Guests skip wedding after couple imposes $200 entrance fee
Some guests attending a wedding were surprised to find an entrance fee. The couple imposed a $200 (P11,171) fee, explaining that their friends “cheaped out at the wedding shower.”
One of the wedding guests said on Reddit their friend group had decided to skip the affair because of the couple's requirement of a $200 fee.
According to the poster, when asked about bridal shower gifts, the couple said they "prefer cash but anything would be appreciated."
While the group decided to bring cash gifts on the day of the wedding, they brought "small" gifts to the wedding shower such as wine, flowers, jewelry, an edible arrangement, and a card, with each person having spent a minimum of $15 (P837).
The poster admitted that the budget was "perhaps cheap," but clarified that their group was composed of "mostly students so there’s not a ton of money going around."
However, the couple did not appear to appreciate the gesture. The following day, they told the group that "to attend the wedding it would be $200 per person and would not include drinks."
This left them confused as the original wedding invitation did not include that detail. "Nowhere did they say they only expected cash or that there was a minimum expectation of gifts," the poster said.
"After some deliberation, we decided we would not be paying this and sent a collective message that the $200 fee feels offensive, especially as we are also planning and paying for the bachelorette, and the dress code is very specific and black tie so buying an outfit for that would also add up," they added.
The couple sent a response and reasoned that they felt like they "cheaped out at the wedding shower." The Redditor surmised they "wanted to make sure we’d actually bring cash to the wedding."
The issue eventually compromised their eight-year friendship as the couple removed themselves from the group chat and blocked everyone's phone numbers.
"Obviously, no one is attending anymore, and the bachelorette is canceled. I also think there were better ways to handle it if they thought we were stingy about the wedding shower, rather than charging us a passive-aggressive fee," the guest argued.
They also lamented they were "always there to celebrate people's achievements and milestones" despite money being an issue.
In the comments section, many agreed that what the couple did was "tacky" and stressed how rude it was to ask for cash directly and complain about the gift they gave.
"Wedding shower gifts are usually not cash. They are things to set the couple up in their new digs. Towels, dishes and cutlery, kitchen gadgets, small appliances like toasters or blenders, picture frames. Not cash," one user commented.
Another said, "You do not demand gifts. If people point blank ask what they can give you, you can reluctantly give an idea or two, always being generic enough to leave them an out. Have a registry if you want, but know that people don't have to get you things from the registry. They literally don't have to bring you anything at all."
