Every bride and groom knows that weddings can be incredibly expensive. No matter how small you try to keep it, names on the guest list add up and then vendors and venues get more and more expensive.
The only inexpensive way to get married, truly, is to elope with just you and your partner. But, not everyone wants to have such a small ceremony and "special day."
For couples who want to have their wedding at catering halls or even restaurants, most places charge per person/per plate. This means that for every person you invite, you pay a set fee.
These fees depend on usually the day, the time of year, and even the time of day that the wedding takes place.
Many venues have the final balance due before the wedding date, most times weeks in advance. The final balance is the total headcount of the people coming to the wedding. That's why couples have guests RSVP months in advance so they can have a final count.
Sometimes, people decide to not show up at weddings for several reasons. Couples, however, do have to eat the cost of the no-shows. That means they pay sometimes hundreds of dollars for guests who do not show up to their wedding at all.
Dedra and Doug Simmons of Chicago had a destination wedding in Jamaica, where they had to pre-pay for all of their guests that had RSVP'd yes. However, they had some couples not show up at all to their wedding, with no heads up.
The couple sent an invoice of $240 bill to cover the costs they had paid for.
“No one told me or texted me, ‘Hey, we can’t make it.' That’s all I was asking. If you tell me you can’t make it, I would be understanding — but to tell me nothing, but then let me pay for you and your plus ones?"
While the invoice seems to be about the money, the groom said it was a "teachable moment" to show others that they had "wronged" the couple.
However, he did admit that the invoice was slightly petty. Yet, the couple stood by their decision.
Some people said that the invoice was wrong because there are tons of reasons that people can't show up to a wedding. Some pointed out that it could have been an emergency or even an accident.
Others said due to Covid-19, people are allowed to be a bit more flakey.
Others pointed out how expensive weddings are and if a couple doesn't show up (aside for an actual emergency), they are obligated to pay for this. They claim an RSVP is an obligation, especially when people pay so much for their plates.
Another person on Twitter said that the invoice wasn't really about the money at all and instead, a huge way to say that their friendship is over. The person said that because of the wedding destination and the flake last minute, this was a way to say "F off."
