“My friend of mine is planning the Fyre Festival of weddings and I’m not even invited…”

A friend of mine is planning the Fyre Festival of weddings and I just need to have a vent. It started with them deciding to have it on Christmas Eve, in her home town. The reasoning for this is that they have a pre-planned trip there for Christmas with her family and they can’t afford another one.

Never mind that none of the groom’s family or friends are there, most of them have said this is going to be dreadfully expensive and difficult for them because Christmas, and 30% of their guests are from interstate. They’re inviting 80-100 people.

Then I find out that she’s priced the wedding at $13K but they only have a budget of $7K AUD ($5K USD) if they can even save up that much. When I asked how they intended to pay for things, she said “as we go” and that she’d organize payment plans so she can pay things off afterward.

So they intend to find vendors, then save up for a deposits for them, then book them, then hope they can pay off the rest in time or get a subsequent payment plan. She wants to put their limited budget entirely into the ceremony. She’s allocating thousands to venue, outfits, photographer, decorations.

The groom wants a reception, however. So if they have any sort of slightly formal one they intend guests to pay for their food and drinks (not just alcohol but soft drinks as well). Alternatively they’re going to ask people to stop in at a grocery store and pick up a few things to bring to the ceremony for afterward.

So fight the Christmas crowds, and then leave food sitting for hours in a hot and dry city in summer. They also want people to BYO chairs. Another possible reception option is to defer it to Boxing Day and invite everyone to her cousin’s house for leftovers. She has not asked her cousin about this but assumes it will be OK because her cousin has an open door policy for friends on Boxing Day.

Tell me you’ve never done Christmas without telling me you’ve never done Christmas. All the invited guests can just go without or fend for themselves on Christmas Day in anticipation of some leftover potato salad at the house of someone they don’t know. This includes the groom’s family…………………….

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