Open Post: Hosted By The $240 Invoice That A Newlywed Couple Sent Out To Their No-Show Wedding Guests
Two weeks ago, Chicago couple Doug Simmons, 44, and Dedra McGee (now Simmons), 43, flew down to Jamaica and got married at the Royalton Negril Resort & Spa. Over a hundred guests attended, but over a hundred and eight guests said they’d come. That’s right, four invited guests and their plus ones were no-shows. I mean, I somewhat get it. Destination weddings cost an arm and a leg to attend, and I’m not sure I’d wanna be jumping on a plane during a pandemic. However, not showing up at the last minute after RSVPing multiple times is indeed rude. But what can the newlyweds do? Shrug it off and hold a simmering grudge the rest of their lives, right? WRONG. The New York Post says that Doug took action and made the bold choice and created an invoice to send to no-show guests (and it’s due exactly one month after the date of the wedding they missed). Watch out Tom and Lori, there’s a new Petty in town!
Doug’s invoice, addressed to the “No Call, No Show Guest,” asks for $240 ($120 for the invited guest and $120 for their plus one), and includes the following note:
This invoice is being sent to you because you confirmed seat(s) at the wedding reception during the Final Headcount. The amount above is the cost of your individual seats. Because you didn’t call or give us proper notice that you wouldn’t be in attendance, this amount is what you owe us for paying for your seat(s) in advance. You can pay via Zelle or PayPal. Please reach out to us and let us know which method of payment works for you. Thank you!
HA! Obviously, this shit went viral and opinions varied on who was the asshole:
I’d send it back right away pic.twitter.com/LHa7EAC1ng
— Hedgehog no. 1 (@hedgehogkibble) August 24, 2021
Hey, it’s something anyone in their shoes has thought of wanting to do. They just had the chutzpah to actually do it. Weddings are expensive and stressful. Not showing up is insulting. I get it. Good for them
— Sabra Darling (@SabraDarling) August 28, 2021
Over on Facebook, Doug and Dedra doubled down on their invoice choice. However, it doesn’t sound like they actually expected to receive any money. And it’s unclear if they actually sent the no-shows the bill, or they just posted it to their social media. Dedra writes that her “petty AF” husband made it as a joke, but she also adds, “PUT SOME RESPECT ON OUR NAME AND OUR COINS.” They’re both embracing their newfound viral fame and hashtagging their photos, #TheWeddingInvoiceCouple. And Doug has gone one step further and is actually selling invoice T-shirts!
Doug told The New York Post that his guests not showing up “made me feel some kind of way.” He says both he and Dedra felt disrespected, and that he got a “little petty”:
“Four times we asked, ‘Are you available to come, can you make it?,’ and they kept saying ‘Yes,’ ” he told The Post. “We had to pay in advance for Jamaica — this was a destination wedding.”
However, at the final headcount — they realized not everyone kept their word.
“No one told me or texted me, ‘Hey, we can’t make it,’ ” Simmons said. “That’s all I was asking. If you tell me you can’t make it, I would be understanding — but to tell me nothing, but then let me pay for you and your plus ones? Four people became eight people. I took that personally.”
When I first read this headline I envisioned some Kate Gosselin-type pulling this shit and was immediately Team No-Shows. But after doing a deep-dive of both Doug and Dedra’s Facebook pages, I… I think I’m a little in love? I also applaud Dedra’s ridiculously extra choice to wear a red wedding dress and make every other person in attendance wear white. Someone get this woman on The Real Housewives of Chicago (not a real show, should be a real show) STAT!