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India Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Move over fake weddings, ticketed shaadis are the next big thing
Imagine this: You're in France, soaking in the charm of cobblestone streets, strolling past quaint cafes, gazing at historical monuments that whisper stories of centuries gone by. Of course, you also see the Eiffel Tower, the most famous symbol of love. It feels like the perfect vacation. But then, something unexpected happens. You end up at a wedding. Not your friend's wedding, not your family's, just a random twist is, you don't know the couple. You weren't invited. You didn't even try to sneak in (remember 3 Idiots?). You actually bought a ticket to attend someone's big you read that right. In a world where Gen Z is busy dancing in fake baraats at staged weddings, there's another trend picking up: attending real weddings as a paid guest. No relation to the bride or groom, no emotional ties, just an experience you pay for, like a concert or a food festival. It's not about crashing a wedding for free food. It's a planned experience where you pay to be part of the celebration. You get to enjoy the music, the traditions, the grand decor, and maybe even make new friends. Weddings are no longer just private family events; they're becoming social experiences where anyone can join if they buy a ticket. Love weddings? You don't need an invite—just grab a ticket and join the celebration | Photo: Pexels/Emma Bauso According to The Guardian, Katia Lekarski, the founder of Invitin, came up with this idea earlier this year to connect wedding couples with paying guests. So far, six weddings, mostly around Paris, have signed told the publication that it all started when she was renting out her house in southern France to some people attending a wedding, and her five-year-old daughter wondered why they never got invited to made Lekarski think: what if people could actually buy tickets to a wedding and help the couple financially at the same time?In a world where we swipe left and right on dating apps, share meals with strangers, and bond with people we barely know over board games, paying for a ticket to attend a wedding as a guest doesn't sound all that what guests get for shelling out an average of EUR 100 to EUR 150 (Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 approx.)? Basically, the full wedding experience. You'll be there for the whole day. The only catch? You have to follow the dress concept is even happening in India. A startup called Join My Wedding connects tourists with couples having traditional Indian weddings, allowing them to experience the culture and celebrations up company describes it as the ultimate cultural experience. As their website puts it, "You haven't been to India until you've been to an Indian wedding." The weddings listed on their website, happening across India, are priced between $150 and $250 (Rs 13,000 to Rs 21,000 approx.) per invite. The company says that this contribution is treated as a gift for the couple and covers entry to all the ceremonies on all the you wondering if attending a stranger's wedding is a good idea? Surprisingly, it could be an amazing one. Think about it, you're not just going to a party, you're stepping into an entirely new cultural experience. You get to witness age-old traditions up close and enjoy the grandeur that comes with weddings. And let's be honest, who doesn't love good food? That alone is reason enough for some of it doesn't stop there. Weddings are all about people, and this is your chance to meet new faces, strike up conversations, and maybe even make friends for life. If you're someone who loves dancing, who knows, you might even end up being the life of the just imagine the story you'll have to tell years later: Remember that time we met at a wedding I bought a ticket for? Sounds like something straight out of a movie, doesn't it? The entire experience is a mix of adventure, fun, and unforgettable memories waiting to happen.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Daily Mail
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Couple selling £130 tickets to their Parisian wedding explain why having strangers on the guest list 'could be fun'
A French couple are among the first to try out an unusual app that allows strangers to pay them for an invitation to their wedding - with the soon-to-be newlyweds charging £130 for tickets. Jennifer, 48, and her husband Paulo, 50, are selling tickets to their Parisian wedding via Invitin, a France-based app that lets paying guests attend a wedding of their choice, The Guardian reported. It's no secret that weddings cost an arm and a leg, so when Jennifer, an actress, and her ex-athlete husband stumbled upon the invention at a wedding fair in Paris, they welcomed the opportunity to recoup their costs. For those wincing at the thought of allowing intruders access to the most intimate moment of their lives, Jennifer said the app uses a filtering process to ensure paying guests meet certain standards. 'I thought: "Woah, that's quite something", having people you don't know at your wedding,' she recalled her first thought when she discovered Invitin. 'But we took the flyer, went away to think about it and decided why not? If we can see the profiles beforehand on the app and choose who to accept, it could be something quite original to do'. Five paying guests have purchased tickets to Jennifer and Paulo's wedding through the fledgling app and will join the soon-to-be bride and groom's friends and family - including their 18-month-old son - at their French nuptials, taking the total number of guests to 100. Ticket holders will be permitted to enjoy the full day of festivities, including a posh dinner, drinks, live music. and the wedding ceremony itself. They will also adhere to the event's 'chic and elegant' dress code - something the couple made sure of while vetting profiles. Jennifer - who met Paulo on a dating app during the pandemic - added that the unconventional guest list is about much more than just making money, as the couple intends to utilise it as a matchmaking project for their friends. 'We have a lot more single women friends coming to our wedding than single men, so we thought this could balance things out a bit,' she told the newspaper. 'Although it will help a bit in terms of the cost of things like decoration and the dress. It's also because we thought it could be fun and we're extroverts and open to sharing things'. Invitin is a start-up project that was founded in France by Katia Lekarski in April 2025. It allows users to simply browse weddings and book a seat, allowing thrillseekers to 'discover different cultures and venues' through the institution of marriage. She revealed to the publication that so far six marriages in Paris were due to make use of Invitin by inviting unknown guests to their ceremonies. The topic itself is a polarising one, with one bride-to-be being labelled 'tacky' for wanting to charge guests $50 per person to attend her wedding. Perhaps invitees took it personally as they weren't strangers but rather friends and family of the bride that she had personally invited to the ceremony. 'We all know weddings are very expensive,' the woman said in an online group. 'What do you think about charging guests $50 to come?' The bride thought that making people pay was a bright idea that would cut down on food costs - without limiting the guest list. 'RSVP with your $50...I don't think it's tacky. It's practical and good business,' she said. People were quick to slam the bride and vented their outrage online - with many calling it 'ridiculous' and 'cheap' to expect guests to foot the bill. 'Wow. Yes, we know you don't think it's tacky - you just want to be told you're right. And you are not' one woman said. 'This is tacky AF. Can't afford it, don't do it!' another agreed. 'Here's my thought: Have the wedding you can actually afford!' a third chimed in. Others suggested that an attendance fee for a wedding simply wasn't good value for money. 'Girl, I don't even go to bars with a cover charge,' one woman said. 'I can get better food and entertainment for my $50 a head,' another added. One man was appalled at the American woman for thinking that a wedding was meant to be 'good business' - and not a celebration of love. Another person said that the 'entitled' bride didn't understand the meaning of the word guest. A New York couple who insisted on marrying in style had 80 per cent of their guests RSVP 'unable to attend', after they attempted to charge them $333 each. Nova and Reemo Styles had their hearts set on a wedding in the city's famed St Patrick's Cathedral - but discovered that the church alone would cost $150,000. The couple decided to think outside of the box and came up with the idea of getting their guests to cover the cost for them. 'Let's put the stress on the guests, and let's sell tickets for a wedding', Nova said. Thousands of people were shocked over the influencer couple's 'entitled' behaviour. 'Talk about TACKY!' one man wrote. 'I would never think of making someone pay to come to my wedding! That is just ridiculous'. 'These people are cheapskates! They want the bling, but are too cheap to pay for it' another added.
