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

“I think this is an incredibly stupid idea." 

Image: iStock.

Weddings are expensive affairs and one budget-busting couple have decided to save money on a reception asking their guests to join them after dinner at a nightclub.

A friend of the groom who was not a fan of this “incredibly stupid idea” took to Reddit to share her frustration.

“My husband has a friend who is getting married next year,” she begins her rant. 

“He and his fiancée have booked a fancy mansion in an expensive area for the ceremony and dinner. However, the venue doesn’t allow music after 9pm and, to save money, they actually aren’t having any music at all. 

“So instead of dancing and socializing after dinner, the couple is asking the guests to leave by nine and join them at a crowded nightclub in another part of the city at their own expense for dancing and drinks.”

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"This takes the cake!"

The woman says the couple are calling this part of their wedding day the reception although she says she can’t believe guests will be keen to go.

“The nightclub is one of those places with a stiff cover charge where people stand in line to get in. I think this is an incredibly stupid idea I can’t fathom guests going along with it. 

“I thought I had heard everything, but this takes the cake.”

Hundreds of commenters had an opinion on whether this was a good idea with one saying how they attended a wedding without realising when a local bride and groom held their reception in a similar way.

“I once went to a Great Gatsby-themed night at a swanky local bar with a lovely seating area,” the user writes about her bizarre wedding experience. 

“What I didn't know until AFTER I paid the cover charge was that it was a wedding reception, and the couple had opened it to the public with a cover charge to recoup some of the costs, but didn't inform their other guests. I knew a few people there, but not the couple. It was SO WEIRD having random people come over and ask how we knew the couple.”

Another person commenting on the thread had an awkward experience at their brother and sister-in -law's wedding reception where there was a distinct lack of planning.

“They had to be out of their venue by 9 pm.. but since they're big drinkers and wanted to keep the celebration going, they had an after-party at a local bar and club but failed to note that guests had to pay for drinks or that there was a cover charge. 

“They also didn't notify the bar beforehand to expect a sudden influx of nearly 100 people. They just ‘assumed’ it would all be fine … Needless to say, it was not fine.”

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"An after party at a bar - that was closed"

Another user had an even worse experience at a friend’s wedding that involved a walk on a freezing winter’s night to a closed hotel bar.

“They planned an after-party at a bar and even put it on the invitations. It was a cluster getting people there…we lost people as we tried to find the place. We got to the bar… it was completely dark because they were closed. 

“The happy couple didn't think to contact the bar about having dozens of people there for an after-party and just assumed it would be open.” 

One older person commenting on this budget saving approach said it only works for certain guests and that maybe some couples had different priorities..

“I’m old and the last time I went to a wedding the dance floor didn’t open up until 10pm and I had an hour drive home so I just left super bummed I didn’t get to dance. Having to drive across town, park, stand in line, and pay a cover charge when the wedding ended at 9pm? Absolutely not, I’m going home to bed.

“One of my pet peeves is when couples clearly go all out on things that will look pretty in photos and scrimp on basic things for their guests. Like you couldn’t dip into your flower budget and hire a DJ and a hall for a couple hours?”

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"We paid for a round of shots"

Finally one poster shared how this type of local bar wedding could actually be done well with a bit of additional planning.

“At my wedding, we had an ‘after party’  at an Irish pub with live music,” the poster explains.

“We paid for a party bus to transport our guests to the pub, and we also had reserved a back section of the pub so guests had somewhere to sit. We had also paid for a round of shots that were waiting for our guests on arrival.

“We paid for all of their drinks during our 2 hour cocktail ‘hour’ and all drinks during the dinner reception. We also paid for, and provided guests drinks on the party bus. We were only at the pub for about an hour and a half but our guests loved it.

“I don’t think having an after party type event at a club or pub is tacky in itself, but I do think it’s important to make sure the guests have transportation and that they aren’t waiting in line/paying cover charges.”

Originally published as Bride and groom's 'bizarre' budget reception plan outrages guests