Couple want guests to pay $360 to attend their wedding — but it's their perfume ban that's sparking outrage

At some point, we’ve all come across bizarre wedding rules, weirdly expecting the guests to bear the brunt. Often, it boils down to a steep entry fee or something related to gifts. One couple went a step further by expecting their family and friends to ensure there were no overpowering scents at their wedding. One of the invitees—who goes by u/serafis on Reddit—took potshots at the bride and groom’s fragrance-free policy, along with some other unreasonable conditions.

Although the unnamed guest didn’t reveal their intention to attend the event, they found the demands appalling. In a widely shared post, the invitee lamented the unnecessary wedding rules to a third person. Not only did they criticize the event’s over-the-top restrictions, but they also expressed dismay about having to pay to attend.

“The bride and groom request that women wear no perfume, while men are expected to provide free labor—on top of paying $360 per head,” they wrote, sharing the screengrab of a private message exchange with another individual. The guest was completely upset over the fact that the soon-to-be-married couple had imposed some unacceptable conditions, making it difficult for others to mark their presence on the occasion. Notably, in the texts, the invitee revealed that it was one of their best friend’s niece’s wedding.

“O God! Speaking of weddings, so my mate’s niece is getting married. The invite stated that everyone is required to come early,” read an excerpt from a lengthy message, further stating how guests were expected to show up early. The couple needed help from their loved ones to make arrangements for the event.

More specifically, they wanted the guests to take care of the marquee and decorations. Additionally, invitees were expected to contribute to the event by shelling out some extra dollars. “It's $360 per head to be there and the men are required to then help break the marquee back down,” the guest wrote in the message, later calling it “free labor.”

The conditions didn’t just stop there, as the bride and groom thought that no one should smell as good as them during the wedding. “No one (especially women) is allowed to wear overpowering scents as the bride doesn't want them competing with the flowers she has chosen,” they added. Furthermore, floral colors were also banned from the event as they were too distracting to ruin the picture-perfect moments. “And once the clean-up has been done could everyone promptly leave,” the text message concluded, inviting a variety of reactions.

“I want to see the actual invitation. I really want to see how they worded this to make it sound like they were doing you a favor,” u/IridiumPony commented. Expressing a similar sentiment, u/Initial728 suggested, "This would be an easy invitation to decline."

“I've heard of clothes with floral patterns, but 'floral colors' aren't really a thing. Flowers come in nearly all colors, including black and white, so I guess it'll be a beige-and-neon-only wedding,” u/AnItchyBitchy assumed. “I don't normally write letters to people. In this case, I'd take great delight in writing out a very long, detailed explanation of why I was declining this couple's unpaid labor camp,” u/Sean_Myers remarked.