WHEN planning a wedding, expenses can add up very quickly – which is why one couple decided to charge their guests for attending the big day.
The pair, from the US, wanted to get married in New York City, where venues are typically expensive.
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The couple, Nova and Reemo Styles, soon realized they would need to shell out at least $150,000 – or close to £120,000 – just for the venue.
Considering the bride and groom were already planning a rather expensive 12-hour party for a whopping 350 guests, this was a problem, The mirror reported.
But rather than give up on their dream of a stunning location for their romantic ceremony, the couple found a solution: selling tickets to their guests.
A single ticket would cost $333 (£260) – however, the bizarre move wasn’t a big hit with friends and family.
Of those who received the invitation, a staggering 80% decided to decline it, leaving the bride and groom with just 60 of the total 350 guests in attendance.
If you were among those who paid, you got a seat at the couple’s nuptials, which were held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as well as a spot on the double-decker party bus that took everyone on a tour of the city and its sights. , like The Edge at Hudson Yards, for photos, and indulge in an elegant steak and lobster dinner at the reception, held at One World Trade Center.
The tickets saved the newlyweds an astronomical $70,000 (£55,000), which was spent on starting a family, with the possibility of launching a foundation for couples undergoing IVF later in life.
Happy with their wedding – and their savings – the couple gave a look back at their big day on TikTok, asking in the caption: “Did we really sell tickets to our wedding!?”
The filming shows clips from the big occasion, including the cathedral ceremony and the two-story party, where the outfits consisted of bright neon hues and luxurious outfits.
But while the two may have been happy and won’t forget the ceremony, social media users were divided over the decision to charge guests.
One person was shocked and wrote: “What a joke! These people are cheapskates!
“They want luxury, but they are too cheap to pay for it.
”They expect their friends to pay for the wedding! I would cut off my friendship with anyone who tried that!”
Another added: “Only 60 guests out of 350. That says a lot.
”I would be completely offended if I was asked to spend $333 per guest. If you can’t afford it, don’t do it.”
Why it’s time to ditch wedding favors once and for all
By Josie Griffiths, Deputy Editor of Digital Fabulous and engaged
Josie Griffiths said: When was the last time you saw something in a store window or browsed online and thought “this would be the perfect gift for 120 of my closest friends, work colleagues, relatives and boyfriend’s partners I barely know” ?
I’ll tell you when, never, because there is NO universal gift that everyone will love – unless you want to go broke buying Rolexes and Tiffany jewelry, and even then they wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste.
So why are brides still piling on the stress (and expense) of wedding favors on top of everything else we have to organize?
I’ve been to dozens of weddings over the past five years, so when I got engaged, I already had a mental list of what to do and what not to do on my big day, and ditching the wedding favors was firmly on the agenda.
The cost of buying an individual gift for everyone who arrives is huge, which means many couples try to keep it in the under-five category.
But the reality is that no one wants a cheap, poorly thought out souvenir – they’d probably rather have a free drink at the bar.
It’s not just that: wedding bags are notoriously small, with no room to store an unexpected gift, and catering servers have a bad habit of taking away wedding favors when they’re clearing the coffee mugs from the tables.
I bet none of my guests will notice a random gift missing from the dinner table.
If you really hate the idea of not buying something for your guests, charitable donations are always a nice gesture.
But the last thing your friends and family need is more random tattoos cluttering their homes — so it’s time to save them the guilt of throwing your Etsy-bought keychain in the trash.
However, some people seemed to be on the couple’s side.
“Actually, this is very smart. Those who mattered didn’t mind paying to celebrate,” wrote one fan.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
