Worst Wedding Reception Ever?

[TheShellBeach]

I am still trying to get my head round this one.

It was a friend's wedding last week and they happy couple invited twelve people to their reception.

After the ceremony (which was lovely) we went back to the couple's house.

There was no wedding cake. No drinks. We made ourselves cups of tea and coffee.

Then the groom handed out menus for the local curry house. Once we'd all picked what we wanted, he asked us to transfer the cost of our orders to his bank account, before he phoned up and placed the order.

After we'd eaten and tidied up, the newlyweds asked us to leave because they were tired.......................no speeches, no fun, no dancing, no music and NO FOOD provided.

AIBU to think this was the worst wedding reception ever?

And to have the brass neck to ask guests for a £50 gift?

And ‘talk about it’ we are’! Would
you like a voucher for a meal disgruntled couple or would you rather just move on with your lives and never see those ‘friends’ again?

They didn't need to spend thousands of pounds, but equally they shouldn't have rinsed their guests for cash and vouchers.

We would really have enjoyed that! A few platefuls of sandwiches would have been fine.

Nothing wrong with having an intermit lowkey setting. Me personally I would have paid for the take-away for my guests. Also I know from experience looks can be deceiving maybe they are not as well off as they seem. Or unexpecting costs come up in life. I heard someone call me well off, I'm far from it!

Alarm bells would have rung when knowing they were only having twelve guests, that they were not paying for a reception. They can't possibly have been that badly off that they couldn't have at least provided half a dozen bottles of bubbly and a finger buffet back at their place.

To be fair that I do agree with. I wouldn't ever have expected 12 people to pay for their own food and make their own drinks. I think that's the problem here.

If they'd made it a pot luck I would have been more than happy to bring some food to share. I imagine most people would have been.

I thought that champagne or wine would have been provided.
At other weddings (in hotels) we have happily paid for our drinks at a bar.

Shit wedding indeed that's no doubt!
But why on earth would someone buy a new outfit give 50 quid & attend a wedding of a v distant cousin you barely know in the first place is what I don't get either but whatever!

I know a woman who's dad collapsed and died at her reception. That may trump paying for your own curry.

I’d have left as soon as the take away message arrived. Presents I take it we’re accepted ?

Dreadful. Such bad form on their part and total tightwads. YANBU.

Sort of a completely different and irrelevant scenario, don’t you think? 😐

I agree, especially nothing to drink and having to make your own tea! On MN there are always some people would be grateful to be coughed upon.

Also weird that you were one of the lucky 12 when your DH was a distant relative and you'd only met them once before!

And I thought that stuff only happened in Eastenders 😂

In what possible universe was this wedding reception "great". 😖

Well if that's all they can afford you don't have to invite some guests you can just go to the register office and that's it, only reason they invited people was to get the wedding gifts.

And to people saying it's a honour it clearly wasn't OP has only met them once, I wouldn't be surprised if lots of people refused, or they have burnt their bridges in past so have very few people to invite.

Exactly the Bride and Groom spent nothing apart from the actual ceremony, and the after party isn't great it sounds as bland as hell.

I think its OK if people know the expectations before hand so they can accept/decline/attend ceremony only.
Springing it on people after the fact is the weird bit.

Oh, didn't realise it was a competition.

Well it is sort of... the thread title is a question. But I don't think Boopeedoop's response is appropriate.

Not the worst ever, but sounds very tight and awkward. Why bother having one at all!

The day should be about the marriage but that sounds joyless!
We had a tiny reception at home thanks to Covid. We bought far too much food and drink, decorated with flowers and balloons etc.
It was fantastic and we had the best day with close family and a few friends - we didn't end up having the larger reception later as planned, as the day was just perfect.

The thread title is clearly rhetorical.

Here's a bit about Bloody Norah