Bride Charges Each Guest $360 To Attend Her Wedding — And Requires Them To Come Early To Set Up & Decorate
Every bride has her demands, but one couple's rules for their wedding were over the top.
Sonataphoto / Shutterstock We've all known a bridezilla in our day. Maybe the bride insists that every guest wear a certain color to the ceremony, or has very specific demands from her bridal party. Or, perhaps they are just over the top with their behavior before and during the big day.
But it's often just the bride making waves, not the groom as well. Unfortunately, sometimes it does happen. Such is the case with one couple that were called out for some of the most unorthodox demands of their guests.
A bride and groom charged guests $360 each, demanded they set up the wedding, and forbade anyone from wearing fragrances.
A shocking post to the 'r/bridezillas" subreddit had people appalled at the couple's audacity at having such ridiculous demands. The post revealed a text message conversation between two friends in which one person discussed their niece's wedding.
According to the post, the invitations to the wedding stated that "everyone is required to come early to set up the marquee and decorations." But even after the wedding, male guests were also "required to then help break the marquee back down."
The demands only got more insane from there, with "no one (especially women) [being] allowed to wear overpowering scents" because the bride didn't want them competing with the flowers.
Guests were also not allowed to wear any floral colors, as the bride believed it would be distracting in her photos. And once the tear-down was over, everyone was instructed to leave the wedding at once.
Even more ridiculous was the hefty price tag for guests. For the pleasure of working before and after the wedding and not being allowed to wear anything with color, guests were charged $360 to attend.
Many people who weighed in on the post decided they would simply refuse to attend a wedding like this.
"I’m not paying to attend any wedding. That's what the gift is for. I also will not be doing any work to attend a wedding if it’s not for my kid," one person said. Another commented, "Imagine thinking people want to go to your wedding so badly that they’ll pay to attend."
While the bride and groom can do what they want for their wedding, they can't expect guests to attend if their demands are over the top.
Whether it's asking that no children attend, not wanting guests to bring a plus one, or having strict rules for the bridal party, at the end of the day, it is the bride and groom's day to shine, and their requests should be honored.
But every now and then, the focus drifts from ensuring things run smoothly and escalates to excessive demands. Perhaps it's telling guests they can't turn their destination wedding into a vacation of their own, or insisting guests stick to a menu with specific dietary restrictions.
No matter what the bride and groom demand of their guests, once they forget that a wedding is supposed to be a celebration of love, one that guests should enjoy, that's when it's not unreasonable for guests to deny attending.
According to event planner and creative consultant Melissa Andre, there are certain things guests care about most at weddings.
She explained that guests enjoy a wedding ceremony that celebrates the love of the newlyweds, being greeted by the bride and groom at the reception, music and entertainment, eating and drinking good food and beverages, and beautiful decor.
But while Andre expressed the importance of guests feeling entertained and catered to, she also stressed that guests should be a priority, and that couples don't need to break the bank to make it all happen.
"You can have a beautiful wedding at any budget, it's just about tweaking what you're going to focus on," she said.
The bride and groom in question probably thought they would be saving money by charging guests a fee and doing without a service that sets up the decorations. But what they may have actually done in the process is push their guests and loved ones away.
Remember: a wedding day is about celebrating a bride and groom's love, as well as making sure guests enjoy the most expensive party you'll ever throw.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.