A smitten Co. Cork man believes he has found the perfect way to fund his fiancee's dream of a lavish Las Vegas wedding - by inviting random strangers to bid online to gate-crash the celebrations.

Patsy O'Connor, from Kanturk, is auctioning off seats at a table at his wedding reception, which he hopes will raise thousands of euros to cover the cost of his unconventional big day next March.

Patsy, who will marry Bulgarian Radina Hadshieva, 28, admitted funding for his €15,000 wedding party, the day before St. Patrick's Day, was "an issue".

So he has decided to include a table of six strangers at the reception and has opened up bidding at €300 per head.

But the fun-loving 39-year-old - who runs a web development company in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia - promised his gate-crashers they could expect the "party of a lifetime in the party capital of the world" on March 16, followed by further celebrations the following day on St. Patrick's Day.

He said: "Funding for weddings has and always will be an issue and there has been an increasing amount of websites launched, where guests and friends can donate online to a wedding fund or online honeymoon, thus paying for the costly event.

"I had a different idea. We decided to invite six random strangers to the wedding. But here is the twist - they have to bid online for this privilege.

"My future wife agreed instantly to this idea. Thankfully, the the thoughts of having six random strangers at her wedding did not bother her in the slightest.

"If we like you at the wedding, then you will be invited along for the St. Patrick's Day festivities, which will be on Fremont Street in downtown Vegas with the entire wedding party the following day."

Patsy said he hopes to attract bids from all round the world from "like-minded extroverts", adding that the successful bidders will enjoy "our matrimonial ceremony, a full sit-down meal, open bar, character-filled and fun-fuelled guest list, DJ, dancing and general all-round shenanigans".

He added: "We think this is a great idea, but it's also a bit of light-hearted fun too. It's a kind of social experiment and it'll be fascinating to see what kind of response we get.

"It'll certainly make our wedding unique, with a table full of six people who don't know each other nor anyone else at the wedding at all."

Audacious Patsy is also hoping to tempt businesses into funding limo hire, hotel and flight expenses, a honeymoon in Disneyland and even a budget for gambling in Vegas' casinos.

For more information, see www.gatecrashmywedding.com.