With wedding season in full swing, I thought I’d pass on this story about some seriously bad bride behavior [via The Huffington Post].
A reader writes:
“Last weekend I attended a wedding of a not-close friend with my boyfriend and as a gift we gave $100 cash. This was generous considering my financial situation. I just finished university with $40,000 in student loans, and have only found part time (12-18 hrs per week) minimum wage work. I gave as much as I could and attended to show my support.
Today I received a rude and condescending message from the bride via Facebook messenger: ‘Hi Tanya, how are you? I just want to know is there any reason or dissatisfaction of Mike’s and I wedding that both you and Phil gave 50$ each? In terms of the amount we got from you both was very unexpected as a result we were very much short on paying off the reception because just for the cocktail + reception alone the plate per person is 200$ (as per a normal wedding range with open bar is about) and Mike and I both have already paid for everything else including decor, photography, attire etc and didn’t expect we had to cover that huge amount for reception as well. As I know you both live together and work, so I did not see any reason for that amount, when it comes to your wedding hopefully you’ll know what I mean. I hope for the best as from what we receive is what we will give back. Anyways, good luck on everything.’ [all sic]
It’s infuriating that she had the nerve to make assumptions about my finances, and assume that I or my boyfriend had an extra $400 lying around. That $100 were hard-earned and she didn’t show an ounce of gratitude for what she did receive. That money didn’t grow on a tree. If she had a minimum gift requirement, she should have specified it…or asked everyone for income statements before inviting them.”
I agree. I can’t imagine any bride or groom having the nerve to confront a guest about their gift, especially considering that $100 is quite generous and many couples bring just one gift. The wedding couple may have spent a lot of money on their big day, but that was their choice, and it isn’t up to the guests to foot the bill. Furthermore, it’s very tacky and inappropriate to mention the cost of everything.
I doubt this bride will have many friends if she is so greedy about the gifts!