Bride's invitation asks guests to pony up $75 each for their meals — until one friend decides they've had enough

Weddings are a celebration of love and new beginnings, often in the presence of friends and family. However, u/MichaelWForbes shared an out-of-the-ordinary wedding invitation they received from a "close friend." Along with the invitation was a note that read, "To help offset costs, guests are kindly asked to pay $75 per person for their meal at the reception." This was an uncommon request that did not sit well with the Reddit user. The request baffled them so much that they had to hop on Reddit to ask if it was justified or not.

Weddings are expensive, but the amount spent on the celebration is entirely up to the couple getting married. The author understood how much money goes into a wedding, but they wanted to know when it was considered acceptable for the couple to ask for money from their guests. As the author put it, "Since when did it become normal to invoice your guests?" The request made them feel like the wedding was less of a celebration of love and more like a transaction. 

The person also clarified that the request did not upset them, but they will not be attending the wedding for financial purposes. "Feels like weddings these days are less about love and more like narcissistic flex contests with a price tag that keeps climbing. My salary's not crashing the party, but this feels straight-up awkward," they said. Additionally, the request not only made them decline the invitation, but also made them feel like an "a*shole" for not being willing to spend that much money for another person's wedding.

People spend different amounts of money on gifts for different people. A study was done by The Knot in 2024 to assess how much money wedding guests are willing to put into gifts. The results showed that wedding guests would pay an average of $160 if it were their close friends and family getting married. If a co-worker was tying the knot, they would spend an average of $50 to $100. For acquaintances, the results showed that people were spending an average of $140. While the author did not mention a wedding gift, they would probably have still bought one, making the extra $75 charge feel even more unreasonable.

The comments on the post were flooded with people who criticized the person getting married. u/Reasonable_Style8400 wrote, "When you decline the RSVP, be petty and type in 'similar to you, I can’t afford a $75 dinner.'" u/Lily_Of_The_Valley_6 added, "You are not an a*shole for declining that invite. The whole point of a reception is for them to host." u/GrouchyYoung wrote, "If they need help offsetting costs, they’re throwing a party they can’t afford and need to scale down, period. Passing the costs along to the guests, especially so explicitly, is appalling. They’re going to be gossiped about for decades."

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