People Are Using Kickstarter To Pay For Their Weddings

Getting married is expensive. Nobody is going to deny that.

According to The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in 2017 has skyrocketed to $35,329. And when you take into account current trends like having a farm-to-table menu; decorating with handcrafted, personalized details all around your venue; and choreographing a show-stopping moment that will make your wedding guests "ooh" and "aah" in excitement, that lofty price tag is no real surprise.

But with people getting married in their mid-to-late 20s, how are couples expected to pay for aerialists, local beef, and their own line of gin as a parting gift? The answer seems to be crowdfunding.

Brides reports that instead of scaling down a wedding, couples around the world are opting for crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe to pay for their big day. GoFundMe has three sections dedicated to newlyweds: wedding costs, honeymoon costs, and a registry. Though many of the stories on the site involve some sort of tragedy, be it a new disease diagnosis, a death in the family, or wedding vendors who have suddenly shuttered their shops and left couples without a venue, just as many seem to be average couples who can't pay for their dream weddings and want the help of family, friends, and strangers on the internet.

The idea of crowdfunding can easily leave a bad taste in one's mouth. If you can't afford a big, lavish wedding, it's easy enough to simply scale down the event. Forego the favors, go for a more affordable, in-season flower than those peonies and roses, and consider buying certain things (like your dress) secondhand. But in the age of flawlessly planned weddings, that's easier said than done.

So, for couples who want to have an elaborate wedding but can't afford it, please know that you shouldn't try to have your five-tiered cake from Ron Ben-Israel and eat it too. You can crowdfund your family and friends to have a once-in-a-lifetime event, but then you can't expect wedding gifts.