El Paso BTS concerts coincide with wedding, complicates travel for guests

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)—In a few short weeks, BTS will make two stops in El Paso. It’s part of the biggest global K-Pop tour of all time, which spans 34 regions and 79 shows.

On May 2 and May 3, the BTS World Tour will make its arrival at the Sun Bowl Stadium.

However, the timing of the concerts overlaps with one couple getting married on night one of the El Paso shows.

Aaron Carman and Diana Martell met on spring break while both were attending Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Martell was born and raised in El Paso, and many of her family members still reside here.

The couple now calls the San Antonio area home. Both said that El Paso was the perfect place to bring both families together and celebrate their union.

The couple started planning their wedding last May. A few months later, in January, BTS announced their global tour and two stops in El Paso. With the wedding just a few months away, it was too late to change the date or the venue.

"At first, I really don't think anything of it. We were like, ‘Oh, that's cool,” Martell said.

But the couple said things quickly changed. They began to realize the complexities the concert weekend would bring.

"One day, my dad called me after we had already sent the invitations and said, 'Hey, I don't know if you're aware, but because of the big concert that's in town, I've been looking at hotel rooms, and I can't find anything available. And if there is anything available, the cheapest I can find is about 500 bucks a night.’"

Martell said it became a challenge for guests to find hotel rooms since many were already sold out. Other rooms that were still available were going for prices guests couldn’t afford.

It’s not just hotel rooms that are seeing a large surge in prices. Short-term rentals and flights have also seen a substantial rise as a result of these two shows.

Carman and Martell estimate that somewhere between 20 and 25 guests will miss out on their big day as a result.

"They're sending in their, you know, declines for the wedding because they're just not able to afford spending $500 a night for a wedding."

During an interview with ABC-7, Martell became emotional talking about those loved ones who will be forced to miss out on their wedding day, including mutual friends.

"Yeah, it's definitely, I think, a bit more disheartening for me. Just having, you know, these close friends that I've made over the past couple of years who tell me that they're unable to attend just because of the high prices of hotel rooms and flights,” she said.

While the couple said the concert will help boost the local economy, they also sympathize with guests who can’t afford the extra costs.

Martell said some guests have booked hotel rooms in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Van Horn, Texas, and will make the trip to El Paso the day of the wedding.

"My parents even offered to put cots out in their house for people to stay there,” Martell said.

"We completely understand, too. There's some people who just can't happen. So we're still actively working to try and see who we can get there, you know, trying to see if something gives, if there's a way we can. But yeah, it's definitely been challenging, on both fronts,” Carman said.

The couple remains optimistic.

"We're still going to make the best that we can out of those who come and do have the means to come celebrate with us on that day.”

The couple said they plan on staying at a short-term rental during their wedding weekend and were able to secure it prior to the concert announcement.