Not everyone can afford a celebrity-caliber wedding. But breaking off an engagement like a star? That's another story.


Unlike a wedding, it doesn't cost a dime to end an engagement (unless you've already booked a venue or bought a dress). All you need is this handy how-to guide to give your breakup star power.



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  • Surprise Everyone


    No one can know there's trouble in paradise before you announce you're breaking it off. You must keep an expert poker face. It has to take everyone completely by surprise, like when <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/jennifer-love-hewitt-and-fianc-call-off-engagement" target="_hplink">Jennifer Love Hewitt and ex-fiancé Ross McCall called it quits</a> in 2009.




  • Decide Things Were Moving Too Fast


    After everyone is good and shocked, you can tell them that the relationship was moving too fast. Putting a ring on it too quickly is a bad idea, as <a href="http://www.ebony.com/black-listed/entertainment-culture/aretha-franklin-calls-off-engagement" target="_hplink">Aretha Franklin learned January</a>. She and fiancé Willie Wilkerson decided that their whirlwind romance wasn't fit for a walk down the aisle and called it off just weeks after announcing their engagement.




  • Claim You're Too Busy


    If you're breaking off a long engagement, the "moving too quickly" excuse is off the table -- but you can always say you're too busy. A <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/08/report-maria-sharapova-and-sasha-vujacic-call-off-wedding/1#.UFolMaTLz31" target="_hplink">hectic international schedule</a> is what caused Maria Sharapova and former L.A. Laker Sasha Vujacic to end their engagement in August 2012.




  • Fight Over The Phone And Move Out


    Looking to make a bigger exit? Go the way of Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris with a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/hugh-hefner-crystal-harri_0_n_876752.html" target="_hplink">heated phone call and a moving van</a>. An argument gives you a more clear cut excuse for backing out anyway.




  • Announce It On Twitter


    Once you've informed your closest family and friends, let your fans down easily by announcing the split on Twitter. Everything's easier to explain in 140 characters, right? And if <a href="https://twitter.com/thekatvond/status/95706231657861120" target="_hplink">Kat Von D can do it</a>, you can, too.




  • Ask For Privacy


    But even after your Twitter announcement, not absolutely <em>everyone</em> knows you're single again. One sure-fire way to hammer the message home is to ask for privacy, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484539/j-lo-ben-call-off-engagement.jhtml" target="_hplink">like Jennifer Lopez</a> did when she split from Ben Affleck in 2004.




  • Go Out With Friends To Cheer Up


    Now that everyone knows about your failed engagement, it's OK to go back out in public. Gather up your bros or your gal pals and spend a night on the town. <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/people/2010/08/17/report-marilyn-manson-and-evan-rachel-wood-call-off-engagement/" target="_hplink">Marilyn Manson got over ex-fianée Evan Rachel Wood</a> this way, and <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20512593,00.html" target="_hplink">so did Kristin Cavallari</a> after football hunk Jay Cutler called off their engagement (they're now back together).




  • Say You Still Love Each Other


    If your fans (friends) seem downtrodden over your split, tell everyone that you still love each other despite the break-up. Both <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-57345226-10391698/chaz-bono-and-jennifer-elia-call-off-engagement/" target="_hplink">Chaz Bono</a> and <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1156475,00.html" target="_hplink">Sheryl Crow </a>used that line after breaking off their respective engagements.




  • Say The Distance Is Too Much


    Long distance relationships are hard, and there is never an end to the line of people encouraging you to keep at it while you're engaged. But now that you're not, that distance if the first thing everyone blames. And it's perfect. With this excuse, you don't even have to say the real reason you broke up, whatever it is. <a href="http://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/movies/NATL-Hayden-Christensen-and-Rachel-Bilson-End-Engagement-100329629.html" target="_hplink">Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson</a> fed the press this line, and no one questioned why two people with millions of dollars for airline tickets and second homes couldn't make it work. It'll totally work for you.




  • Keep Living Together


    If getting your own place isn't in the budget, it's probably best to tell everyone you're through, but stay in the same house. <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/09/carmen-electra-calls-off-engagement" target="_hplink">Carmen Electra kept living with her ex</a> Rob Patterson after they called it quits. It might not even be awkward after you start dating someone else, like Electra did.




  • Remain Friends


    Staying friends with your ex is key for your public image. Break-ups can be pretty nasty, and the last thing you need right now is a tarnished reputation. <a href="http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20496321,00.htm" target="_hplink">Ginnifer Goodwin</a> kept her nice girl image intact by "intending" to remain friends with ex-fiancé Joey Kern. Even if you don't actually want to remain friends, it's the thought that counts.




  • Get Back Together


    Just admit it: this whole "broken engagement" thing was just for press and you still want to get hitched. <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2012/07/26/the-game-wedding-back-on/" target="_hplink">The Game pulled this off</a> -- even though it cost him $100,000. You never actually stopped planning the wedding anyway, so put the ring back on and say "I do" already!





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