Having a big, expensive wedding seems like the worst way for a young couple to start their lives together. For those who get mom and dad to foot the bill, no problem. But in the U.S., 28% of couples reported going into debt when paying for their weddings and the average celebration costs $36,000. “It’s one of those life events that’s really tied to emotion, to your values, what’s important to you,” researcher Elyssa Kirkham told CNBC. ”[People are] willing to take on debt and do that trade-off if it means they can get closer to achieving their dream.” Kiara Brokenbrough and her husband, Joe, captured a lot of attention when they bucked the trend and had a beautiful wedding for just $500. The wonderful thing about the celebration is that its focus was on the couple and those who love them. Here is how they pulled it off for $500 “You have a wedding, with witnesses there to witness you, vowing to your spouse, vowing to God that you guys are going to stay together for life,” Kiara told Good Morning America. ”And then you celebrate with food, drinks and dance. And that’s exactly what we did.” After trying on a few $1,500 dresses at a traditional wedding shop, Kiara decided to save some money by purchasing a dress for $47 at Shein. She revealed her money-saving decision in a TikTok video that went viral. @kiarabrk Reply to @maalikaelise dress included! $47 on @SHEIN #weddingtiktok #weddingdress #cheapwedding #blackbride ♬ audio credit is rennyxaudios – 70s80s90s00s The dress impressed a TikTok user named Kristen. “I be tryna tell yall cost of things don’t matter. It’s how you put it together and wear it. AND BABYYYYY YOU PUT IT TOGETHER AND WORE IT,” she commented on the video. The couple also cut costs by having the runner and flowers donated by her family. As for the venue, they chose a free location overlooking the ocean on the California coast. “Our goal was to just be as minimal as possible,” Kiara told Good Morning America. “And to spend the least amount of money as possible.” She was also super practical when thinking about her dress. “I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a dress because I had the mindset I’m gonna wear this one time for a few hours,” she said. Even the reception was budget-friendly The Brokenbroughs saved money on the reception by having guests pay for their food and drinks. “The people we have there, they understood the assignment, they understood the things that we were trying to do, and they really supported us,” said Kiara. And science says they made the right call The Brokenbroughs’ decision to have an affordable wedding to start their marriage on good financial footing was an incredibly savvy move and, according to research, it could bode well for the couple’s future. In the end, the cost didn’t matter, it was still a wonderful celebration. “The energy was great, and people were just there to truly celebrate us,” Kiara told NBC 4. “When I got out of the car, I just ran because I was just so excited. I’m like, I’m ready to do this.” The linked study on how wedding spending correlates with a couple’s longevity was done in 2014 and found that “marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony.” “If the research still holds up, the Brokenbroughs’ attitudes toward finances could be a predictor of a long and happy marriage. “It could be that the type of couples who have (an affordable wedding) are the type that are a perfect match for each other,” one of the study’s authors, Hugo M. Mialon told CNN. “Or it could be that having an inexpensive wedding relieves young couples of financial burdens that may strain their marriage,” he added. This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated. The post People are applauding newlyweds for their beautiful $500 wedding. Here’s how they did it. appeared first on Upworthy.

Many a canine lover would agree that all dogs add value to our lives. But let’s face it, Ollie takes it to a whole new level. In 2022, Adam Clark and Kim McGuire of Blackpool, England, originally bought little Ollie as a surprise for their daughter Alicia. However, it would turn out they were in store for a lovely surprise as well. Meet Ollie, the world’s luckiest puppy Ollie is much more than an adorable face. His breed, the Lagotto Romagnolo, once used its keen sense of smell to hunt waterfowl in the wet marshlands of Italy, according to Dog Time. Here’s an example of what a Lagotto Romagnolo looks like: Pretty much a teddy bear on four legs. These pups are also natural diggers, and nowadays the only dogs bred specifically to hunt for truffles. These talents came into play rather quickly when after only 10 minutes into his first family walk in the park, Ollie began to frantically dig into the soil. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ollie dug up what appeared to be 15 sovereign coins, meaning pieces of gold thought to date back to the 19th century. The gold sovereign was first minted under King Henry VII in 1489 and has been produced across multiple eras since. A gold sovereign. Photo credit: www.publicdomainpictures.net So how much were the coins actually worth? Clark took the coins to be examined by a reputable gold dealer, who not only deemed the coins legitimate, but valued them to be £5,943.96, equivalent to $7,564. It’s not clear how much the family paid for Ollie, but it seems safe to say that they got their money back …and then some. Though Ollie’s find is remarkable, Clark still finds his presence to be the ultimate gift. “The treasure is one thing, but the fact is, I’ve bought myself my very own gold hunter, and I cannot wait to take him out again,” he told The U.S. Sun. “He is obviously a very special pup, and I’m thrilled with what he brings to the table, quite literally!” Lucky puppy digs up treasure trove of gold coins worth £6,000 on his first walk https://t.co/UPl6YqBaUM— Anglia Research (@angliaresearch) April 21, 2022 And apparently they make great pets too While Lagotto Romagnolos work really well for finding truffles (and potentially 500+ year old gold coins), they also make for great companions. Dog Time adds that they are easily trainable, good with children, and their hypoallergenic coats keep allergies at bay, though they do require dedicated grooming. It’s a pretty even trade-off for their undying affection and easy-going attitudes. Especially if they happen upon a small fortune! There’s no real telling what other trinkets Ollie might dig up. But one thing’s for sure, he’s making his family very happy, and that is priceless. This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated. The post Adopted puppy takes first walk with new family and digs up treasure worth nearly $8,000 appeared first on Upworthy.

