The Latest Trend in Wedding Planning: Crowdfunding

The latest trend in wedding planning has nothing to do with the cake, the gown or the decorations.

According to a July 7 CNN Money article, more and more couples are turning to crowdfunding to raise money for their wedding ceremonies.

The news isn’t too surprising, considering the rising cost of getting married. The average cost of a wedding ceremony is $30,000; from 2011 to 2012, the number of weddings with a budget of more than $1 million doubled; and approximately one in four couples pay for their weddings with no financial assistance from family.

This is why some couples who can’t afford the expense turn to strangers on the web to help finance their wedding ceremony. On GoFundMe.com, more than 1,500 wedding-related crowdfunding campaigns have been launched since 2010, CNN Money reports, with more than 16,000 donors pledging money. Some campaigns manage to raise thousands of dollars, while others only raise a few hundred, if they get any money at all.

Couples can share their crowdfunding campaigns with friends and family as well, asking for a donation to help pay for the ceremony in lieu of a traditional wedding gift registry, according to CNN Money.

Jeff Robinson, Director of Sales for Deerfield Golf Club had this to say, “We’re in favor of anything that facilitatees the client getting the wedding of their dreams, if crowd funding is the way the client chooses to fund their wedding, that’s great. However, there are some other methods that can reduce wedding costs such as dates, times, and menu selection as well as how soon the couple would like their wedding date to be. The more the client is open to different options, the more flexible venue locations can be with price.”

While it may seem strange to pledge your money to help people you don’t know get married, the technique has obviously worked for many couples.