# Not A Wedding Crasher Sells Empty Seats to Strangers

> Startup turns wedding seats into revenue for couples.
- Title: Not A Wedding Crasher Sells Empty Seats to Strangers · Inc
- Summary: Startup turns wedding seats into revenue for couples. Not A Wedding Crasher sells unused wedding seats to strangers for $292 each.
- Keywords: not a wedding crasher, wedding seats, strangers, couples, wedding cost, 292, jeff besen, karina besen, Wedding, Crasher, Sells, Empty
- Source: Inc — https://inc.com/victoria-salves/not-a-wedding-crasher-startup-selling-empty-wedding-seats-to-strangers/91422757
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: not a wedding crasher, wedding seats, strangers, couples, wedding cost, 292, jeff besen, karina besen
## Wedding Crashing Business
Wedding crashing started as a movie concept but is now a legitimate business opportunity.

> Wedding crashing isn’t just the concept behind the 2005 movie _Wedding Crashers_, starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Today, it’s a legitimate business opportunity.
## Jeff Besen Co-Founded Platform
Jeff Besen co-founded Not A Wedding Crasher with his wife, Karina Besen.

> Jeff Besen co-founded Not A Wedding Crasher, with his wife, Karina Besen.
## Platform Function
The platform lets couples list open seats and strangers pay to attend nearby weddings.

> The online platform allows couples planning weddings to list open seats at their celebration. Interested strangers can then respond to listings of nearby weddings and pay a relatively small fee to attend a wedding.
## Wedding Cost Problem
Weddings cost thousands of dollars with high minimums and unexpected cancellations.

> Weddings cost thousands of dollars and involve costly minimums. Despite meticulous planning, it’s hard to predict when a guest may cancel at the last minute, leaving an unexpected, unused, and already-paid-for seat open.
## Average Wedding Cost
The average wedding cost is $34,000 with 117 guests at $292 each.

> According to The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, the average cost of a wedding in 2025 was about $34,000. The same study also reported that the national average guest count was about 117 guests, with each seat costing an average of $292.
## Business Opportunity
The Besens saw an opportunity to sell unused seats to strangers for revenue.

> We realized that couples were spending thousands of dollars on weddings, only to have seats go empty, while there were plenty of people who, we thought, would love to attend.
## Business Growth
The platform creates revenue by connecting couples with strangers who want to attend weddings.

> The couple "recognized the opportunity to 'marry' the two and create something that didn’t exist before," he said.
## Key takeaway

Not A Wedding Crasher sells unused wedding seats to strangers for $292 each.