Latest news with #2025RealWeddingsStudy
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Couple Book Flights to Destination Wedding, Then Have Awkward Realization
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A couple online made a proactive booking for a destination wedding in Buenos Aires—but were met with a surprise upon arrival. In a TikTok video posted by @sarliunlimited, the girlfriend posted about the mistake that led to an awkward, yet ultimately "priceless," six-day escapade spent deliberately avoiding the happy couple when they learned they weren't actually invited. "When our friends got married in Buenos Aires, my boyfriend was so sure we were invited, he booked flights and hotel," she captioned the video. "Turns out, it was immediate family only, so we spent six days hiding from them on the resort until they left, and to my knowledge they still have no idea we were there. Priceless." Stock photo: A couple prepares to fly together at the airport. Stock photo: A couple prepares to fly together at the airport. Prostock-Studio/Getty Images The revelation sparked amusement and confusion among TikTok users. "They'll find it funny and probably wouldn't have minded if they knew," one person wrote. "At least they know you guys are ride and die friends." Another speculated on the wedding party's intentions, suggesting, "Maybe they did that so not to put the travel expense expectation on everyone? Though, I think I'd have explained to my friends." This couple's unexpected hide-and-seek highlights a consistently growing trend in the wedding industry: destination weddings. According to The Knot 2025 Real Weddings Study, based on a survey of nearly 17,000 recently married couples, destination weddings are quite common. A destination wedding is traditionally "defined as a ceremony and/or reception held outside the couple's hometown," according to The Knot, and requires travel for some, if not all guests. Destination weddings are often held in beautiful international locales. In 2024, 18 percent of couples opted for a destination wedding, proving it's a popular alternative to a traditional hometown celebration. Interestingly, though, The Knot's data reveals that only 18 percent of these destination weddings were considered tropical, and just 14 percent took place in a different country. This indicates that the majority of destination weddings today are domestic, what The Knot refers to as "domestination weddings." Experts predict that domestic destination weddings will continue to grow in popularity due to their ability to offer more tailored guest experiences. While the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is $33,000, a destination celebration averages $39,000, according to The Knot. However, destination weddings often have lower guest counts, leading to a higher cost per guest. Despite the rise of domestic celebrations, though, international destination weddings like the one in the creator's video remain popular. The Knot's data indicates Mexico was the most popular international destination at 34 percent, followed by Europe at 26 percent and the Caribbean at 21 percent. Destinations in Central and South America, like Buenos Aires, account for nine percent of international destination weddings. Newsweek reached out to @sarliunlimited for comment via TikTok.
Newsweek
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Horror As Wedding Makeup Artist Charges $125K—and That's Just the Base Rate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A woman has gained viral attention for sharing why she feels sorry for brides planning weddings for 2025 and 2026. In a now-trending clip, viewed over 1.5 million times, Emily Landon, 23, from Dallas, passionately expressed her sympathy for future brides—and their bank accounts. She told Newsweek: "I felt a need to share this because I thought it was insane people are being quoted these kind of prices for makeup. [I was] shocked." "I'm feeling so bad for the girls and the fiancees who are 2025 and 2026 brides," Landon said in the video. "In today's day and time, every aspect of a wedding is so outrageously expensive." Screenshots from Emily's video where she shared why she feels sorry for brides-to-be. Screenshots from Emily's video where she shared why she feels sorry for brides-to-be. @emilyfromkansassss/TikTok Landon added that her friend had reached out to a well-known makeup artist that she didn't name, to see what the prices would be like. The response shocked her. "Her typical day rate is $25,000 starting out each travel day; guys, that's just travel. Glam for the wedding date? $50,000. Right off the rip, we're spending $125,000 and we haven't even gotten to travel accommodations," Landon said in the video. As well as the six-figure quote, there were stipulations such as business-class flights and preapproved hotels. "This is just so shocking to me," she said. "But … 100 grand plus? I'm sorry, I can't. I will not be getting married." When she saw the email sent to her friend, Landon was instantly inspired to share online. Despite the dramatic numbers in the clip, industry data shows most brides aren't paying anywhere near that. The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study found the average cost of bridal hair and makeup remains a modest $290—the same as the year prior. Of the nearly 17,000 couples surveyed, 73 percent said they hired a beauty professional for their wedding day. Landon said that her friend would be going with a different, and more affordable, option, but the video on TikTok sparked serious discussion in the comments section. "Did you guys notice the Business Class requirement for the flight?! This is outrageous," one commenter wrote. Another user, Naomi Belet, posted: "Okay but why would she reach out to a well-known MUA [makeup artist] (who presumably works with A-listers)? That's like asking Harry Styles to perform at your wedding and being shocked when he asks for $2 million." Others weren't so sympathetic. "That makeup artist is SCAMMING," wrote one user. Another added: "My entire wedding cost $25K. There's no way." Professional makeup artist Jonna Legg commented: "That's super weird. I'm a pro, award-winning MUA and I charge $200 for a bride. $1 per km for travel."
