Mom bribes daughter $35,000 to keep daughter from wedding

A money-conscious mother of the bride says it’s worth saying “no” to the big day.

For mother-of-four Kate, splashing out on a wedding just isn’t worth it and she’s bribing her children to give up saying “I do” in a lavish ceremony.

“I would give each of my daughters $35,000 to not have a wedding,” the savvy parent announced to the more than 1.5 million viewers who watched her viral video. She captioned the video: “I told them growing up that they could [either] Write a check or have a wedding. “

However, Kate’s children simply can’t have it both ways.

That’s not to say brunettes are against tying the knot. Instead, her five-figure offer was to help her daughters avoid going into debt during their married life.

From coast to coast, brides and grooms spend an average of $26,665 on weddings, breaking the bank on stylish venues, gourmet food, stunning wedding attire and an array of pricey indulgences.

According to a recent report, couples in New York City and its neighboring state of New Jersey typically spend more than $53,000 for a high-level sacred ceremony, while couples in Washington, D.C., spend about $70,000 to exchange stylish vows.

But the high cost of these splashy celebrations often leaves newlyweds in the red.

According to a June 2025 study by U.S. News & World Report, a staggering 58% of fiancés plan to take out debt to finance their wedding. Researchers also found that 84 per cent of couples felt “stressed” about paying for their wedding, with 63 per cent admitting their financial situation had worsened since starting the wedding planning process.

Kate wants her daughters to avoid this fight.

“If they choose not to have a wedding, they’ll get a check,” she reiterated. “I do this because most married couples start their marriages with a lot of debt.”

The frugal mum – who admitted to having a “big, gorgeous, terrible wedding” – went on to argue that the expensive party was a “huge waste of money”.

“My husband and I spent the first five years of our marriage paying off wedding debt,” Kate said. “If I could go back and invest that money in a house or the stock market or whatever — and then go see the magistrate or have a small family wedding in the backyard — that would be a much better start for us.”

“It would take some of the stress out of the first few years of our marriage.”

While she’s committed to supporting her children both morally and financially, Kate remains adamant that it would be foolish to break the bank just to have a good day if they choose to take one thing too far.

“We should normalize not having weddings,” she concluded, to applause from many commentators who agreed. “They set up newlyweds for failure.”