Selling tickets to weddings of strangers could become the latest American trend to reach Britain, after a couple in New York invited 14 paying guests to their reception.
Jason England, a British groom from Nottingham, and his American fiancée Kimberly Gedeon charged $40 (£30) per person after facing an expensive bill for failing to meet the minimum number of guests required by their venue.
The couple found potential guests through Not A Wedding Crasher, a platform that allows couples to offer unused reception places to vetted strangers. Kimberly said she expected little interest when she set the price, but was quickly overwhelmed by applications.
“I thought that nobody would care to come to a stranger’s wedding so I charged $40 as an incentive to get people to sign up,” she told the Today programme. “But the requests came flooding in – I should have charged $150!”
Neither the England family nor Jason’s relatives, who had travelled from Nottingham, knew that some of the attendees were paying guests. Kimberly said the strangers nevertheless joined in with the celebrations.
“They were all complete strangers, but they really came out and brought the energy,” she said.
The guests were required to pass identity, facial recognition and background checks before being accepted by the website. One attendee, Kylie Perlow, said the arrangement provided an opportunity to dress up and enjoy an evening out.
“Everyone thought I was crazy. But for $40 we had an excuse to go out, have a nice night to dress up for. We had tons of food, an open bar and an excuse to party,” she said.
Wedding guests vetted before attending
Kimberly said she believed the idea could eventually catch on in Britain, although she expected it to appeal first to people willing to try something unusual.
“I think it’s definitely going to catch on, but slowly, possibly first with the more adventurous folks who like taking risks,” she said.
The Not A Wedding Crasher platform was founded by San Diego couple Jeff and Karina Besen. It lists 24 weddings, with prices ranging from $25 a head for a celebration in Charlotte, North Carolina, to $200 for a seat at a “glamorous, high energy” wedding in Baltimore.
Guests attending the Charlotte event are advised to avoid wearing dark blue or navy blue.