Newsweek
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Bride Debates Uninviting Family Over Bizarre RSVP Demand: 'Are You Joking?'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A bride-to-be has shared the woes of planning a wedding after two family members refused to RSVP for a bizarre reason. Stefanie Baker, 33 and from London, is putting the final touches on organizing her wedding, but has hit a couple of issues along the way. "Wedding planning has been stressful," she told Newsweek. "Family members inviting people I specifically told them not to, people saying they won't come unless they can bring their kids—it's a child-free wedding—along with guests refusing to come unless they can stay in the wedding venue itself, which is reserved for close family and friends. "Planning a weekend wedding for 160 people at a dry hire venue is not for the weak!" Baker regularly shares updates on how the planning is going to her TikTok account @stefjbaker, and on April 23 declared in a video: "There may be two more people getting uninvited to my wedding." She explained those two "very close family members" had still not RSVPed, and while she knew they were definitely going to attend, she needed their RSVP so she'd know what their dinner order would be for the reception. Eventually, she found out why they had not RSVPed yet: there was no fish on the menu. Baker explained all guests have a meat choice and vegetarian choice for both the starter and main course—but the fact remained that the family members were not pescatarian, and do eat meat, but said they "just really wanted fish." Stefanie Baker explains in her video that family members had not RSVPed to her wedding because there is no fish on the menu. Stefanie Baker explains in her video that family members had not RSVPed to her wedding because there is no fish on the menu. TikTok @stefjbaker When Baker's sister confronted them about whether they weren't going to attend the menu because there was no fish, they insisted they would be attending, but couldn't RSVP as they couldn't tick a box saying what they want to eat. "Are you f*****g joking?" she asked. "I'm sorry, but my wedding is not a restaurant," Baker despaired in the video, pointing out it would have cost an extra £10 (roughly $13) per person to add a fish option—which, for a 160-guest wedding, would add up incredibly quick. Plus, she added, the two-day event would see guests get fed multiple times, and there was to be a free bar, telling the family members: "I think you're doing alright." According to wedding experts The Knot's 2025 Real Weddings Study, the average guest size of a wedding is 116 people, at a cost of around $284 per guest, with the ceremony and reception costing an average of $33,000. Baker wrote in the caption: "Please tell me I'm not the only other person experiencing this level of crazy around their wedding?" And TikTok users responded in their droves, watching the video close to 50,000 times, assuring Baker she was not alone. Read more Wedding Planner Reveals Top Tips for Brides Wedding Planner Reveals Top Tips for Brides One wrote: "Our wedding is in two weeks and I have just had two BRIDESMAIDS pull out for silly reasons too. It's crazy how weddings bring the worst out in people." "My husband's auntie called and said she wanted her grandchildren to have children's many options, but they eat a lot so they wanted adult portions from the kids menu," another revealed. One bride-to-be said she had "just sent my invited two days ago and already wanting to uninvite four people," as another moaned: "Why people are so entitled when it comes to someone else's wedding?" Baker told Newsweek she was shocked by some of the comments, "from mothers-in-law telling their sons not to marry the bride on the wedding day, to the mother of the bride getting her own version of the wedding invites printed and sending them out to people the bride hadn't invited." The situation had made Baker realize "how weddings can bring out the worst in some people and they can lose sight of what the wedding is really about. "We're very lucky we have lots of people around us who are excited and happy to share our day with us." As for her own difficult family members, she confirmed they "are still coming to the wedding," and Baker managed to find a compromise—"by having battered cod and pea puree as a canapé!" Has a wedding come between your relationship with a loved one? Let us know via life@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
