Couple Feels 'Humiliated' That No One Is Attending Their 'Nontraditional' Wedding with a 'Rave Theme'
"This entire process has been really demoralizing," the bride wrote on Reddit
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People dancing at a rave (stock image)A couple is feeling "humiliated" because very few of their loved ones have accepted their invitation to attend their "nontraditional" wedding celebration.
In a post on Reddit's "Wedding Shaming" forum, a woman explained that she and her husband eloped last year but still want an opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. "We decided to switch it up and do something less traditional," she wrote of their plans. "To make it more affordable and interesting, we rented a huge cabin with like 15+ bedrooms that can sleep up to 50 people and decided to throw a 'wedding celebration' party with a glow/rave theme."
For anyone worried about the cost, "we made it clear on the invite that accommodations would be free and included for two nights, and that we would provide all meals and alcohol," the bride added.
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With their college football-loving friends in mind, the couple even made sure that they chose a bye weekend for their party. "We didn’t want people to have to choose between our event and a football game," the bride noted.
The newlyweds sent out invites to more than 80 people — the majority of whom "live in town" — about six months ago. However, only 20 people RVSPed "yes" — and the attendance numbers have since continued to dwindle as the weekend draws closer.
"We have had some people texting us and bailing out. So now we’re down to around 16 people (mostly couples) who will be there. And there’s still two weeks to go before the event, so I’m sure that number will drop more," the bride wrote.
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A bride dancing under lights (stock image)Understandably, the couple's feelings are hurt. "I’m really heartbroken because I had been looking forward to this for the past year. I bought a bunch of decorations and started a groupme for everyone to share outfit ideas for the theme," the bride detailed. "It was going to be such an amazing party."
As for her husband, the bride said he "feels humiliated and is reevaluating his friendships."
She concluded her post, "I’m starting to question whether any of them ever liked us at all. This entire process has been really demoralizing."
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In the comments section, many people were sympathetic to the couple's situation. Some even suggested that maybe the importance of the event wasn't clear to their loved ones. "Is there a chance that people didn't realize how special the event is to you, given that it is so nontraditional? I'm sorry you are in this situation but that could be a reason for the low response," one Redditor wrote.
The bride replied to the comment: "That’s one of my concerns, yeah. We made it clear on the invite that we wanted to do this wedding celebration since we didn’t get to have a typical wedding. But I guess a wedding celebration will never command the same 'respect' as a traditional ceremony setup."
Another person suggested that the couple's friends might "feel too old enjoy a two day glow/rave." In response, the bride clarified that their friend group ranges in age from 23 to 27, but conceded "maybe it was wrong of me to assume that people would find it fun to celebrate a wedding in a different way."
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People dancing (stock image)"Regardless, I thought people would come out of love for us and for the chance to have an all expenses paid weekend of hanging out with all their friends," the bride added.
Yet another commenter pointed out that people also could be uncomfortable with the weekend accommodations. "You mention a 15-bedroom cabin that sleeps up to 50. I wonder if some people didn’t want to share a bedroom, potentially with strangers," they wrote. "Cabin to me says bunk beds and rustic accommodations, and possibly no restrooms."
Related: Guest Is 'Uninvited' from Friend's Destination Wedding After Spending More Than $1K on Flight
Someone else chimed in: "I have to be honest, this sounds awful. Being stuck in a house with 50 other people with mostly shared accommodations and then having to attend a loud dance party is just nothing that would appeal to me."
With the celebration just weeks away, however, one Redditor urged the bride to brush off the disappointment over the small guest list and focus on enjoying the experience with the group who has chosen to come.
"I would say not to focus on the people who don’t show up and just party and have a good time with the people who decided to show up and celebrate your union," they wrote. "THOSE are your real friends."
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