Edinburgh wedding crowdfunders: “We’re not money grabbing people”

A bride-to-be who tried to crowdfund £4,500 to pay for her wedding insisted she and her fiance are not “money grabbing people” after a furious online backlash.
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Natalie Borg, 36, and fiance Richard McMurray, 37, set up a GoFundMe page to help raise money to pay for their big day on April 27.

The couple, who have been together for two years, say they have taken on extra shifts at work and have sold their belongings to fill in the gap in their funds.

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Natalie Borg and Richard McMurray. Picture: TSPLNatalie Borg and Richard McMurray. Picture: TSPL
Natalie Borg and Richard McMurray. Picture: TSPL
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But their appeal was met with derision on social media, with some people telling them to “have a few drinks at home”, and others asking “what happened to having a sense of pride?”.

Natalie said: “I think if people had done a media campaign to pay for their wedding I would think that’s pretty cheeky, but if it’s to pay for the day instead of presents, it’s fine.

“We don’t have a honeymoon booked, we’ve just booked two weeks off and will chill out and go out walks to the beach.

“We’re not money grabbing people, we’re people that have worked really hard for our big day.

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“I shouldn’t need to hide anything, I’m just a normal person and not a money grabber.”

She said she was aware of another couple who had crowdfunded for their wedding and received criticism for it online, but said GoFundMe had a specific section for weddings.

Shop worker Natalie added: “We’ve paid for the majority of our wedding but we just need a bit extra to help us get there.”

The couple have raised £495 so far, and have received offers from a minister who said he would marry them for free.

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They have asked friends not to buy them gifts but instead to contribute cash to pay for the venue in Edinburgh, a professional photographer and dress alterations.

However, Callum Rowley said: “Save enough for your marriage license that’s all you need.”

And Jean Thorburn said: “Just get married at registry. Then have a few drinks in the house.”

Caroline Orr wrote on social media: “Local bowling club for venue, get guests to take loads of photos, a family member/friend to make the cake and alter the dress yourself.

“Pretty cheeky to set up a fundraising page for that.”

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Carol Wightman said: “What happened to having a sense of pride? Omg! Get out the begging bowl.”

However, Natalie said the target was overambitious and they were “not forcing people to contribute”.

She said: “I put £4,500 on the page, that’s how much extra we needed at the time, but I never expected to raise that amount.

“We just wanted a few extra hundred pounds from our close friends and family.

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“I’ve got friends coming up from London and they’ve asked what we want and I said ‘nothing’, we just need a bit of help with the costs.

“We’re not forcing people to contribute to our wedding, it’s just been a bit overwhelming.”

The bride-to-be, who grew up in Twickenham, West London, first met her fiance when they were children, and Richard lived next door to Natalie’s gran in Edinburgh.

After attending a family funeral in April 2017, Natalie bumped into supermarket worker Richard and the pair agreed to meet up, sparking their romance after years spent living hundreds of miles apart.

She joked: “He looked exactly the same.

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“We agreed to go for a drink to catch up and it’s all went from then.”

To donate, visit https://www.gofundme.com/natalie-and-richards-wedding-gift ENDS

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