Viral Reddit Post Slams "Greedy" Bride for Demanding Each Guest Pay $500 to Attend Her Destination Wedding

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10 hours ago

In a viral Reddit post, a guest explains that his or her cousin planned a destination wedding and told attendees that their accommodations were paid for and everyone simply needed to foot the bill for their transportation.
Two months before the wedding, after guests started to RSVP, the bride demanded each guest send her $500 via Venmo to cover the cost of their stay.
Reddit users agree the bride is in the wrong and that the original poster (and other guests) can and should change their RSVPs.The cost of attending a wedding—whether a local event or a destination one—seems to get bigger and bigger each year. There's your attire and the gift, of course, but if it's you may also need to pay for things like childcare if your entire family isn't invited and an overnight stay at a hotel if the venue is just a little too far from home. And if it's a proper destination wedding you've been invited to attend, you'll need outfits for multiple nights of events, a hotel stay, and an airline ticket. When couples can help minimize the cost for guests—by organizing a room block or footing part of the bill—attendees always appreciate the thoughtful gesture. It's important that a couple follows through on that offer, though.
In a viral Reddit post on the platform's /weddingshaming thread, an unhappy guest detailed how a couple informed attendees that everyone's accommodations for a destination wedding were "taken care of" and that they'd only be responsible for flights and transportation. Then, two months before the wedding, the bride told each guest they needed to pay $500 for their stay on the "large estate" that the couple booked for the big day.
Related: Bride Conflicted After Grandmother She Never Planned on Inviting to the Wedding Offers to Pay for the Event
To make matters worse, it seems as if the couple might actually profit from this requirement. "I checked the website and the venue fee includes access to the entire grounds and the number of guests I've been told are coming x $500 actually means she'll be making more than what the venue fee is," the original poster wrote. The unhappy guest also noted that couple created a GoFundMe for their honeymoon, and that they set a goal of raising $10,000 for their post-nuptial getaway.
In replies to other commenters, the OP explained that this is his or her cousin's wedding, and that they are part of the wedding party, so backing out isn't exactly an option. The overarching problem, the guest noted, is that everyone was told their accommodations were covered; attendees made plans to attend and booked travel under the assumption that those were the only costs they'd need to incur. Had they known they also needed to pay for their stay, some people may have opted out of attending at all.
Reddit users were quick to note that something felt off about the bride demanding guests pay her directly, via Venmo. "If it was just the accommodations you were paying for, you'd be paying the hotel directly," one user wrote. "She is literally planning a wedding to her standards, and then having her guests pay for it. That's sneaky, tacky, and cheap. It's not appropriate to put that kind of financial burden on your guests. I assume that gifts are expected on top of the cost of attending. Gross. Don't put yourself out financially for this person."
Others note that the best thing the guest can do is be honest with his or her cousin about costs. "Just say you were told the only expenses would be for transportation," the user suggested. "This extra $1000 is unexpected and sadly, not in the budget." From there, they can see what the cousin says: Maybe they'll foot the bill for the stay or else allow them to bow out of their wedding party duties and the event as a whole.
Another suggestion? Book a stay at a nearby (and affordable) hotel instead. "I would book the less expensive hotel and let them know that you did and why you did. Then they can make their own choices on what they want to do. It is not your job to fund the bride's dream venue," a user wrote. "If she told you guys all it was covered then it should have been covered. If she is not covering it then you guys can choose where you want to stay and how much you want to pay to stay there."
Up Next: Bride Called "Tacky" for Trying to Charge No-Show Wedding Guests in Viral Reddit Post
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