"Business partners for life" When Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary ordained a marriage during Wedy Wedding Packages' pitch

On ABC's Shark Tank season 15, investor and entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary made a memorable switch from his typical role as "Mr. Wonderful" to that of a wedding officiant. Rumaiza and Anas Ali astonished the Sharks by organizing the first-ever live wedding ceremony on the show while pitching their wedding planning app, Wedy Wedding.

After the couple had exchanged vows, O'Leary delivered the memorable line:

"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you business partners for life."

The program included a full wedding ceremony for Hannah and John, a genuine couple who had planned their wedding using the Wedy app, in addition to an inventive business pitch. Viewers were enthralled by this unexpected turn of events, which also demonstrated the app's real-time capabilities.

Throughout its existence, Shark Tank has hosted innumerable product demos, but this live wedding ceremony was unprecedented. Typically, entrepreneurs present their business concepts to a group of affluent investors in the hopes of receiving cash in exchange for stock.

What happened during Wedy Wedding Packages’ Shark Tank pitch?

Wedy Wedding emerged from the founders' own wedding planning struggles. Rumaiza, a former architect working in luxury destination wedding planning, and Anas, an aeronautical engineer, created the app in 2020 after facing hidden costs, endless forms, and slow vendor responses during their own planning process. Setting the stage for what would follow, Rumaiza announced:

"Sharks, you are about to witness the world's first Shark Tank wedding"

The app aims to simplify wedding planning by allowing vendors to create accounts and list their services. These services are then bundled based on couples' budgets. Customers can tell the app what they want and purchase ready-made packages with optional add-ons. At the time of their appearance, Wedy offered services in nine states and included elopement packages.

The Alis asked for $300,000 in exchange for 5% equity, valuing their company at $6 million. During their pitch, they revealed they earn 24% commission on every package sold through the app and had generated $1.5 million since launching, with a significant jump to $510,000 in revenue in 2022 alone.

Kevin O'Leary, who officiated the ceremony, added his characteristic flair to the proceedings, saying:

"Hannah and John have chosen to make the ultimate investment into each other. And it is my great honor to pour gasoline on their passion."

Despite the memorable demonstration and solid numbers, the Sharks ultimately passed on investing. O'Leary explained that while impressed with their presentation, he already had investments in the wedding space through another Shark Tank company called Honey Fund, a honeymoon planning platform.

How did Wedy Wedding Packages fare after its Shark Tank appearance?

The television exposure proved valuable even without securing an investment. According to Forbes, following their appearance, Wedy Wedding amassed a waitlist of 2,800 vendors eager to offer services through the platform.

The founders also received numerous requests to expand beyond their initial nine-state footprint to cities including New York, Orlando, and Chicago. While there's no confirmation on nationwide expansion plans, the couple expressed interest in branching into honeymoon planning and even baby-related services.

Wedy's Instagram account has built a following of over 25,000 users, where they share wedding inspiration, real wedding photos, and vendor information. The platform emphasizes transparency by sharing the costs of various wedding packages.

Rumaiza has leveraged her expertise and the show's publicity to expand her personal brand as well, sharing her global travels and speaking engagements on her personal social media.

The Alis showed that occasionally, the exposure from Shark Tank can be just as beneficial as the investment itself, even if they left without a Shark agreement. Their creative approach to wedding planning solves problems that many couples encounter, such as managing funds, organizing several vendors, and improving communication.

By bundling services and creating all-inclusive packages, Wedy Wedding offers a modern solution to traditional wedding planning headaches. Their commitment to transparency in pricing also addresses a common complaint about hidden costs in the wedding industry.

While the Sharks may not have bitten, Rumaiza and Anas Ali proved that with the right product and memorable presentation, entrepreneurs can still win in the Shark Tank – even without securing a deal. And for one lucky couple, the experience offered something even more valuable than venture capital: the chance to become "business partners for life" in front of a national television audience.

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You can view Shark Tank on ABC every Friday at 8 PM ET, with streaming available on Hulu.