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A couple charged their wedding guests $333 each to save money - and the internet had a strong reaction to the move.
In an interview with NBC, newlyweds Nova and Reemo Style explained why they decided to charge guests to attend their celebration as much as if they were attending a concert. The couple contended that weddings are expensive and thought that if people were willing to shell out hundreds to see their favorite pop stars, they could do the same for people they know and love.
Nova recalled, “I said, ‘People choose to go to Beyoncé concert, because they know that they’re gonna have an experience. Let’s put the stress on the guests, and let’s sell tickets for a wedding.’”
“I was like, ‘Babe, people aren’t going to come,’” Reemo chimed in.
While guests attended the event, it came with some grumbling and choice words thrown the couple’s way. Nova told the outlet guests would say to her: “‘I would never spend money on tickets.’ ‘I don’t care.’ ‘Who do you guys think you are? Jay-Z and Beyoncé?’”
Ultimately, the couple charged guests $333 each, which paid for a complimentary seat on their double-decker bus and a 12-hour tour of New York City. Doing so helped the couple save over $70,000 in expenses.
According to the Knot, the rising price tag of weddings will lead many couples to get creative with their budgets even if it means potentially charging their guests.
Data indicated the U.S. average cost of a wedding in 2023 was $35,000 - a marked $5,000 increase from the previous year’s national average partially due to inflation. The uptick in prices led to an increased cost of goods and services in the wedding industry, causing the event’s price tag to climb.
However, on the Wedding Wire forum, many people have taken issue with couples charging their guests, calling it “tacky.”
“Talk about TACKY!” one person wrote. “I would never think of making someone pay to come to my wedding! That is just ridiculous...”
Another added, “I absolutely would not pay to come to a wedding, because I’m already paying to go -- gas, time to get ready, a gift, that’s money/time I could spend in other ways.”
“That’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” someone else noted. “I would imagine many guests RSVP ‘no.’”
