try telling them a color (like navy or black) and encouraging them to wear an existing dress, rather than having them buy a one-time use only dress.
4. Check the cakes at the bakery of your local grocery store, instead of a traditional baker. They can be much cheaper and just as nice.
5. Remember that *who* you are marrying is the most important thing.

Read more: How to negotiate a dream wedding