Bride sparks dinner debate after charging no-show wedding guests for their missed meals: ‘So tacky'

Yahoo

17-06-2025

From 'I do' to 'I due.'
Ghosting a pair of lovebirds on their big day, especially after confirming your attendance, could cost you more than a friendship, one absentee invitee found out the hard way.
The fair weather pal ignited a debate over the practice of charging for no-shows — the same way some popular restaurants do — after recently ranting on Reddit.
'So the bride asked for RSVPs to get a headcount for everybody and determine how many plates of food she's ordering,' the offender explained.
'I tell her my [boyfriend], my mom and I will be able to attend,' the complainer carped. 'Come wedding day, my [boyfriend] isn't able to make it due to work scheduling issues, and my mom was too sick to make it.'
The day-of cancellations had the gal all dressed in white seeing red.
'The bride gets upset saying she spent $50 per plate, and she cant believe they're not coming when we RSVP'd,' continued the Redditor. 'She told me she's tempted to ask them to pay $50 each for not coming!.'
'I was like, 'What the hell nobody knew you were spending per plate,'' added the faultfinder. 'They weren't the only ones to miss her wedding either, so maybe she was mad she lost out on the money.'
On the other hand, throwing one's cash in the trash due to wedding day dropouts is a reasonable reason to rage.
Sweethearts tying the knot spend an average of $26,665 on their nuptials, with post-ceremonial food and drinks costing around $5,480.
While some try to circumvent the expense by charging an admissions fee at the wedding chapel's doorstep, others have offered 'tiered' menus to their guests — exclusively presenting prime chops and top-shelf booze to wealthier folks, while serving subpar sustenance to the less fortunate in the crowd.
Bride mad about people not coming to her wedding and wants them to pay! byu/icesk8ernyc inweddingshaming
But the outraged Reddit user felt the bride's repayment request was way déclassé.
'She sounded so tacky,' said the grumbler. 'For reference, this was an out of town wedding in Minnesota where we all had to fly in. It cost a lot to even make her wedding…'
While her frustrations may be valid, commenters were mostly on the bride's side.
'RSVPing 'yes' to a wedding and then flaking out is super rude[…]just not showing up because of poor planning is a d- -k move,' a virtual viewer wrote.
'I was out $700 because of no shows at my daughter's wedding. Legit reasons like illness or an emergency, OK, I understand,' added another. 'However, some of the excuses were flimsy and one was an out and out lie. I would never ask anyone for my money back, but guests ought to be aware that once they RSVP 'yes,' they ought to do their best to show up.'
'The [boyfriend] and mom should still send a gift even though they werent able to attend,' a separate social media arbitrator added.
'You're the tacky one here, not the friend you're trying to call out,' another jabbed. 'If you RSVP and not show up for ANY reason, you should still send the monetary wedding gift money you would have given them in the first place.'
'You don't seem to be aware that they paid PER seat that you reserved,' the whistleblower said.
'So they paid $100 for your reserved empty seats.'