Have you been following the story on the Internet about the “ungrateful” brides and the “cheap” wedding guests? I’m using the terms “ungrateful” and “cheap” because I don’t want to truly label anyone.
In a nutshell a woman and her boyfriend were invited to a co-workers wedding. As a wedding gift they gave them a wicker basket filled with goodies – Tri-color pasta, salsas, Balsamic vinegar and Olive oil, Gourmet croutons, Panko Breading, Pesto, some baking ingredients, Biscuits from Godiva. They also included other goodies such as Sour Patch Kids, Butterscotch sauce and Marshmallow Fluff. The note on the gift read “Life is delicious….Enjoy“.
One of the brides (it was a same-sex marriage) texted the gift giver asking for the receipt for the gift because her spouse couldn’t have gluten. The guest pointed out that just a week or so before they were all together at a restaurant, eating pasta, and there was never any mention of gluten. He apologized because he was unaware of a gluten issue and dug the receipt out of the garbage.
The next day he gets a text from the other bride, lecturing him on “wedding etiquette”, and informing him that they spent $100 per plate per guest and that they should have given them cash, or at least a gift worth that amount. To quote the bride “Weddings are to make money for your future. Not to pay for peoples meals.”
The gift giver pointed out that weddings are a celebration, not a way to make money.
They went back and forth with each other via text messages and Facebook messages. The argument eventually made it’s way to the local paper (online). You can read more about it here and here.
My husband and I eloped. We did look into what was required for weddings in Gatlinburg TN. We’re in New York, but was have friends and family in Tennessee, so we considered “tying the knot” down south.
Sometimes I miss not having the fancy wedding and beautiful dress. Other times I am grateful that we did to avoid all the headaches, drama and expenses.
My husband and I are humble people. We don’t have a lot of money and we live below our means. When we give each other gifts it’s gifts from the heart, not $$$$ gifts. For example, one Christmas all I was able to get my husband was a Matchbox/Hot Wheels type car (I can’t remember which one it was). He used to talk about his favorite toy car when he was a little boy. It was the same car from the Smokey and the Bandit movies. After doing much research and looking around I found the exact toy car he had and bought it for him. It cost me around $12 but it’s one of the best gifts he’s ever received, as per my husband.
This past Christmas I got him a plush teddy bear. Not just any teddy bear. It’s Ted E. Bear from the Christmas special The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. It’s one of his favorite holiday specials. He loved it and proudly displayed it on the back of our couch.
My husband has given me gifts from the heart too such as a poem he wrote me that he had printed on a sweatshirt. When our daughter was an infant I needed a new diaper bag because the one I had was falling apart and he gave me a new one. Was it an exciting or expensive gift? No. But he knew it was something I wanted and needed.
If I had a fancy, $$$$$$$$$, wedding I wouldn’t expect all my guests to compensate me in cash or gifts for the amount of money it cost me to feed them. That is a horrible thing to expect. I know that people have budget issues. I wouldn’t expect a family member or friend who can barely get by to shell out hundreds in cash just to attend my wedding. I would want that family member or friend to be a guest at my wedding to celebrate the day with me.
My husband was in the wedding party for his best friend. We knew we would have to buy them an expensive gift only because he was a member of the bridal party. His friend told him he did not want a gift from us. All he wanted was for my husband to take a sip of champagne. My husband is 45 years old and has never, ever tasted alcohol. He has no interest in it. His friend on the other hand loves to drink and all he wanted was for my husband to take ONE SIP of champagne in lieu of a gift. My husband opted for a gift.
His wedding cost about $100 per person, but all we could afford was $150 in cash. I doubt his friend would have complained. After all, he didn’t want a gift he just wanted my hubby to sip some champagne.
They spent over $50,000+ on the wedding AND bought a (then) $250,000+ house. He cheated on his wife and two years later they were divorced. Sigh…
My husband and I haven’t gone to many weddings because of the pressure to give expensive gifts. I even get stressed out at bridal showers and baby showers because I feel it’s a competition to see who can give the biggest, best and most expensive gift and that the little gifts are pushed aside.
For my cousin’s bridal shower I got her things to bake and cook with. Since she LOVES to cook and bake I also gave her a cookbook personally autographed by Chef Bobby Flay. The products I purchased didn’t cost a lot (around $50) but I thought the autographed cookbook would have been something special. She loved it. 🙂
We didn’t attend her wedding because my husband couldn’t afford a suit, I had nothing special to wear and we couldn’t bring out kids. The wedding was out of state and we would have been gone all day and couldn’t leave our kids home for that long. I regret not going to that wedding. Her husband died unexpectedly three months after they got married. To this day I regret not being able to go. 🙁
Someone on one of the articles (linked above) made the suggestion of putting on the invitations that “we expect guests to give us $$$ to attend our wedding” so people know whether or not they can afford it.
