Betting on the Wedding Is the Latest Wedding Trend

Your wedding doesn't have to mean you're center stage the entire time without any involvement from your guests. There are wedding games and entertainment ideas that allow guests to play a role in the wedding. There's a trend on the rise: betting on the wedding. Wedding prop bets are gaining popularity, and yes, the to-be-wed couple is in on it. Another added perk? Couples can actually make extra money for the wedding. "It's proven to help guests pay closer attention to all the sweet, sentimental, and unexpected moments that make a wedding special," explain Greg and Stacy Stahl, the husband-and-wife duo behind the Betting on the Wedding app. If this sounds like something you're interested in but want to learn more, read on to know how it all works and how you can incorporate it into your wedding day.

In this article:

• Wedding Prop Bets
• How Wedding Betting Works
• Wedding Betting Apps and Slips

Wedding Prop Bets

There are so many opportunities for betting as a fun wedding entertainment idea. From the ceremony and cocktail hour through the end of the wedding, anything can be turned into a bet if you get creative. "It's an easy and affordable way to make your wedding feel even more interactive and unforgettable," says the Stahls. A few of their wedding prop bet ideas include:

• How long will the ceremony be?
• How many times will the word "forever" be said in the vows?
• Will the best man use a sheet of paper, cell phone or nothing during their speech?
• Will the bride have an outfit change
• Will there be any choreographed dances?
• Will an Ed Sheeran song be played?
• What will the last song be?

How Wedding Betting Works

Wedding bets don't have to be—and shouldn't be—a difficult addition to your big day. The Stahls explained how this current wedding trend works and how to incorporate it into your festivities.

1. Select a Point Person

Pick someone to be in charge of organizing the wedding betting if you don't want to arrange it yourself. You can ask a family member who's a passionate gambler, a maid of honor, or anyone who you think would be organized enough to pull it off.

2. Come up With Wedding Prop Bets

You can come up with personalized bets that apply to the specific people involved with the wedding like "will the groom sweat a lot" or "will the maid of honor say a cuss word in her speech" or you can use premade bets from the Betting on the Wedding app or an Etsy store (more on than below).

3. Invite Guests to Join

Let guests know they can participate in this wedding technology trend. Whether you want to put a call for participants on your wedding website, text people in advance, or create signage to have at the wedding, you definitely want to get the word out so guests who want to join can bet on the wedding. Keep track of participants using The Knot App.

Wedding Betting Apps and Slips

Wedding betting "keeps guests entertained and encourages them to interact with each other in a unique and memorable way," say the Stahls. Below are a few apps and printable bet slips to make your betting wedding day a success.

Betting on the Wedding App

Photo: Betting on the Wedding

After betting for fun at friends' weddings, the Stahls launched their own app in 2024. "The couple, or someone close to them, sets up the app ahead of the wedding weekend, choosing from our 50+ premade bets or creating custom ones for a more personal touch," the Stahls explain. "Guests are then invited to join in and place their bets. As the festivities unfold, an assigned event leader calls the bets, and the app tallies up the winners, calculating who owes what to whom." Sounds easy enough.

Wedding Betting Slip Template

Photo: TheCraftyChickCoop | Etsy

This downloadable wedding betting game from Etsy has pre-made over/under questions about number of speeches given, number of guests, number of courses in the meal, etc. There's also a tie-breaker question in case the competition gets close. It's fully customizable to add your own wedding bet questions, like which newlywed will answer certain wedding shoe game questions.

Wedding Bet Slip

Photo: OccasionHavenDesigns | Etsy

This wedding betting slip is filled with fun guesses that'll get your whole guest list involved. The best part about this betting card is that they give you options to choose from, like "will the speech go over or under four minutes?" so you don't have to be the one closest to the correct answer; you just have to guess correctly.