"I wanted to make the video to show modern brides that it's okay to want the things that you want," Kaytlyn Rosko, the soon-to-be bride, told Insider.
Courtesy of Kaytlyn Rosko
An engaged Colorado couple who went viral on TikTok for outlining four strict rules they're planning to implement at their wedding said they hope it empowers others to do the same.
Kaytlyn Rosko is a 26-year-old bride-to-be and wedding photographer who goes by @kroskxx on TikTok. Rosko posted the viral video with her fiancé Tyler Wyatt, 31, on April 9, and since then her following on the app has grown to over 22,000.
In the clip, which had over 18 million views on Friday, the couple sways from side to side as the caption reads: "Hyping ourselves up to tell our wedding guests..." The video then states that the couple will not allow plus ones, they expect guests to follow a dress code, kids aren't invited, and they won't give out wedding favors.
"I wanted to make the video to show modern brides that it's okay to want the things that you want," Rosko told Insider. "If you don't want to cater to your guests you don't have to — it's your day."
Rosko has been making TikTok videos since April 2020 and turned her hand to wedding-planning videos after she and Wyatt became engaged in January.
While commenters on the video debated if the rules were fair, Rosko said she's certain of her and Wyatt's decision. "I feel like this is the smoothest way to have a grown-up adult affair," she said, noting that it's their money that's being spent.
Rosko told Insider her and Wyatt's big day will take place in October at Realm Denver, a warehouse space, and they'll have food from a well-known local taco truck including churros. The couple told guests to come dressed in cocktail attire so that nobody is underdressed.
"We don't get many days as adults to truly enjoy everything that we want, as we want it," Rosko said.
Rosko said she has attended weddings where there's a no-child rule and it's becoming increasingly common in her experience. "We have three kids and I do still think weddings are about the couples, so we are willing to do whatever it takes to kind of make that happen," she said.
She also said she thinks that it's become less offensive to be selective about plus ones since the pandemic, and recommends the "no ring, no bring" rule for married couples as a baseline while also respecting long-term relationships.
In a TikTok posted on April 10, Rosko says the least awkward way of establishing your rules is to put them on a website, which you can also cite on any paper invitations. She suggests making an FAQ page, indicating how many seats a particular guest has on their invitation, and addressing the invitation to exactly who is invited.
She told Insider that the best way to communicate your rules or have difficult conversations like this is face-to-face, rather than texting or emailing, so there's no room for confusion.
Putting yourself first as a couple doesn't mean completely disregarding others, said Rosko, who noted that you should think about the positions of your friends and family before making blanket rules.
Guests should still feel comfortable at a wedding, Rosko said, which means being considerate about how accessible your venue is, whether the dress code will make anyone feel uncomfortable, or if there are aspects of your wedding that people can't afford.
Long gone are the days where weddings were as much about the family as the couple, said Rosko, adding couples should tune in to what they truly want for their big day: "If you are wanting to make it about you and make it intimate, do it. If you guys are wanting to run away and elope by yourselves, do it. Listen to yourself and create the day what you want."
