Wedding season’s heating up, spring to fall, when lovebirds tie the knot in front of their nearest and dearest, but a wild new trend’s got guests fuming and calling couples “tacky” left and right. Picture this: a Reddit user on the Wedding Shaming subreddit, titled “We’re Paying Way Too Much to Attend Our Friend’s Wedding,” spills the tea about a destination wedding where the bridal party’s stuck for a week, shelling out for stay, food, transport, and, wait for it, sharing beds with randos. Tack on a fee for the welcome party and regular guest costs like flights and outfits, and the poster’s ranting, “This is tacky and cheap!” The internet agrees, “Don’t go broke for this!” one commenter snaps.
Meanwhile, The Knot says destination weddings hit $41,000 on average in 2023, with guest costs jumping to $580 a pop, way less than this week-long wallet-drainer. Over at Brides.com, Nova and Reemo Styles dodged a $150,000 venue bill by charging $333 tickets for their NYC bash, 60 guests bit, scoring St. Patrick’s Cathedral vows and a luxe steak-and-lobster reception, but 80% said “hell no.” The web’s roasting them too: “Cheapskates wanting bling on our dime!”
So, are weddings the new cash grab, or is this just how it’s done now? You tell us, drop your hot takes below!
Meanwhile, The Knot says destination weddings hit $41,000 on average in 2023, with guest costs jumping to $580 a pop, way less than this week-long wallet-drainer. Over at Brides.com, Nova and Reemo Styles dodged a $150,000 venue bill by charging $333 tickets for their NYC bash, 60 guests bit, scoring St. Patrick’s Cathedral vows and a luxe steak-and-lobster reception, but 80% said “hell no.” The web’s roasting them too: “Cheapskates wanting bling on our dime!”
So, are weddings the new cash grab, or is this just how it’s done now? You tell us, drop your hot takes below!
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FunTranscript
00:00The weather is warming, marking the start of wedding season, the spring to early fall time,
00:04when couples become one unit in front of all their loved ones. But a growing trend is making
00:08it harder for guests to celebrate these special days. Let's break down why more couples are being
00:12called tacky for this one request. According to People, a Reddit user recently shared their
00:18frustration around the cost to attend their friend's wedding. Posted to the wedding shaming
00:22subreddit titled, We're paying way too much to attend our friend's wedding, the user explains
00:27the expenses the couple has placed on their wedding party, who are expected to stay at the
00:30destination wedding location for a full week. The poster explains that the party is expected to pay
00:36for our stay, food, transportation, and share beds with random people. The last part had many
00:42confused with one comment stating, Share beds? I get sharing a room, but I'm not sharing a bed with
00:47anyone other than some really close friends. The post then goes on to explain, the expenses
00:52previously noted doesn't even account for the wedding party guests are being charged to attend,
00:57or the cost for, quote, flights, stay, transportation, and their attire. Noting,
01:03I can't believe how tacky and cheap they're being, especially when it's a destination wedding.
01:08Many of the comments echoed the poster's sentiment with one comment stating,
01:12You are not obligated to do this. Don't go broke to make someone else's temporary dream come true.
01:18The Knot reports that the average cost of a destination wedding in 2023 was $41,000,
01:24an increase of 15% from the previous year. The Knot also performed an internal study of
01:291,000 guests who attended at least one wedding in person in 2023 and found the average cost
01:35per wedding guest was $580, a $120 increase from 2021. While the original Reddit poster did not
01:43share the exact cost, we can assume flight, food, transportation, and the amount that accumulates
01:48during a week's vacation is well above the $580 range. And with the steady increase in the cost
01:54of weddings mixed with the current economic climate, it makes sense why more couples are
01:59looking for creative ways to plan their dream nuptials on their guests' tab. But is it fair?
02:05In 2024, Brides.com shared Nova and Remo Stiles' wedding story who were looking at a $150,000
02:13bill for the venue alone. The report states, instead of taking on the fee themselves,
02:18the couple decided to send a $333 ticket to their 350-person guest list. Although 80% of their
02:25guests RSVP'd no, 60 of their lone ones did purchase a ticket, which gave them access to
02:30attend the wedding, complete with the ceremony taking place at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
02:34Guests were also able to enjoy a seat on the double-decker bus that shuffled the group to an
02:39array of New York City landmarks for photos and a plated dinner of lobster and steak at the
02:43reception at One World Trade Center. Brides.com reports the internet did not seem to support the
02:48guest's decision to charge their guest. As someone explained, these people are cheapskates. They want
02:54the bling but are too cheap to pay for it. They expect their friends to pay for their wedding.
02:58But what do you think? Are weddings turning into a cash grab or splitting the bill to
03:02normal? Drop your take below and follow us everywhere at What's Trending.