Make New York Post a Preferred Source Like scoring 7-7-7 on a Vegas slot machine, Nina Nieves and Kevin Carter hit love’s jackpot.
In today’s dating climate, where finding “the one” can feel like a risky gamble in a rundown casino with worn-out carpeting and the lingering stench of stale cigarettes, coming up a winner in love is no sure bet.
So, to toast their lucky strike without breaking the bank, the North Jersey couple crossed the Hudson River to trade traditional ‘I dos’ for a funky, affordable affair at the Lower East Side’s buzziest new wedding venue, The Sure Thing Chapel.
“We’re really just not traditional wedding people,” Nieves, 31, a surgical coordinator, told The Post with a laugh, praising the pale pink hotspot on Allen Street for its avant-garde appeal.
She and Carter, 34, a postman, tied the knot for roughly $700 on Sept. 4 inside Sure Thing’s grand hall.
It’s a 400-square-foot salon decked out in crimson-red flooring, matching velvet drapery, mirror-ceiling tiles and a hanging heart bedecked with blinking light bulbs as its centerpiece. Disco-ball pigeons and a neon Wurlitzer organ shine as the gaudy cherries on top of the already over-the-top setup.
Three rows of bubblegum-pink chairs accommodate up to 18 to witness the speedy ceremonies.
But a massive front window facing the street gives passersby an unobstructed eyeful of the non-religious nuptials, most of which wrap up in under 30 minutes and can be booked via email or phone. And they’re all presided over by in-house officiants, including a drag queen clown and a hellishly kitschy Elvis impersonator.
The elopement establishment, founded this fall by Victoria Hogan and Amy Lee, creators of the two Sure Thing chapels in downtown Las Vegas, offers a sprinkle of old-school Sin City pizzazz to New Yorkers who want next-level nuptials for next to nothing.
Wedding packages, each including a marriage license filing, range from $666 to $1,444.
Guys and gals can spring for glitzy add-ons, including access to the adjacent Autophoto Photobooth Museum, a two-song serenade from the chapel’s Wurlitzer pianist — who belts out classics like Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” — or a live performance by Tillie the Clown.
But Nieves and Carter kept their bash simple and economical, sans the extra bells and whistles.
“Kevin is definitely more of an introvert and I’m an extrovert. I wanted the fun, flashing lights, vintage feel of Las Vegas without having to spend all that money getting ourselves and our families to Vegas,” said Nieves.
The penny-wise paramours are part of a growing 49% of sweethearts who’d rather opt for an affordable elopement than an expensive extravaganza.
High-rolling couples tying the knot in 2026 and 2027 are reportedly spending an average of approximately $37,000 — an $11,000 jump from the median cost in 2024.
From VIP venues to designer bridal gowns and everything in between, A-listers and everyday darlings alike are blowing big bucks on their big days, some sparing no expense to make their wildest wedding dreams a reality.
More prudent pairs, however, are creatively keeping costs low with penny-pinching hacks like getting hitched on the L train or charging a $300 admission fee at the doors of their holy matrimonies.
Nieves and Carter, former AMC movie theater coworkers-turned-inamoratos, weren’t about to make their loved ones come out of pocket — at least not for more than the $20 toll to cross the Hudson River from New Jersey into New York City.
They considered exchanging rings with a backyard celebration or at a local City Hall. But once Nieves learned of Sure Thing’s grand opening in September, it was, well, a sure thing.
“The minute I found out the chapel was coming to New York, I was like, ‘Oh my god! We have to get married here.’ The vibrancy and energy of the whole place just screamed at me,” said the bride, who wore a $40 Fashion Nova wedding gown for the sweet celebration.
Carter, who wore a suit he’d already owned for the fête, told The Post his biggest concern was ensuring his lady’s happiness.
“The wedding was a reflection of her spirit. We wanted a ceremony that felt right to us,” he said of the kooky venue. He and Nieves plan to allocate the cash they saved by forgoing an over-the-top shindig toward an haute honeymoon in Japan.
“It didn’t matter if people didn’t understand why we chose [Sure Thing],” said Carter. “Screw everyone else, as long as we’re happy.”
Carter and Nieves weren’t the only ones marching to the beat of their own wedding bells. Nicci Reeve and her groom, David, had a similar anything-goes attitude about their Oct. 10 to-do.
The British lovebirds, based in Bristol, England, flew over 3,600 miles to the Big Apple just to become husband and wife at the Sure Thing after 14 years of dating.
And the $666 wedding only took five minutes.
“I’m not really a Vegas girl, but I’m absolutely a New York City girl,” laughed Reeve, 42, a marketing exec in the UK. “But I do love the vintage Vegas aesthetic, and I’d been following Sure Thing online for quite a while.”
“So I immediately made arrangements for David and me to get married at the New York location, sight unseen,” added the self-crowned “Type B” bride — the antithesis of a stereotypical bridezilla demanding princess-style perfection for her special occasion.
Rather than a Cinderella-inspired ball gown, the artsy nonconformist sported a creme colored two piece set from designer Simone Rocha. Instead of a horse-drawn chariot, she and her unpretentious Prince Charming, 47, a corporate associate director, hopped a city subway to their “I Do” destination.
And in place of a six-figure soirée in the English countryside — arrangements Reeve nearly greenlit — the romantic rebels eloped in a room full of empty seats at Sure Thing, going it completely alone.
“Our photographer was our witness,” she giggled. “We wanted the wedding to be just about us. No big crowds, no cake-cutting ceremony or first dance. Just our love.”
The new spouses toasted their new titles with dinner à deux at French bistro, Bridges, in Chinatown before retiring to their 4-star digs at The Ludlow Hotel, then whisking away to the Catskills for an extended stay in the mountains.
“The whole experience was so me,” Reeve raved, grateful for the Sure Thing’s magnetism.