Did you know that the average wedding guest shells out over $500 to attend a wedding between the gift, clothing, hotel stay and so forth. Ouch! That is a lot of $$$.
What do you think about the situation? If it was your wedding and you received such a gift, would you complain and ask for the receipt? Or would you humbly accept it and if you didn’t need/want it donate it to a local charity?
Do you think the guests were being “cheap” by giving the gift basket, or just creative (I like the “Life is delicious” part)?
Are the brides “ungrateful” or the guests “cheap”?
Kimberly
Hedy @ Penny for my Thoughts says
Ungrateful brides. If you want me to repay my cost of attendance at your wedding, I am not sure why you invited me. Don’t have more wedding than you can afford, period.
Cheri says
A gift is a gift, period. You say thank you. Actually you should send a thank you card but at the bare minimum you say thank you. If you’re inviting people to your wedding to get expensive gifts you really need to look inside your heart and try to figure out why you’re such a selfish jerk.
Stephanie Hodges says
I agree with Hedy@Penny formythoughts. If someone pointed out to me “well, your plate was such and such cost” I would point it out it was their decision to have such an expensive meal planned/catered and they are the ones who have the decision of their attending party’s body count. The gift has seem it lost its value of love and appreciation and instead placed with the value of what is on the price tag. There was one girl who refused to shop at anything but high end stores. A dress she wanted was out of her budget and her cousin found it at a discount store (I want to say it was similar to a Goodwill kind of store). The bridge refused. Even though it was the same dress, same size and nothing wrong (just needed dry cleaned the most), she said no because it was used and in that store. People have a loss of sight now when it comes to weddings and marriages or gifts in general. We didn’t get much for our baby (never got a shower) and we eloped (didn’t get bridle showers etc). But the little we did get randomly, we kept and was very appreciative. That goody basket that was sent for that wedding, I would have been ever so happy to get.
Rachael says
Oh SOOOOO ungrateful!!
These women really need to examine their priorities. I read the same story, with slightly more detail, in which one of the brides is quoted saying, “People get married so other’s will give them lots of money for starting their lives!”
Um…NO.
People get married, hopefully, because they love each other/are having a family/want to be together/have similar concerns…and why should ANYONE feel obligated to give the marrying couple money for anything? OR GIFTS AT ALL? Most invitations are about inviting you to “share this blessed event”, etc etc
Janet W. says
What a crazy story! Weddings are out of control these days in my opinion. It should be about celebrating the love between two people and not how much you spent just to show off in front of others.
Sandy Cain says
The texting bride needs to have her head examined. I feel sorry for her wife!
R says
I have 2 small children. Do you know what I tell them? I tell them no matter what the gift is you say THANK YOU even if you already have it or don’t love it. Then I am teaching them to send Thank You cards. They write them out themselves with huge crooked lettering and my friends and family love it. Then I usually get the response, did you know so and so never told me they got the gift. So I feel I am doing the right thing by raising gentleman. Where are their manners. These women are rude and ungrateful. Personally I would love a basket like that.
Lisa says
Like you, my husband and I eloped. At the time, we didn’t have the money to have a lavish wedding so we went to our local town hall one day and got married. I would never expect to get back what I spent on my own wedding. Some people are crazy and ungrateful! If that’s how most people think, I’ll think twice before I attend a wedding now.
Allyson Bossie says
First of all, I have never had a wedding (married 2x’s). The first time was a choice to go to the court house and “elope”, and I thought it would be fun. It wasn’t :D, and I wish I had a wedding. The second time I had three kids, he had one kid, we shared one kid=five kids. We just didn’t have the finances, so we went to the courthouse and then took the kids for a fun Mexican dinner complete with yummy drinks and fried ice cream which was their idea of heaven. However, if I had $10k to spare, I wouldn’t expect gifts because we have everything we need, and to expect money seems a bit greedy and brat-like to me.
