How far would you go to save on your wedding? Via Shutterstock
I heard the most bizarre story on NPR about a broker who resells weddings that have been called off by the bride and groom. To avoid losing deposits for the caterer, venue, and more, the broker resells the wedding to a couple who would rather not plan their own wedding! Plus, the couple that steps in gets a nice discount.
Is the bridal broker taking advantage of heartbroken couples, or making the most of a crummy situation?
The site in question is BridalBrokerage.com, which has the motto “A new market for weddings.” The site sums up the business’ main selling points quite succinctly on the homepage:
Over 250,000 weddings are called off every year.We purchase cancelled weddings and resell them to new couples.Sellers recover deposits and upfront costs hassle-free.
Venues and vendors enjoy uninterrupted business as usual.
Buyers find beautiful, pre-planned weddings at a fraction of the price.
Register with us and help us build a new market for weddings.
“We started talking about how great it would be if another friend who was also getting married at the time could just use her wedding,” Byrne said.
If you were getting married, would you consider buying a “pre-made” wedding?
Related reading:
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
Wow. That seems kinda crazy. Convenient….but crazy.
I guess you could have your own music, officiant, etc. So for those who dread the planning, it wouldn’t actually make it impersonal or anything. Weird thought, though!
@Jenny @ Frugal Guru Guide You’d definitely have to get past the weird element and focus on giving the couple a partial refund through buying their wedding. A lot of it would not be custom – venue, date, caterer, band/dj, but you would still do your own invitations, registry, gifts, and as you point out – officiant and music (somehwat)
I think that this is BRILLIANT!! I have a lot of experience planning events and it is A TON of work. Many people have no desire to work out all the details. They want a nice event, but don’t really care about specifics. Figuring out a way for the original person to get their deposits back, the vendors to not loose the business, the new couple to get a deal and the middle “man” to make a profit. Wow! This is a win-win situation. Of course, it is not for everyone. Bravo, Lauren Byrne.
This is one of the craziest bargain hunting stories I have heard. When I first saw it I had to check if it was posted on the 1st of April 🙂
The figure of 250,000 weddings called off every year sounds very very high. That is an insane amount of weddings to be cancelled, I wonder where they got those stats and if all these weddings were already as far in to planning stage that they already had deposits and all that paid out.
@Jennifer The idea is certainly crazy! But it’s a real business, no April Fool’s Day joke.
You are right, 250,000 weddings called off every year DOES sound high. Perhaps they included engagements that were broken off before any wedding planning began, or wedding plans that were changed for other reasons other than the couple calling it off. Would be good to know where that stat came from.
Super site. I share on facebook.