Is This Wedding Invitation Wording Insulting Or Practical?
Corona-lations!!
Wedding and lifestyle / Shutterstock Setting up a wedding guest list is hard enough as it is. But during the coronavirus pandemic, many couples are forced to cut their guest lists short thanks to the state-mandated gathering restrictions that venues have to follow.
However, one couple is facing backlash because of the note included in their wedding invitation that references these restrictions.
Recently, a Twitter user posted a photo of the note, which has led to a debate on whether the engaged couple is in the right or wrong.
The note starts off by stating, "Please understand that our venue is limited in the number of guests we will be able to accommodate for our wedding day. As much as we would love to have each and every one of you join us on our big day, we are forced to split our guests into groups to ensure we do not surpass our capacity restrictions."
The invite reveals that the couple split guests into two groups.
First, they designated an A group.
"Group A: Please RSVP as soon as possible. We appreciate your promptness as we will be able to extend any vacant seats to additional guests," they wrote.
Then they established groups B and C, who they instructed to "keep a close watch on our wedding website for notice that we have space available."
The invite didn't go over well for many Twitter users.
"My fav part is 'please keep a close eye on our website for availability.' Like you're that special that someone is checking your site constantly!" one user replied, bashing the couple. "& If I was group B or C I'd just send this response, 'I opt-out of this & all future correspondence. Thanks!'"
However, many others empathized with where the couple was coming from.
"I was scheduled to get married in Nov but now have pushed back till 2021. Trying to plan a wedding during Covid was agony," one user wrote. "Frankly, I’m fine with this. This makes complete sense to me. I don’t know why there has to be B and C and not just B but otherwise, this is fine."
Another woman agreed, asking those who have an issue with the invite to "check their egos."
"The absolute stress of trying to get something like this right. Everyone here shaming & judging. They want everyone but can't. Covid HAS FORCED them to downsize. They didn't invite over the capacity. Show some humanity," she wrote.
According to the wedding planning website The Knot, the couple wasn't exactly wrong in designating different groups for their invites. They explain that there are traditionally four steps in creating a guest list.
First, if you have never spoken to someone or if you cannot even recognize their name, do not invite them.
Next, if you don't want children to be at your wedding, then it's OK to request that your guests leave them at home.
Then, If you or your partner have not spoken to them in 3 years and they are not related to you, then you shouldn't invite them.
Lastly, if you have someone on your guest list that you were guilt-tripped into having them at your wedding or if you feel guilty about leaving them out of your wedding only because they invited you to their wedding, then you shouldn't feel obligated to invite them.
However, where the couple may have gone wrong is advertising to invitees that they had separate groups.
As one Twitter user pointed out, the couple could have taken it upon themselves to send out invitations to Group A first, and make follow-up invitation decisions based on those RSVPs.
Wedding planning is known to be stressful, and even more so in the wake of a continuous pandemic.
But, is it wrong for this couple to send out this notice on their wedding invitation at this time? That is for you to decide.
Emily Francos is a writer who covers relationships, pop culture, and news topics.