Fact: Weddings are really expensive nowadays.
While you don't actually need to throw a big party with all the bells and whistles in order to get hitched, tradition and our modern-day culture practically demand it. But if you don't have those funds to spare, spending tons to tie the knot just isn't possible. So what's a couple to do if they want to have a nice party to celebrate their big day, but can't necessarily afford it?
One man came up with a creative solution to this predicament, ahead of proposing to his wife-to-be.
Ben Farina of Rotherham, a town in South Yorkshire, England, shared the plan for his "dream wedding." He suggested that attending guests would pay in order to fund and attend. However, when Ben's plans for his upcoming wedding went viral, he never expected the response he received.
Scroll through to read more about Ben's explanation for the idea and his response to the backlash he experienced online!
Thumbnail Photos: Courtesy of Ben Farina // Facebook / Gainsborough Retreats
Ben and his longtime partner, Clare Moran, will be getting married in June 2018. According to The Sun, the couple shares a 3-year-old daughter. Ben is also a stepdad to Clare's 17-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
The groom-to-be describes their upcoming nuptials as being "like an all-inclusive holiday" for the attending guests.
As with any all-inclusive getaway, there is an associated fee.
The couple chose Knockerdown Cottages near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, for their "destination wedding." According to the BBC, the venue is charging them £10,000 (just over $13,5000).
Ben and Clare asked their 60 adults guests to pay £150 (just over $200) each. Parents bringing kids (of which there are 20) are expected to pay £50 (around $70) per child.
These costs account for accommodations for the weekend and for use of the venue for a party on the big day.
Specifically, the per-person charge includes a three-night stay at one of the venue's quaint cottages, as well as access to its pool and spa.
"I had it all mapped out before I proposed," Ben told the BBC. "I knew her reaction would be 'we can't afford to get married,' so I started showing her how we could."
Ben also told the BBC that if his guests had not supported his idea, he and Clare would have opted for a "simpler and smaller" wedding instead.
However, all of the 60 adult guests have paid for themselves and the 20 children attending.
The couple is spending about £2,000 (or $2,700) of their own money for the wedding, which will cover alcohol, food, the wedding dress, bridesmaids' dresses, and inexpensive suits for the groom and groomsmen.
Ben explained his idea in more detail to LittleThings.
Ben says:
We have hired 10 cottages and a venue for the wedding, for a long weekend. Our guests are paying to stay in the cottages as if they were paying to stay at a hotel for the night on the wedding day. We have our wedding there also.
The guests are not paying for the wedding, just the accommodation. But as it's an exclusive package, we get the use of the function room to hold the wedding in. As my guests are paying to stay there, I have decided to put on food all weekend and drink on the wedding day.
The cottages for a weekend retreat would cost £600 for 4 people if they booked them separately for a weekend away — and that is even if it was 2 adults and 2 children.
Ben, who used to work in the media, explains that word got around about his idea for the wedding when he told a few friends about it.
But he didn't expect the backlash and insists that the story has been "massively mis-told and misunderstood."
Ben told the BBC that he and his partner had paid even more than they are charging in order to attend a friend's wedding in Greece.
When you think of Ben's wedding as if it's an optional weekend-long vacation (including food and drink) for his guests, you have to admit that the price is a great deal.
Would you ever pay ahead of time to fund and attend a wedding?
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