A woman has sparked an online debate after she revealed her list of 13 strict wedding rules that have been in the works since she was little.
Content creator Kennedy Marks, who isn't engaged yet, posted a video to TikTok where she said she started planning her big day when she was 8 years old and shared all the things she won't compromise on when it finally comes.
She explained each point, and you can see the woman has put a lot of thought into everything, but people weren't sure if they would like to attend such an event and the comment section under Kennedy's clip quickly turned into a discussion revolving around the demands couples can place on their wedding guests.
22-year-old TikToker Kennedy Marks has recently gone viral for her wedding guest rules that she has been developing since she was 8 years old
Kennedy provided plenty of comments for each point but people aren't sure if they're reasonable or not
Image credits: kennedymarks
While people and the way they behave themselves are no doubt important parts of how the night goes, according to the findings of The Knot's 2021 Real Weddings Study, a majority of couples believe that food and beverages are what they should focus on to deliver a pleasant and memorable experience.
The survey also revealed that weddings are trending smaller, but pricier: the average number of wedding guests in 2021 was 105 (while that's an increase from 2020's pandemic-influenced average of 66 guests, it's a drop from 2019's average of 131 guests), and in 2021, couples spent an average of $266 on each guest (a jump up from $214 in 2019). So there are definitely more people like Kennedy in that they concentrate on how to spend their wedding rather than how big it should be.
And while, as we can see, everyone has their own understanding of how to throw a wedding, this past year guests were looking forward to them more than ever, as folks were ready to get back to socializing and gladly welcomed a reason to dress up and celebrate.
The original video already has over a million views
In fact, 50% of guests said they loved attending weddings (up from 39% in 2019), while 68% of guests were also willing to spend more on weddings (as a result of a year-long quarantine)—most commonly spending more on gifts from the couple's registry. On average, guests spent $160 on a wedding gift in 2021 (up from $120 in 2019), with the average overall cost of attending one being $460 (+$30 from 2019). Of course, this cost greatly varies by location as guests who are flying to an out-of-town wedding spend upwards of $1,300 on average vs. $270 for in-town.
And Kennedy also made another one to make sure she explains everything
In return, couples spend on average $266 per guest (up from $214 in 2019).
From start to finish, couples offer open bars (79%) and champagne toasts (51%) to interactive food experiences (11%) and personalized favors to round out the night (56%).
In addition, nearly 60% of couples accommodate various diets and offer vegan or gluten-free options.
In order to make sure that guests are fully present and enjoying the day, 41% of couples ask guests to 'unplug' (up 19% versus five years ago).
And even after the reception officially ends, roughly one in four couples host an after-party (27%) and morning-after brunch (26%).
So while we're debating if Kennedy's requests are too much or not, I just want to take a moment to appreciate the fact that we're going back to celebrating weddings altogether. Yay!
While many of her requests make perfect sense, the reactions remain mixed
