Aussie bride’s decision to charge a ‘no-show’ fee from a guest sparks major debate online

An Aussie bride has sparked a heated online debate about revealing her controversial plan to charge guests a fee for last-minute cancellations.

An Aussie bride’s controversial decision to charge a “no-show fee” from a guest who decided they couldn’t come to her wedding last minute has sent the internet into a spiral.

Sharing with the podcast She’s on The Money, the woman wanted to find out if it is acceptable to ask the guest to cover the cost of their seat, especially since they pulled out of her interstate wedding with only a several days warning.

“It’s now one week out from the wedding and I have already given the confirmed numbers to the venue and paid the outstanding amount, which was $18,600,” the bride shared with the podcast hosts.

“Within the last week ten guests, who had previously RSVP’d that they were coming have now cancelled citing that its too expensive for them to travel interstate.

“I am scrambling to cover their seats, otherwise I’m effectively wasting $2000.

“Is it reasonable to request that they cover these costs themselves?”

The woman explained she provided all guests with a “Save the Date” one and a half years ago and sent formal invitations in January this year, with most people RSVP’ing by July.

“So sorry, I know we RSVP’d yes and the wedding is next week but we just can’t afford to travel interstate at the moment,” the guest wrote in a text message to the bride.

“Hope you understand, would love to have been there.”

The bride claimed the guest cancelled a week out from her wedding. Picture: @shesonthemoneyaus/Instagram

Listeners of the podcast took to social media to express their views, with some agreeing with the bride and others saying the bride should cop the fees.

“No one books flights for an interstate wedding the week prior. The guest is 100% at fault here and is not a nice friend for doing this,” a person wrote.

“Given they said YES in July – they had almost 6 months to ensure they could save for it. Very disappointing they committed to coming but then didn’t plan to be able to afford it,” agreed another.

A third wrote: “In this circumstance the guest/s absolutely would have known and should reimburse the couple.”

“Any other investment other than relationships has cancellation policies lol it makes sense to me that you owe the couple money or at least it would be the right thing to do … if u cancel late,” chimed in another.

Others felt very strongly it was not the brides place to ask, as one woman wrote: “If you can’t afford to cover the cost then have a cheaper wedding.”

“This is the bride and groom’s event so it’s up to them to cover the cost and NOT the people they chose to invite,” she continued.

Another woman agreed: “It feels weird to *ask* someone to cover the seat. Makes even inviting them seem like a transaction.”

“I don’t understand how weddings have become paid ticket events, if invited it’s a hosted event,” a person added.

Opinions were divided, with 51% of She’s on the Money listeners saying the guest should cover the costs of their late cancellation and the other 49% disagreeing with the bride.

Weddings are expensive, but was it fair to ask for a reimbursement?

On average, weddings in Australia cost a whopping $36,000, according to Money Smart, with venues charging approximately $170 per head.

The cost per head typically accounts for each person’s meal, drinks, and a small portion of the venue fee.

Instead of the bride asking for a reimbursement, many people wrote it should be the guests’ responsibility to reach out and pay up.

“I think the guest should offer to cover the cost of the seat,” a person suggested.

“It’s being polite, courteous and a good friend, as well as acknowledging all the time, effort and money (in this economy!) that has gone into planning the wedding AND the privilege of being on the invite list,” they wrote.

“I would’ve given a money gift to the newlyweds covering the cost of my seat plus extra with a card apologising for the late cancellation,” agreed another.

Majority of the podcast listeners seemed to agree with this third option with 53% of people saying they would be happy to cover their costs as the guest who cancelled last minute if asked.