DNA floating in seawater is now enough to let scientists monitor the health of America’s dolphin populations. Sampling DNA in seawater can show the local presence (or absence) of a species, but until now could give little information about those measures of biodiversity that are the most useful in conservation. But, scientists in the US […] The post Sampling DNA in Seawater Can Reveal the Health of Dolphin Populations, in First for Conservation appeared first on Good News Network.

To be a great fiction writer requires understanding basic story structures and being clever enough to disguise them so your audience doesn’t know they’re watching or reading something they’ve seen before. Academics suggest that there are only a finite number of plots and structures, but that number varies based on who’s doing the talking. Writer Kurt Vonnegut, best known for his satirical works on American politics and culture, including “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “Sirens of Titan,” was obsessed with the shapes of stories and summed up his views in one powerful sentence: “The fundamental idea is that stories have shapes which can be drawn on graph paper and that the shape of a given society’s stories is at least as interesting as the shape of its pots or spearheads.” What are the shapes of stories? In the video below, Vonnegut explains the shapes of three different types of stories. The first one he starts with is “person gets into trouble.” The first question is where the main character or protagonist starts their journey. Are they in a state of good or bad fortune, and how does that change from beginning to end? The arc of this story is simple, someone starts off in good fortune, they get into trouble, and then find their way out. “Somebody gets into trouble, then gets out of it again. People love that story. They never get tired of it,” Vonnegut says with a smirk. The second is called “boy gets girl,” which is the basics of the story: someone finds something “wonderful,” their life is on an upward trajectory, then they trail downwards until they can get the girl or boy back. He finishes with the “most popular story” of Western civilization, and that is “Cinderella.”What’s interesting about the story is that it’s about a poor little girl whose mother has died, and her life is pure misery. But her story has a massive upswing when she meets her fairy godmother and can go to the ball. But once the clock strikes midnight, her life crashes down in a matter of seconds. Vonnegut’s eerie prediction about AI What’s interesting is that at the beginning of the video, Vonnegut notes that stories are relatively “simple” and that they should be able to be plugged into computers that could then regurgitate the same story over and over again. It almost feels like an eerie predictor of artificial intelligence. “There’s no reason why the simple shapes of a story can’t be fed into computers. They are beautiful shapes,” Vonnegut says. “Now this is an exercise in relativity, really. It’s the shape of the curves are what matters, and not their origins.” After seeing Vonnegut map out the basic plotlines of stories, it’s hard not to see them every time you watch a movie or TV show. It is amazing that, because there are so few characters and plot arcs in modern storytelling, anyone can create anything that feels new. This story originally appeared three years ago. It has since been updated. The post Iconic writer Kurt Vonnegut’s simple graphs show how to write the 3 stories everyone loves appeared first on Upworthy.

Dr. Jason Singh, who has all kinds of medical insights on TikTok, weighed in on the topic he joked was “more debatable than pineapple on pizza.” That debate would be whether it’s better to shower in the morning, or at night. You would think the “right answer” would be largely up to personal preference, much like which way to face while showering and whether or not to snack in the shower…two previous hot button issues online. But according to Singh, there are definitive pros and cons to each option, which could settle the debate once and for all. Here is what the doctor actually found Singh says in the clip that overnight, “your body can accumulate germs such as bacteria and fungus” through “processes like sweating and shedding skin cells,” all of which help create odor. When you shower off this residue in the AM, it brings your “skin microbiome back to a more hygienic baseline.” Makes a pretty compelling case for morning showers, doesn’t it? Just wait. Singh went on to say that nighttime showering has three things going for it. One, it helps release melatonin to help induce sleep. Plus, when your body adjusts from a warmer temperature to a cooler temperature, that also helps your body prepare for a good night’s rest. The second benefit is that it washes away “the entire day’s grime.” Which, let’s be honest, can be very therapeutic sometimes. And lastly, showering at night is the ‘better way to help hydrate your skin,” making it a better option for those with sensitive or dry skin. Singh’s bottom line: “Overall night-time showers have more benefits to it but morning showers have really one benefit and that’s better hygiene.” @drjaysonisfresh More debatable than pineapple on pizza ♬ original sound – Dr. Jason Singh The comments had strong feelings about this Singh encouraged viewers to weigh in with their own opinions, and they didn’t hold back. “You will never convince me to go to bed dirty,’ one person wrote. Another argued “The worst part about night time showers is long, wet hair. I hate going to bed with wet hair!” There ended up being some pretty funny responses as well. One person joked that they opted for morning showers since it helps them “Get my head together. Generate a to-do list. Fight with pretend people.” Another person noted that timing preferences can be dictated by their schedule, commenting, “night showers during the work week and morning showers on the weekends.” Woman takes an outdoor shower during the day. Photo credit: Canva Some people said two showers was the answer Many argued that two showers a day was the actual best option. That way you don’t go to bed dirty, and you’re fresh for the morning. Obviously, showering at any time consistently is perfectly fine, but Dr. Singh offered some valuable food for thought. Of course, you could always follow in this viewer’s footsteps, who wrote: “I prefer to roll around in dust like a chinchilla.” This article originally appeared two years ago. It has been updated. The post A doctor says there’s finally a clear winner in the morning or night shower debate appeared first on Upworthy.