How bloody expensive are weddings, right?
Between the hens do’s, kitchen teas, new outfits, – and if you’re really invested – a tan, nails, lashes, minibuses, gift registries… it’s a really, really long list.
The point is, as a wedding guest, you ALWAYS end up paying for more than you thought you would. So, what would you say if your loved ones – or even someone you hardly know at all – asked you to foot the bill for their dream wedding?
A couple in the UK have done just that, invoicing their 80 wedding guests for the cost of their three-day wedding.
When the groom, Ben Farina decided he wanted to ask his partner, Clare Moran to marry him, he knew she would say they couldn’t afford it.
Therefore, the only logical thing to do was to devise a business model in which everything outside of their £2,000 (approx $3,300 AUD) budget would be paid for by their guests.
Presenting the idea to their family and friends as an "all-inclusive holiday", the three-day affair will set attendees back £150 ($250 AUD) each, plus £50 ($85 AUD) per child.
That's $500 per couple and $670 for a family of four. Spare a thought for those poor souls with three kids or more.
Included in the price tag is (supposedly) everything - three nights accommodation at the venue, which has a pool AND a spa, a "hog roast", all alcohol on the day of the wedding, and a Sunday roast cooked by the groom's step father the day after.
Farina told the BBC if their guests hadn't agreed to the idea, they simply would have had a smaller wedding.
"People always pay a large amount of money to go to a wedding anyway, so why not have it paying towards the actual wedding rather than just to a business owner?" he said.
For Clare, it was the best way to achieve her dream of having a big wedding, adding:
"We had spoken about marriage because we've got a little girl together and I always said we wouldn't be able to afford to do it, or it would have to be a registry office wedding, not a big wedding."
Thoughts? Is this a smart solution for couples who can't afford their dream wedding, or just asking too much?
LISTEN: Mamamia Out Loud discuss if 'singles lists' for weddings are problematic...
Top Comments
If the prospective guests are asked, and the general consensus is that the couple is well enough liked, the "holiday" is one most can attend and enjoy, and the costs are not excessive (as in this instance, they do not appear exceed the amount a guest would spend anyway), then it seems to me like a good idea. It is all in how it is handled. And also important, the couple must specify no gifts, because the gift is the wedding itself.
If your budget is only $3300 then you probably shouldn’t plan a big grand wedding. If you want a big wedding you need to save more since it is your wedding.