UWGB student hopes judges say 'I do" to wedding app idea

UPDATE 8/3/2018

Maria Arunkumar's wedding app idea won first place at the Light Up the Lakeshore business idea competition in Two Rivers.

Read the story below to learn more about Maria's idea.

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A student at UW-Green Bay is taking her first step down the aisle on the way to her dream of being an entrepreneur.

Maria Arunkumar is competing for a cash prize in the first

She gets to pitch her idea to the judges. It's an app that helps couples save money as they plan a wedding.

"I see myself starting and running a huge company," Maria tells Action 2 News.

The UWGB sophomore was born in India and raised in Singapore. She now calls Green Bay home.

Maria knew at an early age about her goal in life. She wanted to help people have a special day at a low cost.

"The average cost of a wedding is $33,000. That's like my four-year tuition money! So that's crazy, and the thing is, I would rather invest in my marriage than a one-day party, but that one day is a milestone, so I wanted to make sure that affordability comes with quality," Maria says.

She says her idea is to team up with local talent--young business hopefuls like herself--and small business owners looking for exposure.

"I will give them a platform to showcase their skills, and they can give us an affordable option, without the compromise on quality of course," Maria says.

Maria says she would love to win the contest, but she finds the exposure the most valuable.

"So if you have the app on your mobile you can plan it on the go, whenever you have time, hassle free," Maria says.

Win or lose, Maria is determined to turn her idea into a real app in the near future.