That being said, I don’t think a basket of random food goodies is appropriate for a wedding present, but you have to consider a MAN did the selecting and he has no idea about china patterns, great crystal, and fancy pretties for the home. I think she should be lucky he even understood to take a wedding gift since my husband would be totally clueless as the caveman he is. I personally have always given some fabulous piece of crystal, and I had absolutely no idea that this was no longer acceptable and that $200+ is supposedly the norm now? Honestly, if this is the case, as a SAHM, I simply can’t afford to attend any weddings. Thankfully, I haven’t gone to one in 10 years so I haven’t committed a faux paux!
Denise B. says
These two are definitely most ungrateful. What they spend on their wedding is their problem. The attitude that a wedding is to make money is most arrogant. It’s also arrogant to expect something from anyone. They should simply be happy with those invited attending and sharing in the day without any expectations.
Karen Glatt says
This is so rude to read about a co-worker chewing out this couple for the gift they gave them. It is not anyone’s fault on how much a wedding costs today. If a couple want to spend a lot of money on their wedding then that is their prerogative. But to scold someone for their gift, and humiliate them is awful and I would never have anything to do with these people! People give what they can afford. When family members or friends love someone, they do not put pressure on them to buy something more than they can afford! This couple are showing their true colors that they only invited people not that they cared about them! But they invited people to get presents!! Awful!
Rosie says
I eloped, too, and I’m glad I did. I know couples who have a wedding with expectations of making big money and spending big money on it, and then don’t. Too much pressure on everyone. The happiest strategy would be if you can afford a big wedding and don’t need to break even or make money on it, then no problem. But if you (or the parents) can only afford something more humble, everyone will still have a good time and be happy!
katherine says
The brides are extremely ungrateful. A wedding is a celebration not a time to recoup your losses. IT should be about sharing with your big day with people you love. Also, I think that gift is adorable and well thought out.
Amanda S. says
Oh my gosh, I had no idea weddings were so out of control! I haven’t been to one in years and years, and mine was a tiny backyard wedding. My niece is getting married this summer out of state and I just attended her bridal shower. I bought something off of her registry, but it wasn’t very expensive (we are on a tight budget) and now I feel kind of embarrassed. What I had planned to give her for her wedding seems like not enough now. I am driving with my kids (10+ hours) and staying a couple of nights at a hotel, so it is already blowing the budget. Wow, makes me not want to go. 🙁 I know she wouldn’t ever say anything about a gift not being “good enough”, but I never realized you were supposed to give such big gifts.
Kate F. says
I can’t believe those brides had the nerve to complain about the gift a co-worker gave them! I think it’s fine if a couple wants to spend a lot of money on their wedding, but they shouldn’t expect their guests to match that with their wedding gifts.
courtney b says
very ungrateful! any gift whether cheap or expensive or even free is something thoughtful and should be appreciated!
Betsy Barnes says
The brides are ungrateful! This is exactly why I don’t attend weddings, seems like its a competition to see who gave the best gift. I was thrilled with every wedding gift we received and thankful that ppeople cared. 🙂
Michelle P says
I saw that post on Jezebel and I have to say that those two brides need a good kick in the pants. My mother raised me to be grateful for whatever I receive – these women obviously missed that lesson. It saddens me that there are people like that out there.
Rust says
I don’t know what ever happened to ‘class’ and graciousness …and manners. The “brides” (please) were ungrateful and terribly rude. The gift was very appropriate. There’s a lot to be said for being humble and realizing the value of the simple things.
Karen R says
The brides are ungrateful. They were lucky to get a gift at all. I got so many invitations for weddings and showers when I worket it was ridiculous. I just worked with these people. We weren’t friends.
Sarah L says
There is no ‘quid pro quo’ in gift giving. Say THANK YOU.
Robin Wilson says
I have been quite ill and not following this, but I am absolutely appalled!! How ungrateful can someone get? I must have missed the memo that said you were supposed to make money on a wedding! If only I had known we wouldn’t have gotten married at the courthouse to try and save ourselves and our families the expense! Quite frankly I would be thrilled to get such a gift basket! It shows more thought and love than handing someone a gift card that you picked up the grocery store. I wish they would have given them the receipt in shreds. I hope that all of the publicity will help teach the ungrateful brides a lesson, but I tend to doubt it,
Ali Workentin says
Rude on both of the “brides” parts!. The wedding gift sounds wonderful.
Susan Smith says
How ungrateful. The couple getting married shouldn’t be concerned with how much a gift costs. It’s the thought that counts.I think some brides spend more time thinking about their wedding than their marriage. My husband and I got married in Las Vegas, and had a dinner receptions when we got back. It was for financial reasons that we didn’t have a big wedding. We have been married for 25 years. My SIL had a big wedding soon after and she was divorced within 2 years.
