6/23/03 Dear Abby
 

I just ordered the invitations for my November wedding, so I am always looking for some solid advice or a funny story about weddings. I am reading my local paper today and came across the following letter in the Dear Abby column. I pasted this from the Dear Abby website, as my paper had edited out some of the letter. I literally sat here speechless. I would never do this to my family (or any other guest)!

DEAR ABBY: I'm enclosing a wedding announcement my family and I received yesterday. My family and I are shocked and appalled. It reads:

"Dear Family: I am asking for your cooperation and understanding. My wedding will be very costly, and this has caused me to make some unpleasant decisions.

"I hope you will see this as a request for a donation and not a charge for you to attend my wedding. I cannot figure out any way other than to ask each guest to contribute to the cost. If anyone is insulted by my request, I am sincerely sorry.

"Your $330 contribution must be received on or before June 30. Only postal money orders will be accepted. Please purchase it only from a U.S. post office. Thank you for your contribution."

My question is, how should this "invitation" be handled? We don't have this kind of money. Should we tell the bride-to-be what bad manners this is? -- APPALLED IN OHIO

DEAR APPALLED: No. Please allow me to do it for you. What you received is not an invitation. It is a solicitation. Not only is it tacky; it is unbelievably insulting. When a couple marries, all monetary contributions should be voluntary. To specify that the "gift" be paid via money order implies that there might be insufficient funds to cash the check.

If I received such an "invitation," I would not send a money order. I would send my regrets. I recommend that you do the same. Readers, I challenge you to top this!

Oh my god! That has to take a lot of balls to send that! What the hell were they thinking!

Tacky, tacky, tacky!

The thought of that bride and groom reproducing is truly terrifying.

:eek:

If you ever get an invite to a "greenback" wedding, that's essentially the same thing: a couple asking for money.

If you cannot afford it, don't get married until you can. Simple as that.

You'll take my fruit bowl and like it! Or auction it off on Ebay. People give gifts because they want to, NOT because they have to.

People in this world sure are getting greedier day by day, man...

tacky as hell. it looks like they need to go straight down to justice of peace.

Super tacky.:rolleyes:

Congratulations on your Engagement!!:)

Oh dear!!! :eek: These people need to get their heads examined!

And why in the world would you have a wedding that big & expensive if you couldn't pay for it? I mean, you are obviously trying to look "rich" by throwing a fancy event. However, the facade is ruined when you ask for $$$ from your guests!!!!!

P.S. All of you can come to my wedding for the low, low price of three easy installments of $49.95 :p

Completely true!!

I've seen many weddings that were very nice and tasteful and were also very gorgeous without having to be that expensive per person! (and without having to ask the guests for 3 easy payments of $49.95 :p)

Agreed! That is just completely inappropriate.

If I had received an invitation like that I would call up the bride and groom, and tell them I would not be attending and it was because of the rude invitation I was sent. I would tell them it wasn't my job to pay for the wedding and if they couldn't afford the wedding they wanted, they should wait until they could, or cut back on some of the frills.

Then I would wish the couple all the happiness in the world and hang up.:D

That's just not cool. I hope this person does not attend this wedding.

Oh my dayum!!!!!:eek: :eek:

They need to see Dr. Phil. He'll straighten them out. :p :p

HOLY CRAP! HOW RUDE!

If they're so poor that they cannot afford the wedding why did they waist their money on invitations and postage only to insult the guests and family!?:confused:

I'd tell the bride (cuz most likely it was her doing) to get a grip and mail her a penny!

I hope that anyone who received that invitation decided not to attend!

tacky, tacky, tacky

Of course I would send her something:

A note saying "How tacky! You can kiss my azz!"