‘We charged guests up to £700 to attend our wedding – and made £97k in profit’

300 guests attended the celebrations

Marley Jaxx (34) and her husband, Steve J. Larsen (37), were shocked by the cost of a wedding after researching venues, including a $650 cake-cutting fee at one venue.

Marley initially joked about charging people to attend their wedding to cover the costs of their dream big do, but Steve then warmed up to the idea.

The couple told friends and family that if they wanted to attend the event, they would have to pay.

Guests could purchase a basic $57 ticket for the wedding day, or a three-day experience for two tickets priced at $997 (£738), which included access to the wedding day, a charity rehearsal dinner, and a biohacking brunch.

Three hundred guests attended the celebrations, covering the $50,000 wedding cost and raising $132,550 (£97,000), which will be donated to charity Village Impact.

Marley, an entrepreneur from Boise, Idaho, said: "Most people got it. Of course, some people did a double-take and were like 'wait, what?'

"One friend of mine didn't like it, and he didn't hold back either. We debated it, and in the end, he said he understood.

"Other responses we had were from people saying that if we can't afford a big wedding, then don't do it.

"It was never about what we could afford. It was about a different way of doing things."

Steve proposed on January 1, 2025, on an ice rink in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by their family and friends.

The pair got to planning their special day shortly after.

When they were researching venues, they were shocked by the pricing they were seeing, so they ditched the idea of selling tickets.

Steve, an entrepreneur from Boise, Idaho, said: "We decided to charge because we started making a big list of everyone who we wanted to come.

"We were paying per head, lots of people wanted to come. We wanted a big party, but the cost kept getting higher and higher.

"We said instead of people getting us a gift, or donating to a honeymoon fund, pay for your meal, and you can come party with us.

"For us, it was all about doing a different way of doing things, and changing how people think about weddings."

The couple tied the knot on August 1, 2025, surrounded by 300 guests.

A ticket to the wedding day itself would set you back $57, but if you wanted to go to the three-day event, for two people it cost $997.

The $997 included the rehearsal dinner on July 31, the biohacking brunch, with health experts and treatments including electrolytes, red lights and breath work, and a recovery lounge on August 2.

Marley said: "The people who were at the wedding wanted to be there. Guests were commenting on how peaceful it was.

"It changed the feeling of the wedding. I thought it would be stressful, but it was peaceful.

"One of the guests said that when people get a wedding invitation, there is an obligation to go.

"But when you choose to pay, it is a different feeling. It shows how much they appreciate you."

During the celebrations, Marley and Steve raised money for Village Impact, a charity providing community-led education, leadership, and economic opportunities in Kenya.

The couple said the opportunities for guests to donate were through bracelets made by kids in Kenya, a silent auction with art from Ugandan artists, and even a few guests committing to join them on their trip to Africa to build the school in July 2026.

Steve said: "In total, we raised around $130k, and all that money is going to Village Impact.

"A large portion of that money was through guests donating $15k to come join us in Kenya in 2026 to help build schools.

"Hundreds of kids will get a classroom and that will have come through our wedding."

Marley and Steve said that they were "thrilled" with how the wedding went.

Despite the backlash on social media, Marley said they were "frugal" for their wedding, spending less than $50,000 for 300 guests.

Marley said: "I am so thrilled with how it went. I hope that any bride can say that there was nothing they wanted to change about their wedding day.

"We had family who travelled from all over, our three daughters did public speaking, which we were super proud of.

"Everyone was dancing, we had such a great time."