It began with a simple, heartfelt question: “Why aren’t we also invited to weddings?” That query, posed by a five-year-old in south-eastern France, gave life to Invitin, a Paris-based startup founded earlier this year by former model Katia Lekarski.
How It Works
Couples can now offer a limited number of “wedding tickets” for sale to strangers. Interested guests apply via the app; the couple then reviews profiles and selects who to invite. The stranger‑guests must follow rules, dress neatly, arrive on time, drink sensibly, and get permission before sharing photos. While they’re welcome to mingle, couples aren’t obliged to interact with them directly, after all, weddings have their own natural social flow.
Ticket prices typically range from A$208 to A$312, though some listings go as high as A$832 depending on the wedding’s location or prestige.
Real-Life Examples
Take Jennifer (48) and Paulo (50), for instance. They’re getting married later this month at a country manor east of Paris, inviting around 95 friends and family, and five paying strangers through Invitin. Guests will enjoy the full experience, ceremony, drinks with live music, sit-down dinner, and dancing. Jennifer says while the extra cash only covers a small slice of the total cost, “It’s also because we thought it could be fun and we’re extroverts and open to sharing things”.
One attendee, Laurène (29), shared:
“I don’t have a big family, so I don’t get to go to lots of weddings. It’s great to experience a wedding and different traditions, even if it’s strangers.”
Why This Trend Is Gaining Attention
The concept taps into modern social desires, meaningful experiences, flexible connections, and emotional engagement without lifelong ties. In essence, it’s part of the bigger shift toward monetising personal milestones and reimagining what communal celebrations can look like.
And it’s not just France. In Italy, for instance, startups like Wedding Privè are offering tourists the chance to buy into traditional wedding experiences, for between A$1,790 and A$8,950. Guests are guided through ceremonies with live translators, offering couples a sizeable financial boost.
This trend raises interesting questions about modern values: Can intimacy be earned via ticket purchase? But for couples and guests alike, it offers new ways to connect, celebrate, and share cost, especially when traditional expectations can be prohibitively expensive.
Let me know if you’d like a deeper rundown on Invitin’s business model, Italian equivalents like Wedding Privè, or how things like wedding etiquette might evolve next!
