Less than a year ago, my cousin "Rachel" decided to marry the guy she'd been living with for the last two and a half years. The wedding was a $40,000 extravaganza at a local castle,
with nothing but the best. The bride's parents were asked to finance the entire event, even though they enjoy very modest means (he's a construction worker, and she's a bank teller). Graciously and lovingly, they agreed, and proceeded to take out a loan to cover most of the expense. Another note I must add is that my family (and therefore, Rachel's family) is of Portuguese descent, and so were the vast majority of the guests. Portuguese weddings are expected to be very lavish, with several courses of seafood, meats, and desserts and a completely open bar. Likewise, the guests know that nothing less than a generous gift is expected of them, preferably in cash. (It's just the unspoken custom in this culture). Therefore, my cousin and her new husband were treated to VERY expensive wedding gifts. For example, my parents gave her a $1,000 check.
My gift to the bride and groom amounted to approximately $500. There were approximately 300 guests, so you can imagine how huge a booty they walked off with at the end of the evening.
This would all be fine and dandy, if they hadn't decided to get a divorce three days into their honeymoon.
Nothing dramatic had happened, no fights, nothing. Just a "mutual decision" that they weren't ready for that sort of commitment yet" (mind you they had lived together for almost three years by then, and it should not have taken a $40,000 wedding to determine that they "weren't ready"). To make a long story short, instead of returning the gifts they received to the people who had so generously given them, they decided to keep them (even though their marriage officially lasted a grand total of only three days). What's worse, I recently found out from her own mother that they returned all the gifts and split the money in half. Furthermore, Rachel never made an offer to use that money to help her parents repay the huge loan they had taken out to finance her wedding... Also, neither my parents nor I have yet received a thank you note (although the so-called "wedding" took place almost a year ago) for the gifts we gave them --and a few other guests to whom I have spoken have not either. Apparently, since the marriage was a bust, they felt no need to acknowledge the gifts (or to return them, for that matter!). Needless to say, we are all outraged at their immeasurable and shameless greed.
Can you all tell that THIS is not a BLACK family!!?!?!?! If it were, whoooooo daddy!!