Groom asks guests to pay £150 to attend his Derbyshire wedding

A groom has drawn up a "business plan" and asked guests for £150 each to help pay for his wedding in Derbyshire.
The couple have asked guests at their wedding in Derbyshire next year to pay.The couple have asked guests at their wedding in Derbyshire next year to pay.
The couple have asked guests at their wedding in Derbyshire next year to pay.

Ben Farina has told guests he is unable to afford his upcoming marriage to Clare Moran next June - so has drawn up a "business model" which will see guests forking out the money to help pay for the pair's big day.

Ben, from Rotherham, has said the wedding will be "like an all-inclusive holiday" for those attending.

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The charge includes a three-night stay at the venue in Derbyshire, which has a pool and spa.

The groom has denied being "tight" and insisted the idea had "gone down well" with guests.

All of their 60 adult and 20 child guests have confirmed they are attending and have paid deposits.

"People always pay a large amount of money to go to a wedding anyway, so why not have it paying towards the actual wedding rather than just to a business owner?" said Mr Farina.

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"I sold it to them a bit like an all-inclusive holiday, so all the food and drinks will be incorporated in that cost.

"The venue also has a spa, an indoor swimming pool, a games room, it's very close to local amenities, there's a lake, so it is like a little holiday resort."

There will be 60 adult guests at the wedding at Knockerdown Cottages, in Ashbourne, and guests are paying £150 each - a total of £9,000

Parents will pay £50 for each of the 20 children attending - a total of £1,000, while the groom's mother is paying £750 for a hog roast on the day while his father is also giving £500.

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The couple are spending about £2,000 of their own money, which will cover alcohol, food, the wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses and cheap suits for the groom and best men.

The couple are buying alcohol from a supermarket for the wedding day itself, and guests can bring along their own alcohol to drink over the weekend.

Mr Farina's stepfather, who works as a chef, is cooking a Sunday roast for guests the day after the wedding and a family friend has offered to be the wedding singer.

Mr Farina said: "I had it all mapped out before I proposed. "I knew her reaction would be 'we can't afford to get married' so I started showing her how we could."

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Miss Moran said: "I never thought we would be able to have a wedding like this.

"We had spoken about marriage because we've got a little girl together and I always said we wouldn't be able to afford to do it, or it would have to be a registry office wedding, not a big wedding. "This is a brilliant way to do it and I can't wait. He has put a lot of thought into it."