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A New York City couple who sold tickets to a “wedding experience” last June have defended their actions after videos and social media posts made of the 12-hour event went viral this month.
Kareem (“Reemo”) and Nova Styles got married on June 24, 2023, and a video from the day sparked discussion on social media.
“Non-traditional things we did at our wedding, number one: we sold tickets to our wedding,” Nova Styles said in a video posted to her TikTok account, “The Styles Familia,” as part of a series showcasing couples’ unique weddings.
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In the video, the bride says, “Due to the circumstances on the day, we were only able to invite 60 people out of the 350 we were supposed to invite.”
Rather than paring down the guest list themselves, the couple sold guests tickets to a “Styles Wedding Experience” for $333.
Nova and Reemo Stiles kicked off their 12-hour wedding day with a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. The couple sold tickets to their 60 guests for $333 each. (Nova Stiles)
“They chose us,” she said, “and they trusted the process by buying tickets to attend our wedding.”
In subsequent videos posted to TikTok and Instagram, the bride and groom said their wedding began with a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, before guests boarded a custom “hop-on hop-off” double-decker tour bus to the wedding celebration.
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Nova Styles said in the video that after the ceremony, guests went to Hudson Yards, a movie theater and One World Trade Center to dance, dine and have fun, with photos being taken along the way.
The comment section of the post was filled with comments criticising the couple’s attitude towards their wedding day, with several people calling them “greedy”, “vulgar” and “embarrassing”.
The couple dubbed their wedding day “The Styles Wedding Experience,” which began with a ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and ended with a reception at One World Trade Center. (REEM Photography)
“Oh man, you’re broke,” one Instagram user commented.
“Only 60 guests out of 350 were there. This means a lot,” one TikTok user said, adding that they would be “totally offended.” [at] They are being asked to spend $333 per guest.”
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“If you don’t have the money, don’t do it,” the same user said.
In a response to a comment, the couple defended the cost and sale of the tickets, saying the total revenue from the 60 tickets did not cover the costs of the wedding and that the number of guests was limited due to the size of the bus.
Reem and Nova Styles didn’t want to cut their wedding guest count down to 60 people, so instead they sold tickets to the event. They said they had to limit the number of people because of the size of their bus. (REEM Photography)
“It’s ridiculous that 60 tickets could cover the cost of a 12 hour wedding!! We could never do that and we paid for our own wedding!!” the couple wrote.
However, others defended the couple’s unconventional approach to their wedding day.
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“If they were willing to pay that means they wanted to go there,” one Instagram user commented, to which Styles’ account replied, “Bingo.”
Some pointed out that ticketing could be a new innovation that could help cut wedding costs.
Reem and Nova Styles married in June 2023, but their throwback videos have been gaining attention on social media in recent weeks. (REEM Photography)
“Weddings are super expensive. Nigerian weddings are big. A lot of people arrive late and leave early and most people don’t bring gifts. Culturally it works,” said another Instagram user, adding that “$333 is not a bad way to weed someone out.”
They hope to use the money to start a family.
The couple told the New York Post that charging for wedding tickets would save them $70,000 on their wedding reception, and that they hope to use the money to start a family.
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Despite being bombarded with negative comments, the couple doesn’t seem bothered by anything.
In a video posted to their social media pages with the caption “Seeing the comments made us…”, the pair can be seen pretending to cry before smiling and dancing.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the couple for additional comment and details about their wedding day.