A BRIDE and groom have been slammed for charging people £77 a head to attend their wedding dinner.
And one guest revealed that she was in a “state of shock” after realising what she would be doing during the event.
Taking to Reddit, the woman revealed that she was so happy when a wedding invitation arrived in the post as she loves weddings, and always gets “teary-eyed at the joy of new beginnings”.
However, as the woman read the invitation, she became increasingly angry after realising that although her husband was actually invited to the ceremony, she would be in another room helping to look after the children with a number of other women.
She revealed that she would still be required to buy a dress for the occasion, and pay the £77 fee for the meal, but would be spending the entire day babysitting the children.
The woman was outraged as she revealed that she had been friends with the bride’s mum since childhood.
She said that the bride is her unofficial goddaughter and even met the groom at a BBQ at the woman’s house.
She said: “Why would he be invited to watch the ceremony and be part of the reception but not me?
“My husband said he’d happily watch the kids and let me attend the wedding and reception but the invitation specified that only a few other FEMALE invitees would be watching the kids so I doubt they’d let him.
She continued: “It’s just the pure audacity for me.
“They expect me to not only pay for a meal that I have to eat while watching kids … but also get them a gift and dress up just in case I happen to be captured in photos.
“It’s just tacky. I don’t even know how to process all of this.
“I’m angry and sad and feel disrespected.”
The post was flooded with responses from Reddit users, many of whom were outraged on the woman’s behalf.
One person said: “That is the tackiest thing I’ve ever heard of.
“Asking guests to provide free childcare, pay for their meal, AND give them a gift? Hell no.
By Josie Griffiths, Fabulous deputy digital editor and bride-to-be
Josie Griffiths said: “As someone who lives in an already cluttered 38 square metre flat, gifts aren’t exactly at the top of the list for our wedding day in August.
“All we want is money towards our honeymoon – and we’re already expecting backlash from the older generations, but what can you do?
“I would love an air fryer or coffee machine for the kitchen, but we simply don’t have the space.
“I think there’s a few keys when asking for cash to stop it looking tacky – which this bride has very much got wrong.
“One – the money is for our honeymoon, not to cover the cost of the wedding, we are absolutely paying for that ourselves.
“Two – like any gift, it’s totally optional, and people can decide what they’re comfortable spending themselves. When I went to a wedding abroad in my mid-20s, I didn’t contribute to their honeymoon fund and I still feel comfortable with my decision, the trip to Spain already cost me and my partner a lot.
“Under no circumstances should you ever invoice people for a specific amount. You might have relatives who are more generous than expected, which would of course be lovely, but your guests are just that and they shouldn’t have to pay for the food, decorations and entertainment you’ve chosen.
“Three – make it look and feel like a registry – there are some great websites where guests can donate cash for cocktails, room upgrades and experiences abroad, which make it feel a lot more personal than a bank account number and sort code. People like to know where their money’s going and then you can send proper thank yous with pics of you enjoying whatever they’ve paid towards.
“As for how to ask, some people do poems but personally I hate them, they sound childish and you wouldn’t knock one up to ask your mate to transfer you £100 towards your trip away, so it sounds odd here.
“Something like this, on your formal invite or wedding website, would be perfect: The most important thing to us is that you are able to celebrate with us on our wedding day. However, if you wish to give a gift, we will gratefully accept a small contribution towards our honeymoon.
“Good luck!”
“They might have been your friends, but they aren’t good people.”
A second person said: “I’m so sorry that someone you’re so close to would treat you like that. Nothing about this is OK”.
A third person said: “I am sorry they hurt your feelings. Those people really went off the rails.”
A fourth person added: “The audacity!”
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