Richmonders are paying to crash strangers' weddings
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Examples of what the callouts look like on Instagram for some recent Virginia weddings. Screenshots: Courtesy of "Not a Wedding Crasher"
Hundreds of Richmonders are signing up to crash people's weddings.
Why it matters: They're willing to pay to do it — and the happy couples actually want them there.
- That includes the bride and groom of a Richmond-area Haitian wedding this weekend, where $70 buys dinner, an open bar and dancing to Kompa and reggaeton.
- The 30 seats for crashers have already sold out.
The big picture: The unlikely matchmaking is part of a platform called "Not a Wedding Crasher," which launched in March to let strangers pay to party at other people's weddings and has taken off on social media.
- San Diego-based Jeff Besen and his wife Karina dreamed up the concept last fall when they realized they wanted to dress up and attend a wedding — but lacked an invitation to one, Besen tells Axios.
- Besen says the platform has since spread to roughly 25 to 30 states, with some guests flying across the country to crash weddings.
- Sunday's celebration is the sixth in Virginia alone, following weddings in Roanoke, Farmville, Leesburg and Culpeper in just the past few months.
The appeal: Crashers get an unconventional night out and potentially new friends while couples can fill unused seats and recoup some wedding expenses.
- "What you usually hear about weddings is that the people that cause drama and stress at a wedding are 'family and friends,'" Besen says, not the paying strangers.
How it works: Couples list empty seats and set a price, typically from $30 to $70, though some have charged up to $200, per Besen. Wedding gifts are optional.
- Hopeful crashers create profiles, verify their identities and apply to be considered. Couples get the final say and pocket 80% of each contribution to offset wedding costs.
- The platform keeps 20%, plus a separate guest service fee.
The intrigue: These also aren't all traditional weddings. Crashers have been welcomed to Harry Potter, Star Wars and Viking-themed celebrations — and a 4/20-friendly bash in Virginia.
- Besen says one guest even talked a couple into letting her fulfill a bucket-list dream of being an adult flower girl.
And locals are getting in on the fun. Richmond resident Ashley Goss and her sister are among the 30 guests "crashing" Sunday's wedding.
- The sisters stumbled across it on TikTok while hunting for their next "side mission" beyond the usual dinner plans, Goss tells Axios.
- So she pitched herself to the couple as eager to celebrate their love and meet new people. They applied that night and were approved the next day.
- "Quite literally, I'm a stranger to these people, so I'm not sure what to expect," she says, laughing. "But nonetheless, I will be there."