Can you get others to pay for your big day?

At the risk of sounding unromantic we have to acknowledge that marriage and money go together.  The average total cost of a wedding in 2019, according to Hitched Magazine’s National Wedding survey, was £31,974.  That includes everything from the engagement ring (average cost £2,419) to the honeymoon (average cost £4,645) and everything in between (wedding dress £1,313, food £3,887…).  In the past the parents of the bride traditionally picked up the tab for most of this.  But times are changing and most couples find they are forking out a lot of it themselves.  This has led some of the more enterprising to look at innovative ways to spread the cost.  In this post we share a few stories that you might find illuminating, amusing or downright shocking.  We’re not suggesting you try any of these strategies – just bringing you up to speed with some rather unusual trends that are turning the traditional ways of doing things on their head!

Get your guests to chip in

When Ben Farina proposed to Clare Moran a couple of years ago he knew she’d be worried about how they could possibly manage to tie the knot in style.  So he drew up what he described as a “business model”. 

This involved suggesting to the 60 guests that they might like to contribute up to £150 each to attend.  He put it to them that the event would be like an all-inclusive three-night holiday at a luxurious venue in Derbyshire.  The media was quick to pick up on the story and he got a bit of stick for being cheeky and tight.

The guests, however, were all happy enough to pay, with Ben’s parents also stumping up extra for a hog roast on the wedding day. Clare’s stepdad, who is a chef, also offered to cook a roast dinner for everybody the day after.

Photo by Charisse Kenion on Unsplash

Sell exclusive rights to your wedding photographs

If you are a celeb you can do a deal with a magazine.  This means you not only avoid stumping up for your own photographer (average cost £1,155) but you can also raise a bit of extra cash to cover some of the other expenses.  What kind of money are we talking about?

Rumour has it that Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom banked $300,000 selling the exclusive rights to their wedding photos to OK! Magazine.

When Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz tied the knot in 2008, People magazine allegedly paid them a cool $1 million for their photos.

OK! beat out People magazine in a bidding war for the photos of Eva Longoria and Tony Parker’s wedding in 2007 to the tune of about $2 million.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas are not a couple to do things by halves and agreed a $2 million fee with OK! for their wedding photos. But while they were approving images Hello! magazine scooped them with grainy paparazzi pics. OK! sued and won their $2 million back. But together, the two magazines spent $16 million in legal fees.

$2 million seems to be the current going rate.  It’s what People paid Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon for exclusive rights to their wedding pics.

An indecent proposal

Some couples are turning marriage into a marketing opportunity, soliciting sponsorships from luxury brands even before the question has been popped.

In June 2019 Marissa Casey Fuchs, a fashion influencer known on Instagram as @fashionambitionist, reposted a video, from her boyfriend Gabriel Grossman, with her 160,000-plus followers. In the video he professed his love and told her he was about to whisk her away on “an extraordinary adventure.”  “What is happening?” she asked, all innocence.

Over the next 48 hours they went on a scavenger hunt, orchestrated by Grossman, that took her from New York City to the Hamptons, then to Miami, followed by Paris. Along the way she was showered with dresses, luggage, jewellery and beauty treatments from brands whose names were featured prominently in her posts. 

Photo by Jacob Mejicanos on Unsplash

She also shared posts from excited fans. “There’s a surprise engagement wedding (no one really knows right now) happening on @fashionambitionist Stories this Tuesday and I am completely invested in it!” reads one Instagram user @geneelizabeth908. People, Elite Daily, and the Daily Mail all covered the drama as it unfolded. “Gabriel Grossman’s Instagram Story Proposal to Marissa Fuchs Is What Viral Dreams Are Made Of,” gushes Elite Daily. “Is this the most extravagant proposal EVER?” wondered the Daily Mail.  Ms Fuchs gained more than 20,000 followers in just a few days as she shared her delight and surprise.

Some of those watching the progress of the dream proposal, however, knew it was all meticulously planned marketing exercise.  Grossman had approached a number of companies and pitched the whole thing as “a brand opportunity”, including an hour by hour itinerary detailing the hotels, the restaurants, the opening of gifts and the posting of social media updates. After a couple of days the true story began to emerge and Ms Fuchs expressed tearful astonishment.  When it became obvious that further dissembling would merely invite increased ridicule she finally admitted that her now fiancée and a social media strategist had arranged the whole thing.

Monetise your marriage

Just about everyone shares their wedding day photos on Instagram, usually from a dreamy honeymoon destination.  But many are also posting exhaustively up until that point – everything from their hen weekend to dress fittings and cake sampling to ring choosing.  If you are a celebrity, however, it’s not #love you’re tagging but #sponsored.

Photo by Mack Johns on Unsplash

When fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni and rapper Fedez (a.k.a Federico Leonardo Lucia) decided to tie the knot they missed no sponsorship opportunity - starting with the #sponsored plane from Alitalia to transport guests to the wedding location in Noto, Italy.   The three custom Dior dresses Ferragni wore over the wedding weekend were almost certainly gifted by the brand, along with an outfit by Prada,  wedding bands by Pomellato and cosmetics by Lancôme. 

Another celebrity couple not shy about climbing aboard the sponsored wedding bandwagon - Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas. Their wedding celebrations, stretching over several days we’re captured in regular posts that included links to sponsoring brands.  One particularly romantic image she posted of the happy couple turned out to be a sponsored post for Amazon’s wedding gift registry business.

With this logo I the wed

Even those without a big media following are starting to think about marriage as a marketing opportunity.  You don’t have to look far on the internet to find stories about couples (one of whom probably works in social media) willing to advertise brands in return for cash or freebies. 

Photo by Hello I'm Nik 🇬🇧 on Unsplash

Some brands might turn their nose up at this kind of approach.  But others are actively seeking couples to partner with.  KFC Australia has announced plans to launch fried chicken themed weddings, offering six couples the chance to have their special day catered by KFC for free.

The winners will get a full-on KFC wedding with freshly cooked Kentucky Fried Chicken for 200 guests, KFC decorations, a KFC themed celebrant, and even a photobooth to capture all those special memories. The chicken will be served in the classic buckets from a food truck, so perhaps not the fancy sit-down dinner your mother in law was hoping for!

For love or money?

We understand that dream weddings can be expensive.  You could go down the sponsorship route but we can’t help feeling that this rather destroys the romance.  Much better in our book to set a sensible budget then work out how best to make the most of it.  Our experienced team can help you create a spectacular event without turning your magical day into a marketing stunt.  Get in touch and let’s talk through what you have planned.