“I could do with one night, one night that I don’t have to worry about money. I know it’s the marriage that matters and not the wedding, but my life has been a huge struggle, and if you guys could help me feel like a princess for just one night, that’s all I ask.”

Victoria Sadykov didn’t have enough money for the wedding she wanted, so she posted the above on Facebook along with a link to her ‘GoFundMe’ page. Despite generating hundreds of critical comments, her campaign was largely successful. In fact, Israelis have been crowdfunding their weddings for years, though they may not have realized it.

Host Niv Elis investigates the Israeli culture of giving money as a wedding gift – money the couple uses to help pay for the wedding. He meets two couples who are planning their weddings, one with a ‘transactional’ approach, the other with a ‘social’ approach. He speaks to John Medved, CEO and Founder of OurCrowd, about the Jewish history of crowdfunding, and investigates an app that helps hapless guests calculate how much money they should bring as their gift.

Music:

The Flying Lizards – Money (That’s What I Want)

Jerry Bock – Sunrise, Sunset (Fiddler on the Roof)

Podington Bear – Boop

Andy Cato / Tom Findlay – Sex and the City Theme

Bryan Ferry – The ‘In’ Crowd

Effi Natzer Singers – Morning Song