New York couple defends charging $333 for wedding attendance: 'That's exactly what we wanted'

NEW YORK - A New York couple is explaining why they charged guests $333 to attend their wedding after their story went viral, sparking debates. 

Nova and Reemo Styles, both 30, were married last year at St. Patrick's Cathedral in June 2023. 

Planning a non-traditional wedding in New York City 

The couple said they originally planned for a traditional wedding and wanted to invite 350 guests, but they grew concerned that not everyone would get their attention. 

Instead, they opted for a non-traditional wedding with a more intimate circle of family and friends. 

"Instead of thinking about everyone else, we said, ‘What do we want? What do we want to do?’" Nova told FOX Television Stations. 

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The couple planned their wedding day as a date night. Instead of having a single ceremony at a church, they wanted to travel with their guests to various, sentimental landmarks around New York City, such as the courthouse, Hudson Yards, a local movie theater and One World Trade Center. 

However, the bus only had 60 spots. 

Why did the couple charge $333 per guest? 

The Styles said it was hard to narrow down the guest list from 350 to 60 people. 

Instead of them telling people who was invited or not invited, the couple turned the table and wanted their family and friends to decide how badly they wanted to come, hence the $333 charge.

"So that's how the ticket idea came up, because we said we can't choose anyone," Nova continued. "How are we going to choose one aunt over another aunt? Like there's no way we could do that."

How did the couple come up with the $333 charge?

Reemo said the number 333 wasn't arbitrary but had significance, describing it as an "angel number."

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"The number three, three, three stands for change, growth and strength," Reemo said. "It was something that we wanted to be intentional about as well, for my personal enjoyment. It's a number that isn't too easy, but not it's not too hard as well."

"We figured that you have to really dig in your pocket and say, ‘You know what? Do I really want to go to?’" he continued. "We really wanted people who really want to go, for us."

Despite public opinion, the couple said the ticket proceeds did not go to fund their wedding, which cost more than $70,000, a honeymoon or a down payment. 

Instead, the couple said the ticket proceeds went to a foundation that will help couples struggling with infertility.

How did their guests respond to the $333 charge?

Nova said she first told her family and wedding party about the $333 charge, then told more and more people. 

As expected, the couple did receive some pushback, with a few being reluctant to pay but then changing their minds. In fact, the couple said their wedding event was sold out, and they had to decline requests from people who wanted to attend. 

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But the Styles said charging people to come to their wedding helped them to realize what friendship was all about. 

"It opened our eyes to people's perspective about us, their value on our relationship and so much more," Nova added.  

The couple said they don't believe they lost any friends, only that the friendships were more defined and clarified. 

'It was one of the best days of our lives'

The Styles said now that more than a year has passed, they don't have any regrets about charging guests to attend their wedding. 

"It was one of the best days of our lives," Nova said. "It was just as if we were hanging out with our closest friends and family and celebrating our love, and that's exactly what we wanted."

The couple also has advice for other couples looking to get married. 

 "Do whatever is best for you and your partner," Reemo said.