In the past when we’ve written about oddball retail or fast food weddings, it seemed like the entire planning portion of the nuptials involved asking a manager “Hey, is it cool if we get married here?” But it looks there were quite a number of Australian couples looking to say “I do” surrounded by Grundtals, Vidjas, and Hemneses.

“We wanted to get married in IKEA for a very simple reason — we adore it,” said the winning couple in what is not at all a vetted quote provided to Australian press by IKEA. “It felt right to be able to show our commitment to one another by getting married somewhere we both love, and to show the world that romance can be alive anywhere.”

We just hope they don’t try to bring the romance “alive anywhere” in the store when they get married on Valentine’s Day, because we’re already more than a bit icked out whenever we test out IKEA mattresses.

According to the Aussie news story, an average Down Under wedding now runs the equivalent of around $36,000 USD, which might explain why 500 couples were vying to have a freebie wedding inside a mammoth blue warehouse.

Hey, at least they’ll be able to reminisce about their wedding every year when the new catalog comes.

IKEA bride: With this flatpack, I thee wed [News.com.au]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.