A COUPLE have sparked fury over their ”cash-grab” wedding invitation which critics say they’d turn down straight away.
According to one of the friends who’d been invited to the big day, she received the invitation via text – and things got progressively worse as the woman began to read the contents of it.
”The black tie event of the fall is an adults only reception, there will be an open bar with ‘his and her’ batched drinks and selection of beer and wine,” the message read.
Keen to keep the costs down as much as possible, the loved-up pair also revealed that the guests shouldn’t expect any food, apart from a few bites.
However, to avoid feeling hungry, the couple urged the attendees to eat beforehand, as there were numerous dining spots in the neighbourhood.
”We will be providing light snacks only, this will provide you and your guest with the perfect opportunity to do an elegant evening dinner in our beautiful downtown with endless options before attending the wedding.”
Whilst composing the invitation, the bride and groom also added a note requesting formal black attire and asked their friends and family to give money instead of spend cash on gifts.
The couple wrote: ”We plan on celebrating our love with an amazing honeymoon adventure and your monetary contribution would mean everything.
”We humbly request cash/card for our card box or scanning the QR code provided at the reception.”
The text went on: ”We do hope you can attend our special evening with us and help build monumental memories.”
The guests, from the USA, were put off attending the ceremony that required formalwear and limited drinks – without offering any real food.
Sharing a screenshot on Reddit, the recipient said: ”We don’t want to spring for a tux to eat fancy Doritos.”
The wedding invitation sparked fury, as fellow social media flocked to comments to share their thoughts.
”Calling something black tie and not feeding guests is… not black tie, rude at the very least,” wrote one person.
Someone else chimed in: ”Come and you have to dress up super fancy so our pictures look better and don’t forget to eat beforehand and definitely give us honeymoon money -over text!
”Tacky tacky tacky.”
Redditors also slammed the bride and groom for what they thought was simply a cash grab.
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!”
”This is the rudest money grab for a wedding that doesn’t even care enough to send invitations ever,” a woman was gobsmacked.
”They care about the pictures (and probably the gifts), not about the guests,” someone else agreed.
After reading the brutal invitation, many noted that they would simply refuse to attend the wedding.
One chuckled: ”RSVP: decline, I can drink beer in my evening gown at home without the presence of these people.”
However, there were also a few who couldn’t understand why most seemed to be so put off.
An internet user wrote: ”Eh, I don’t see anything too terrible here, there isn’t an dress code (aside from dress fancy), there’s an open bar and snacks, and they aren’t hounding for gifts, seems kinda chill to me.”
”I honestly don’t care if people go cheap as long as they’re upfront about it,” a woman agreed.
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