Weddings can be incredibly stressful events for those planning it, and it can be nice to try and help out wherever you can with a family wedding!
However, one woman was shocked when it turned out that her invite to a family wedding was far from what it seemed, and involved more work than free champagne!
The story started by the woman explaining that she hadn't initially been invited to a family wedding, but her husband had. She wrote, "Honestly, don't care. There's a pandemic, they might have a severely restricted guest list, I don't really know them."
However, after a while, the woman in question received an invite to the wedding, which would have been nice...but it came with a bit of a catch.
"I get a phone call from the maid of honor asking me if I'm working that day, it's a Saturday so I'm not and then she asked me to come. Of course, I'd be happy to! Turns out I'm not actually being invited, as I am to arrive at the hotel at 7 am to do the bride's and bridal party's makeup and then stay for touch ups throughout the day," she wrote.
The woman also explained that she used to be a makeup artist, but is now "a corporate executive for a makeup brand."
"When I explained this she asked 'but you still know how and have the stuff?' - Well, yes but... 'Then I don’t see what your point is, I'll send you an email with all the info'," she went on to write.
In a recap of her supposed duties, the woman explained that she was expected to do 7 to 8 faces of makeup, provide her own makeup kit, bring enough matching lipsticks for all of the bridesmaids to keep, and stay the whole day to do touch-ups without getting a seat at the actual wedding...despite her husband actually being there!
Oh, and the maid-of-honor also explained in the email that this was not to count as their gift due to the fact of this simply being classed as "pitching in."
Fortunately, the woman who posted the story tacked on an update after the fact to add, "No I'm not doing it. I was never going to [...] I have no intention of responding to the email. I gave my answer once, that's all a person asking for free work gets. 'I am not a makeup artist' is a perfectly clear answer to 'I need a makeup artist can you do it.'"
Some of the suggestions as to what she could also do included such suggestions as: "Go to the dollar store and purchase 8 little girls makeup kits for $1.00 each. Mail them to the bride with your condolences for not being able to attend."
Another individual with a similar story also added: "The audacity here is jaw dropping. You were straight up used. Did they expect you to feel 'honored for even being asked?' My wife got asked to video a wedding I was in the night before, and that was bad enough."
I can't say that I would be chomping at the bit to get out there and start working a wedding for free while everyone I know enjoys a lovely day! I mean, weddings are only good for drinking copious amounts of, hopefully free, wine anyway.
One person did suggest, "Accept and don't go. That's the only response to this [expletive] invite." However, I think that might be a little far as the bride herself didn't ask and it could ruin her day, it was the maid-of-honor after all? I'll let you decide if that's too far though!
When one person pointed out that this woman should probably tell her husband, who is going to the wedding, about this incident so that he isn't blindsided, the woman who posted the story replied:
"He knows, he cried laughing at the email and we've been in bed reading this thread laughing until I pee (pregnancy is a joy)..."
Yes, the woman in question is PREGNANT and being asked to work for free!
When it was pointed out how insane it was to ask a pregnant woman to be on her feet all day while working a wedding, the woman replied, "That's actually just hitting me but yes, I will be EXTREMELY [pregnant] when the wedding happens."
Then she added, "And since they do follow me on social media they know I've been hospitalized several times for hyperemesis and needed IV fluids and nutrition."
So there is no way that the Maid Of Honor could really plead ignorance!
"I get the feeling MOH might've offered to pay for hair and makeup before checking the cost and now she's trying to save face," someone wrote. And, considering that a professional makeup artist could charge thousands for the services that they're requiring, it is not too insane a notion.
Regardless, there is no way that the woman in question is working the wedding, and that's perfectly understandable considering that, well...no heavily pregnant woman should have to do any job for free!
