GMA: Couples Get Creative To Cut Down on Wedding Costs, Charge Family and Friends to Attend Wedding

[stewie_e]

Would you buy a ticket to watch your friend get married?

Some couples are getting creative to cut down on wedding costs. @eriellereshef has more. pic.twitter.com/OZtP8BDBXo
- Good Morning America (@GMA) August 7, 2024
One couple got creative to save money on their wedding day: charge family and friends for a ticket to attend for $333. Bride Nova

Comments

[purrple_267]

It's not mandatory, but money is the most common and expected wedding gift in my country, so they're just asking upfront. 🤷🏼‍♀️ That it's a specific amount that might be too much for some is the part that bothers me.

[delfintaka]

Yeah, i always give money too (and come from a culture where it's the norm). $300 is a sister level gift. $100 is what I give, except for the closest of family.

They need to adjust their expectations.

[chll51]

I think the difference here is they are asking for a certain amount right off the bat.

My culture is also a money gifting one but you can choose to give whatever. Personally, I wouldn't go and drop $333 on a friend that I don't know well well.

[skyler_white_yo]

I wish money as a gift was more accepted here. When my cousin got married, she really just wanted money, but she was bullied into having a gift registry. She picked out stuff she needed/wanted, but certain members of her family insisted that she pick out a bunch of stuff to make the registry look full. I made the mistake of ordering a filler gift for her not realizing it was a filler gift. If I knew that she just wanted money, I would have given her money. I think she did end up sending back my gift and used the money to get what she wanted.
When she had her baby shower, I ignored her registry and asked her directly what she needed.

[babarsuhail]

Same here in Pakistan

[marzipanism]

It's pretty standard where I'm from to give cash to cover the cost of your plate + a little something extra for the couple. Like if it's $100/per plate I'll give $300 for my husband and me.

At $333/per person I wanna know what we're eating, drinking and what the entertainment is for the night!

[aleksie]

I just realized that a couple would pay $666.

[mystic_kiwi]

It's not uncommon to give money as a wedding gift in the US (at least not the parts I've gone to weddings in, I know there's a lot of regional differences) but to me being asked for a certain amount up front is still really gross. I've had friends get married when I was really hard off financially and I've said to them "I can either travel to attend the wedding or get you a gift, I can't afford both right now," or I've only been able to give like $50, and they've always said "we want YOU there to celebrate us and that's more important than the gift." And you know, I wish I could give my friends hundreds of dollars or buy the most expensive thing of their registry but I've never had that kind of financial freedom.

Weddings are big gifting events, and every time someone tries to pretend they aren't I roll my eyes, but making your guests buy a ticket feels you only care about the gift and aren't inviting me because you like me/think I'd be fun to celebrate with/am family but because you only care about the gift.

[floatinglately]

i’m in the US and i’ve known couples who were very upfront on their registry that their main ask gift-wise was contributions to their “honeypot” fund to fund their honeymoon (which is basically just saying “cash preferred” lol cuz it’s not like they’re gonna send me the receipt to prove that’s where the money went) and i’ve always thought that was fine but yeah asking for “tickets” feels very different