Newlyweds Send $240 Invoice to No-Show Wedding Guests — "You Have an Obligation to Show Up"

Is there anything more unnecessarily stressful than wedding planning? I would argue that if you're getting so worked up over celebrating your special day to the point where the day itself becomes more important than that special someone you're spending the rest of your life with, well, then you probably don't think that special someone is so special.

But that hasn't stopped the wedding industry from being worth a whopping $52.1 billion in the United States as of 2021. People go through some insane lengths to ensure that the day they tie-the-knot goes exactly as planned, but because we're all apart of this imperfect human race where people's words are about as interchangeable as underwear, things inevitably go awry.

Whether it's the caterer trying to screw you on portions, the DJ rolling too hard that they start playing scary the kind of gospel, or guests who RSVP'ed who end up being no shows, there are any number of things that can go wrong with a person's wedding day.

And while you could file business complaints with individuals performing services for your wedding, it's not like you can slap a no-show guest with an invoice.

Or can you?

It's hard not to let out an anguished sigh whenever you get invited to a destination wedding. The absolute narcissism it takes to expect your close friends and family to upend all of their plans and schedules and then hop on a plane, forking over a ton of money and time in the process, just to see you do what every other slob who's afraid of dying alone at a venue where folks wearing white polyester outfits are getting paid $1.10 an hour to pretend like they care about you, is unreal.

Of course, you always have the choice to just opt out of the destination wedding, right? There's no need to tell the soon-to-be-married folks that you're going to show up. Maybe you send them a little check in the mail or tick a box off their wedding registry and plan on seeing them when they're back from their honeymoon. No harm no foul, right?

But what about the guests who say that they're going to show up no matter what and that they will be there and they're super looking forward to the matrimonial extravaganza? What happens when you save their spot at the destination wedding venue and everything it entails, and you're out a few bucks because they decided last minute not to show?

Some would say that's the cost of doing business, and that business is getting married. Sure, it's a grimy thing to do, but some people were raised to think that their excuses are being accepted while they meanwhile are secretly loathed and/or not trusted by anyone who views them as absolute flakes.

HuffPost editor Philip Lewis posted a photo of a wedding invoice from the couple, Doug & Dedra who held their wedding at the Royalton Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica.

And it's about as legitimate looking of an invoice as it gets.

There are 7 different digits in the invoice number (how many people did they invite to this wedding?!) and judging from the slip it appears that the cost of dinner was $120, something that Doug and Dedra planned on recouping from the no shows who first said that they were coming to the destination wedding but then never showed.

The invoice was first sent out on August 18, 2021 and graciously gives the recipient a full 30 days to render payment through a variety of different options.

What people seem to really be getting a kick out of is the "notes" section of the invoice. It reads: "This invoice is being sent to you because you confirmed seat(s) at the wedding reception during the Final Headcount. The amount above is the cost of your individual seats. Because you didn't call or give us proper notice that you wouldn't be in attendance, this amount is what you owe us for paying for your seat(s) in advance."

The invoice continues: "You can pay via Zelle or PayPal. Please reach out to us and let us know which method of payment works for you. Thank you!"

The New York Post was able to identify the folks who sent the invoice as Doug Simmons and Dedra McGee. Simmons posted a copy of the invoice on his Facebook page and appended the hashtag #PETTYPOST and spoke about the document.

While speaking with the outlet, he said that although the post was indeed "petty" he was "not some trifling person who is going to bill somebody."

Simmons, the frustrated groom who helped craft the invoice, says that it was more about the principle of not calling someone who was planning a destination wedding and less about the money that was wasted.

"Four times we asked, 'Are you available to come, can you make it?,' and they kept saying 'Yes.' We had to pay in advance for Jamaica - this was a destination wedding."

Folks on social media were having a field day in responding to the posted invoice. Some nearly broke their necks climbing on a high horse to shame the couple for having a "wedding in a pandemic."

Then there were others who thought that while it was whack of the guests to confirm multiple times and not show up, it was ultimately lame of Doug & Dedre to post an invoice about it.

Then there were those who thought that the couple should most certainly pay up and that the letter basically stated what everyone was thinking in the first place.

What do you think? Who's in the wrong here? Or are both parties guilty of being lame?