A New York City couple who sold tickets to their “wedding experience” last June have defended their actions after a video and social media posts summarizing the 12-hour event went viral this month.
Karim (“Remo”) and Nova Styles got married on June 24, 2023, and videos of their day have been causing a stir on social media.
“Unconventional things we did at our wedding, part 1: We sold out our wedding,” Nova Styles said in a video posted to The Styles Familia TikTok account as part of a series describing the couple’s unique wedding.
Reddit wedding drama shows bride expecting ‘great gift’ from friend while declining invitation to reception
“Our guest list was 350 people, but only 60 invitations were sent out because of the dynamics of the day,” the bride said in the video.
Rather than trim the guest list themselves, the couple sold $333 tickets to a “Styles Wedding Experience” for their guests.
Nova and Remo Styles kicked off their 12-hour wedding day with a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. The couple sold $333 each of their tickets to 60 guests. (Nova Patterns)
“They chose us,” she said. “They trusted the process by buying a ticket to our wedding.”
In subsequent videos posted to TikTok and Instagram, the couple said their guests boarded a custom double-decker “hop-on-hop-off” tour bus that took them to the wedding festivities — starting with the wedding itself at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan.
REDDIT User Kicked Out Of Wedding For Ordering Pizza When Bride’s Family Eaten Up The Buffet
After the wedding, guests went to Hudson Yards, a movie theater, and One World Trade Center for dancing, food, and fun — taking photos along the way, Nova Styles said in the videos.
In the comments on the posts, many criticised the couple’s handling of their wedding day, with several people saying the couple were “greedy”, “vulgar” and “disgusting”.
The “Styles Wedding Experience,” as the couple called their wedding day, began with a wedding ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and ended with a reception at the World Trade Center. (Photographed by Reem)
“Oh I’m devastated,” said one Instagram user.
“Only 60 guests out of 350. That means a lot,” said one TikTok user, who added that he would be “totally offended.” [at] “He is required to spend $333 per guest.”
Reddit User Shocked By Bride And Groom’s Wedding Antics: ‘They’re Out Of Their Minds’
“If you can’t afford it, don’t do it,” said the same user.
In response to one comment, the couple defended the cost of the ticket and its sale, saying the total revenue from the 60 tickets did not cover the wedding day, and that the size of the bus meant they could only have a certain number of guests.
Remo and Nova Styles didn’t want to limit their wedding guest list to 60 people, so they sold tickets instead. They said the number had to be limited due to the size of the bus. (Photographed by Reem)
“It’s ridiculous to think that 60 tickets could cover the cost of a 12 hour wedding day!! It definitely wasn’t and we paid for the entire wedding ourselves!!” the couple wrote.
But others defended the couple’s unconventional approach to their wedding day.
Click here to subscribe to our lifestyle newsletter.
“Hey, if they were willing to pay that means they wanted to be there,” one Instagram user said — to which Styles responded, “Bingo.”
Others have suggested that ticketing could be a new innovation for wedding days to help cut costs.
Remo and Nova Styles got married in June 2023, but their wedding recap videos have been gaining traction on social media in recent weeks. (Photographed by Reem)
“Weddings are so expensive. Nigerian weddings are huge. A lot of people end up arriving late and leaving early and most of them don’t bring a gift. This would be good culturally,” another Instagram user said, adding that “$333 is not a bad way to turn people away.”
They hope to use the money to start a family.
The couple told the New York Post that the move to save money on their wedding tickets saved them $70,000 on reception costs, and they hope to use the money to start a family.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite the flood of negative comments, the couple seems to be taking it easy.
In a video posted on their social media pages under the title “Comments made us like…”, the two can be seen pretending to cry before smiling and dancing.
For more lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
Fox News Digital has reached out to the couple for additional comment and details regarding their wedding day.
Future teen idol. Typical social media ninja. Alcohol buff. Explorer. Creator. Beer advocate.”