A bride-to-be has told of her frustration after a family friend took it upon herself to RSVP for five guests — including her husband’s child from a previous relationship.
The soon-to-be married woman explained how she happily agreed to let her guest bring her husband, along with two daughters, to the wedding reception.
However, the bride was shocked to find the guest had written “4 + baby” on the blank line next to seats reserved on the RSVP wedding invitation card.
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The guest also wrote under dietary requirements: “Don’t worry about (husband) with his celiac disease. He’ll eat before the wedding — and baby will eat from my plate.”
Stunned by the response, the bride asked: “Anyone else deal with ridiculous RSVPs?”
“I guess I should have been more clear but for a back story, this is a family friend on my fiancé’s side,” she said in a Facebook group.
“She has kids from three different men — including her current husband. So I asked her how many she thinks are coming and she told me four — including her one-year-old baby.
“She told me just her, one daughter (from her previous relationship), current husband and the daughter they have together. So I gave her four.”
But when the bride looked at the RSVP card, she realised the guest had added an extra seat.
“She included her husband’s child from a previous relationship and like I don’t even know her husband well enough to have HIS child from someone else come,” the bride said in disbelief.
“She never told me that the child was coming with them. I’m just annoyed.
“I know most venues and places don’t consider under two a ‘seat’ or counted in the head count but still the thought of it. Just annoyed. Nothing I can do now.”
Many were gobsmacked over the bride’s dilemma, with one saying: “Eww 4+baby. The audacity.”
Another suggested: “Overall I’d still have a conversation with your fiancé and talk with him. It’s disrespectful and rude to do that.”
One added: “I would call this guest to make it very clear who is invited. The bride is not wrong to do that, the guest is wrong to assume there’s room for everybody she wants to bring.”
However, not everyone agreed, with one saying: “Yikes, if you invite the family then you invite the whole family. If you didn’t want kids there, you should have said so.”
Another said: “When bride originally called, it was an open invitation. So the guest went off the spirit of that. Taking it back now would be rude, especially given the reasoning! That child is a part of the family just as much as the other kids.”
One added: “It’s not a child-free wedding, and it would be very unkind to welcome all but one of the children in that family. Seriously unkind.”
Another shared: “I’m assuming she addressed the envelope to the family and if so, the entire family is invited. I’d find it weird to be like, ‘All your kids except that one is invited, because how dare you have a blended family’.”
But many fired back, with one suggesting: “Lol no, whoever was listed on the envelop is invited (or whoever you gave her approval on). This is a wedding reception, not a dinner meet-up at McDonald’s.”
Many urged the bride to politely tell the guest she could only accommodate for four guests, as discussed.
“You should reach out to her directly to explain the children policy. She may assume that because her other kids were invited that it would be okay. I think if you call her to clear the air and are honest and kind about it, she has no reason to be upset. I always respect the wishes of the bride and groom when it comes to child-free weddings,” one mum suggested.
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