Julie G says
As opposed to TV shows focused on the extravagances of current weddings, I would like to see a wedding etiquette show. The Bride in this story is entitled, shallow, and lacking in basic manners.
Cat Davis | Food Family & Finds says
This whole situation disgusts me. I’ve never heard of such an ungrateful person and then to publicly shame the gift giver? Horrible!
At my own wedding, we only received cash as gifts. At every wedding I’ve attended, cash was the only gift given. I can understand why she’d expect cash but that was a sweet and thoughtful gift, which I would have loved even more than cash.
Tammy S says
I think the Brides were beyond ungrateful! What happened to a little common curtsey? When you receive a gift, regardless of what it is or how much it cost you say Thank you! It is not the guest responsibility to pay off your wedding by buying you some expensive gift. I don’t care if you have tons of money or not, a gift is a gift. Be polite and donate it if you don’t want it.
ANN*H says
Yes they are ungrateful. A wedding is because you want to share your happiness with them. Not oh whos gonna buy me the best wedding gift. And just asking for money is rude. I totally think weddings are way out of hand . All that money for one day – no way
weddings arent about things their about sharing and caring and memories. One day down the line you may be hurting for money – gotta sell that expensive wedding dress to put food on the table for the family – reality sets in
Diana Stanhope says
Wow the bride is ungrateful! A gift is special no matter the cost!
Auriette says
You accept what you get, and if you don’t want it, you can give it away, sell it, or return it (without asking for a receipt; some stores will work with you).
When I got married, only the expensive stores had gift registries. I made a list of things I would like to have (colors for bedroom linens and bathroom towels, some specific dishes (not fine china), and a few household things, like an iron and ironing board. I made a note that the items on my list could be found at Walmart, Target, and other lower-cost stores that did not, at that time, offer gift registries.
I got a couple of really bizarre things. An elderly friend of the family gave us a set of Tervis tumblers with butterfly patches inside. They were awful, and someone told me later that this friend had said she couldn’t understand why I wanted them, but that was on my list! I had some glass tumblers on the list, and I can’t imagine how she got confused. I just laugh about those (we eventually donated them somewhere, I think).
The other gift I got that I still wrote a nice thank you note for but always resented was a box of Freezer Pops from my husband’s then-best friend and his wife. Supposedly it was some sort of “inside joke.” My husband had been to their wedding, rented the tux, gave them $100 cash as a gift (and this was 20+ years ago). These friends did not come to our wedding (it was out of town), did not come to our reception that was held in the area, and (I found out later) had tried to talk my husband out of marrying me (it was a whirlwind romance). It irritates me to this day because this guy was my husband’s best friend, and I felt like they so resented him marrying me that they tried to diminish it by making a joke. I would rather have gotten nothing. Still, it wasn’t worth starting a fight over. Neither is the foodie gift basket.
Denise Taylor-Dennis says
I personally think it is the thought that counts. I think that if you are planning a wedding you shouldn’t expect to receive a gift of a certain amount.
Christian Alejandro says
I feel like the brides are burning bridges over something nonsensical. As you mentioned guests have to not only pay for a gift, but travel, hotel, and even losing a day or two of work all accumulates. It’s unfortunate how poorly they handled their disappointment towards a gift.
Anja says
If it was my wedding and i received such a gift,i would not complain and ask for the receipt, i would humbly accept it and if I didn’t need/want it donate it to a local charity
We eloped so i am like you, both my kids got married and it cost us a lot, but our kids did not expect any
of gifts, was thankful for whatever they received. People should plan their wedding on their budget and
should not expect their guest to pay for their wedding expense , guest should give what they can afford.
no one should tell you what gift you should give.
generally speaking, gifts when given should be appreciated and in this case it was a gift that had a lot of thought and effort put into it , monetary gifts are a cop out. i do give monetary gifts for weddings because it is easier, its always worrysome if it is enough
Anne says
I hadn’t heard about this kerfuffle, but from what you say, it seems to me that both of the brides are greedy and rude. That gift basket is a great idea, and a lot of thought went into choosing the items that went into it. It’s a shame, because now a possible friendship might have grown from the co-worker relationship, but now there’s no chance of that ever happening.
md kennedy says
I just have a huge problem with Big $ weddings to start with – such a waste of money! Book a restaurant, get a priest and after the vows, have a great party! No gifts, period. This is what my husband I did and 15 years later everyone still says it was the best wedding they ever went to.