The bride and groom asked us to bring our own desserts to the black-tie wedding

“We’re both foreseeing a lot of McDonald’s runs after the reception.”

Weddings can be some of the most expensive affairs in a lifetime, so making a few cuts here and there can help keep the hefty price down. But how far should you go to save a quick buck? 

Stephanie* was excited when she received the invitation to her friend Maria* and *Justin's wedding. While she’s not exactly close with the couple, she was looking forward to attending the celebrations. 

Then she saw the invitation. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

Please bring your own dessert to the black tie wedding. Picture: iStock

"We’re foreseeing a lot of McDonald’s runs after the reception"

At first, everything seemed normal. It’s a “semi-formal and black tie” event, so guests would expect to be treated to a somewhat luxurious event … right?

Not really. The wedding was set to be an “afternoon wedding”, but since it starts at 3pm, Stephanie could expect to find herself there until 8pm - certainly a far cry from the "afternoon".

RELATED: My photographer cancelled days before the wedding, then made an unhinged request

“They’re holding it outside, in the middle of October,” Stephanie’s friend, Lara*, told Reddit. Since the wedding will be held in a ”northern state” of the US, the guests can expect to feel a serious chill. 

“[The area] has definitely seen snowfall in the past around the time of the wedding,” Lara said. 

While the guests will be freezing cold watching their mutual friends tie the knot, they’ll probably end up starving, too. See, the bride and groom aren’t exactly known for their generosity; in fact, they’re best known for “being kind of stingy and greedy”. 

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

There will be no alcohol served at the wedding, which isn’t too out of the ordinary; instead, there will be “coffee, tea and fruit-infused water” on offer. “We will not serve alcohol. Sorry!” the invitation read. “It’s expensive, and we’re not drinkers.” 

“I totally get wanting to save money, but not even mocktails?” shocked Lara wrote. “Or at the very least, some soda?”

To make matters weirder, the couple agreed they wouldn't serve any main dishes, just a set of “heavy hors d'oeuvres” which “should be enough to satisfy everyone”.  

“We’re both foreseeing a lot of McDonald’s runs after the reception,” Lara laughed. 

But that wasn’t even the worst part. Guests, who may be able to hear their tummies rumbling at the event, are also expected to bring their own dessert. To the wedding. Seriously. 

Then, to twist the knife a little further, the happy couple “have a $1200 TV on their registry”, expecting their guests to fork out thousands while they starve and freeze at their nuptials.

“This ‘between semi-formal and black tie’ wedding is asking people to bring their own desserts to share,” Lara wrote. “Come to our wedding! We won’t feed you, you have to bring your own dessert, and we hope you’re okay sucking down fruit-infused water … but can you pretty please buy a TV worth four figures for us?”

RELATED: Bride and groom's 'bizarre' budget reception plan outrages guests

“Either feed your guests or don’t have a party”

At first, people weren’t too fussed about the budget-friendly wedding, but the BYO dessert request took things straight into “tacky” territory.

“I'm imagining freezing in a formal gown, sucking down coffee and tea to stay warm and ending up miserably overcaffeinated. Sounds... Fun,” read a comment. 

“These people have no clue what kind of wedding they want,” said another. “Black tie with snacks?” 

“I understand a bar is expensive but when the invite website plainly makes a complaint about expenses, on top of all this other nonsense, it just comes off as tacky,” a third wrote. “I get wanting to keep a budget down and not having alcohol,” a person agreed. “But asking people to dress up in formal wear to eat snacks and homemade desserts until 8pm doesn't compute.”

Others took issue with expecting guests to dress to the nines, only to leave them starving in a garden. “If I have to put on shapewear, you had best be feeding me a full meal,” a woman wrote. “Hell, it could BE McDonald's, but it had best be a full meal.”

The wedding was a recipe for disaster, others recognised. 

“My cousin served ‘heavy apps’ at his wedding… it was at a regular wedding time (5:00, I think?). The food was gone quickly. Everyone left hungry, despite the seven cakes they had. And the hotel’s restaurant’s kitchen was closed by the time we got back,” someone wrote. 

“Why do people do this? Either feed your guests or don’t have a party.”

*Names have been changed

Originally published as The bride and groom asked us to bring our own desserts to the black-tie wedding