Fox News
Published March 21, 2023 8:29am EDT
Wedding day uproar as bride is slammed for serving only water: 'Didn't think this would be a problem'
Wedding reception will be dry, won't even have soda or coffee — bride ripped as 'poor host' on social media
By Maureen Mackey
A bride-to-be has elicited more than 17,000 reactions and over 9,000 comments on social media for her announcement that she and her new husband-to-be will be serving only water at their wedding later this year.
Not only will their wedding be dry — there will be no soda, no coffee or any other beverage. Just water.
This decision has apparently greatly angered her family and friends, according to the bride-to-be's post on Reddit this week.
One commenter on the site let her have it with this blunt remark: If she's "not providing any drinks other than water," the person said, then she's "a bad host/hostess."
The new bride-to-be, who did not share her location, said she is getting married later this year.
"Each of our sides of the family are fairly big," wrote the woman, who goes by the username "OddConversation5087" — so they will be hosting "around 100-150 people total."
She added, "My husband and I are paying for this all ourselves, as well as my grandma, who said she doesn't care one way or the other on this issue. She just loves weddings."
The woman went on, "We have a lot of kids in our family, so we decided against making it child-free but we did decide to make it dry. So there will be no alcohol of any kind at our wedding."
"We don't want to have to pay for alcohol or soda. It is just a large added expense."
She said this decision has nothing "to do with there being kids there" — but she and her fiancé "don't drink. Nothing against people who do, it's just not for us, and we don't want to. On top of that, we only really drink water. We rarely, if ever, drink soda, so most of the time it's only water with the occasional juice and milk. We don't even drink coffee."
She noted that "obviously" the food at the wedding "is going to be expensive for that many people. We are having our wedding catered, so everyone will have a good choice of food to choose from."
However, for the drinks offered at the wedding, "only water will be provided. We don't want to have to pay for alcohol or soda," the woman added. "It is just a large added expense when we can just do filtered water for a MUCH cheaper cost."
The woman then noted that "when family and friends found out," they became "angry."
She said that "some didn't really care, but some are really upset about it."
The woman said some family and friends are asking her if the couple "can just have an open bar" and that way at least guests can order and pay for their own drinks.
But the woman countered with, "We could, but [we'd] still have to pay for the bartender and we just really don't want to bother with alcohol there."
She said others are suggesting she and her fiancé "at least" serve soda, "because how can we expect everyone to drink ONLY water? The kids will be upset. The wedding will be boring. This is not how weddings work. Etc."
The woman then asked the subreddit community known as AITA ("Am I the a--hole") if she was in the wrong.
"I didn't think this would be a problem! It's only water. I mean, don't most people drink water every day anyway?"
She finished with, "Should we pay the extra to have soda to make the family happy?"
Fox News Digital reached out to a clinical psychologist in New York City for insights into the family drama.
Said Dr. Jayme Albin, PhD, "Society has really become entitled when people are telling a bride and groom what to serve at their wedding."
She added that a "wake-up call" is needed here on the part of the guests.
"Being invited to someone’s wedding is a privilege, not an entitlement," said Albin. "It’s about the two people getting married — it's not about the food and drinks being served."
She said that given this is a couple who doesn't drink, "it’s not hard to understand that [they] wouldn't want liquor at their wedding, and especially if they are financially limited."
Albin added, "The guests should figure out what their real intentions are for going to the wedding — and if they want to party on their dime and time, then look elsewhere."
The subreddit community, however, determined overwhelmingly that the woman is indeed an "a--hole" for not taking her guests' feelings and preferences into consideration when planning for her wedding reception.
Wrote one commenter who received more than 4,500 "upvotes" for his or her thoughts, "It's cheap and tacky to only serve water. I would 100% be pregaming in the parking lot if I found out I couldn't even get an iced tea or a soda, LOL."
Said someone else, "I wouldn't bother going. If they can't even provide soda or iced tea, what type of food will they serve?"
"I suspect the bride's bouquet costs more."
Wrote another commenter directly to the bride, "If you can’t afford food + soft drinks/juice/tea, either your food is too much or your guest list too large. People would be more accepting of a dessert + non-alcoholic drinks reception than this."
Yet another person replied with this cutting thought: "I'm imagining the garden hose hooked up to the side so everyone can get refills."
This same person added, "I suspect the bride's bouquet costs more."
Still another person called the woman "a very poor host."
Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle for Fox News Digital.
AH: If the couple under discussion is financially limited, then they shouldn't be having that big wedding in the first place. This story goes back to what I said in a now deleted post about the movie "Bridesmaids", how the wedding industry which the picture promotes has gotten too big.
No comments:
Post a Comment