A Chicago couple defended their choice to issue invoices to guests who failed to show up on their destination wedding.
Doug Simmons, 44, and Dedra McGee, 43, married at the Royalton Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica in front of 109 guests. However, the Chicago couple felt so tricked when some of their guests failed to show up on their wedding day that they decided to generate invoices for the expense of their meals.
The invoice was captured and posted by Huffington Post editor Philip Lewis, who went viral this week. He wrote, "I don't think I've ever seen a wedding reception invoice before lol."
Couple defends the action of invoicing "no-show" wedding guests
Doug and Dedra created an official-looking expense invoice with only one line item: "Wedding Reception Dinner (No Show)." The bill has elicited varied comments, with some accusing the pair of being snobbish and petty.
Some individuals didn't defend the couple openly, but they were eager to condemn the absent guests. Other comments echoed the couple's sentiments, with a few even wishing they'd done something similar, as per Daily Mail.
After Simmons released the $240 invoice on Facebook, it went viral, giving the absentees until September 18 to pay up. The no-show guests were hunted down by the small company owner because it "made [him] feel some sort of way" that they had repeatedly RSVPed "Yes" before disappearing on the day.
Per Republic World, almost 6,000 people shared the post on social media. He acknowledged that the action was "a little petty" but said, "I am not some trifling person who is going to bill somebody."
The bold action sparked a heated online discussion about whether the couple's invoice was nasty or justified. According to the invoice, which many Twitter users thought was a fake, the no-shows were given a one-month payment deadline starting August 18.
The bill was submitted by the once-anonymous newlyweds, whose Jamaican wedding at the Royalton Negril Resort & Spa allegedly cost $120 per guest. Simmons, a small business owner in Chicago, stressed that it's not about the money.
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Invoice shared on social media caused a stir online
They were upset and humiliated by the no-shows at his and his new bride's hard-earned fantasy wedding, which drew over 100 guests. Doug Simmons asked the guests several times whether they could attend the vacation wedding.
Some participants failed to come up without so much as a phone call or text, after promising him that they would. The couple claims that the no-shows have caused damage and mistreatment. It's another issue if they'll carry out their demand. According to the pair, they take payments via Zelle and PayPal.
The cardinal sin of wedding etiquette is failing to tell a couple that the guests were skipping their big day. Even yet, many married couples have horrible stories about "no-shows" ruining their wedding day and their finances.
Although the couple didn't send the invoice to their pals, several Twitter users believed it was inappropriate to make it at all, implying that some visitors may not have felt safe traveling during the pandemic. Even though a few people thought it was rude, many of them agreed that abandoning friends on their wedding day is worse.
Esther Lee, a senior editor at The Knot, said she'd never heard of a wedding invoice before but understands why it's causing such a stir. Even if the guests were at fault, Lee argued that if Simmons had issued the invoice, it would have been against conventional wedding etiquette.
The no-show attendees, according to Lee, should still give the happy couple a present because they RSVPed that they would be attending the wedding. Janessa White, the co-founder of Simply Eloped, said the couples should budget for no-shows or last-minute cancellations, but she acknowledged that this invoice is an example of how the wedding industry is "hugely out of control" in terms of expenses, as per TODAY.
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