A Spanish man named Ernesto crafted a unique niché to earn money by allegedly being paid to crash weddings pretending to be the bride’s or the groom’s lover and asking them to abscond the ceremony together.

According to reports, Ernesto’s bizarre endeavour has become a trending topic in Spain after appearing in a now-viral video posted on local publication Antena 3’s Y Ahora Son Soles TikTok.

In the video, he claims that, while most people ideally see their wedding day as the beginning of their happily ever after, some view the matrimonial ceremony as the start of a nightmare waiting to happen.

Those few who have gotten cold feet at the idea of marriage have solicited his services he says.

For a base fee of 500 euros ($550), Ernesto promises to crash the client’s wedding objecting to the union of would-be marriage by posing as an outside love interest, to force the event’s cancellation.

“If you have doubts, you don’t want to get married or you don’t know how to say no, don’t worry anymore, I will cancel the wedding for you,” Ernesto says in the video. “You only have to tell me the time, place, and date and I will appear at the ceremony. I will say that I am the love of your life and we will run away together hand in hand.”

It’s understood that the service started as a joke, however after being flooded with requests from interested parties, Ernesto realised there was a buzzing market for the initiative.

While the crash fee is 500 euros, clients are up-charged for incurred risks such as injury. For instance being slapped, punched, or kicked, earns him an additional 50 euros per slap.

“Each slap is worth 50 euros. I try to run, but I am aware that every time I get hit, I get paid more. So, if I can go slower, I go slower. That’s how I earn my money,” Ernesto explained.

It’s further reported that, despite the seemingly absurd nature of the venture its popularity has continued to progress as the professional wedding crasher claiming to be booked until November.