Company Will Pay Up to $10K for Your Wedding for Free as Long as You Don't Divorce
If you're planning to get married in the next two years, SwanLuv, a Seattle-based company, is offering to fund your wedding up to $10,000 for free as long as you don't get a divorce.
Couples who get divorced, after accepting the company's money "will be required to pay back the amount funded and incurred interest to date," according to SwanLuv's website, so the company can keep funding more lasting marriages.
The site states: "100 percent of the money collected from members who are later divorced is used to provide funds for future couples' dream weddings. SwanLuv keeps the dream alive."
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The company, which is expected to launch in February 2016, is seeking prospective couples to apply for funding online where they "leverage online data and algorithm software technology to quickly assess applicant risk to determine funding offers."
They particularly encourage couples who believe they "have found their soul mate and need help making their dream wedding a reality" to apply and note that they will also offer free marriage counseling.
The Christian Post reached out to the company to determine how many couples have applied for funding as well as learn more about the process, but CEO and founder Scott Avy said he was dealing with an "explosive demand" for the service at this time and was unable to do an interview.
"Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that I will not be able to participate in additional interviews at this time. The explosive demand for SwanLuv's services/sign-ups are consuming all of my available time," Avy wrote in an e-mail to CP.
"I anticipate my time will free up to some degree after SwanLuv has formally launched after Valentine's Day. My apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused," he added.
Avy, who is a product manager at Expedia by day, previously told The Washington Post that the range of interest charged for those who divorce "won't be too crazy."
He said he got the idea for his company from a recently engaged roommate who complained about wedding costs and doesn't believe money should stand in the way of love.
"Swans, they mate for life," said Avy. "That's what we're trying to get behind, everlasting marriage."
Responding to concerns about his business model, Avy said: "We're not forcing anyone to sign up. …The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I've gotten hundreds of emails telling me how meaningful this is."
Avy did not reveal to The Washington Post if he had any investors or how many couples are expected to receive checks at the official launch. There is a clause in the contracts to be signed by couples that only one person will be billed if abuse is the cause of divorce.
According to costofwedding.com, the average wedding cost in the United States is $26,444. Couples, says the website, typically spend between $19,833 and $33,055. But most couples spend less than $10,000. The figures do not include the cost of the honeymoon.
