Reddit user berates wedding couple's 'bizarre' plan to save money on reception: 'Incredibly stupid idea'

A Reddit user berated a couple getting married for their bizarre plan to host their wedding reception at a nightclub.

User "OPMom21" vented about it on the website's wedding shaming forum page.

"My husband has a friend who is getting married next year," OPMom21 wrote. 

"He and his fiancée have booked a fancy mansion in an expensive area for the ceremony and dinner."

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But because the venue doesn't allow music after 9 p.m., OPMom21 claims that to save money, the couple is asking guests to leave and "join them at a crowded nightclub in another part of the city at their own expense for dancing and drinks."

The Reddit writer continued, "They are calling this plan their reception. The nightclub is one of those places with a stiff cover charge where people stand in line to get in."

OPMom21 called it "an incredibly stupid idea" and said she "can't fathom guests going along with it."

A bride and groom described on Reddit (not pictured) decided that, instead of having a wedding reception, they would invite guests to a nightclub and have them pay their own way. (iStock)

"I thought I had heard everything, but this takes the cake," she wrote.

Reddit user "UnsharpenedSwan" agreed, saying the plan is in "poor taste" and "absolutely bizarre."

"Never underestimate the audacity of some folks, I guess," Reddit user "sass_and_grass" added.

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Another Reddit user pointed out the burden it places on the nightclub's staff as well.

"Not letting the bar know in advance is so brutal for guests and the bar staff," Reddit user "CricketExtreme" wrote. 

"A quick email or phone call would make all the difference."

A Reddit user whose husband's friend is the groom (not pictured) has called the plan to have the wedding reception at a nightclub "an incredibly stupid idea." (iStock)

Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas in San Antonio, told Fox News Digital via email that there's "nothing wrong with a bride and groom being financially fiscal and having a smaller wedding."

Said Gottsman, "In this case, the bride and groom are basically skipping the reception and asking their friends to join them at a nightclub. This is not a reception – this is an after-party where the guests pay their own way. If the guests choose to go, it's their choice."

"If everyone agrees on the guidelines, there should be no issue."

Gottsman said the bride and groom "would be better served" to hold a small gathering after the wedding, let people know where they will be later and "allow the guests to decide if they want to join, on their own dime."

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"If people just show up, no reservation, paying their own way, it's called a gathering of friends rather than a reception," she said. 

"If everyone agrees on the guidelines, there should be no issue."

Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas, said the bride and groom should call their event a gathering of friends instead of a reception. (Protocol School of Texas)

The problem, Gottsman said, is that the bride and groom are making it seem as though it's their wedding reception instead of a pay-your-own-way event — "which is admittedly irritating to those who just spent money on a dress or suit, possibly had to travel to get there, hired a babysitter and sent a gift from the registry for the newlywed couple."

Said Gottsman, "A better option would have been to have a small, non-alcoholic reception with cake, rather than calling ‘meeting at the bar’ a reception because it's not. It's a gathering of friends who still want to celebrate, but not under the guise of a reception." 

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She added, "You are standing around strangers at a bar, paying for your own drinks and hanging out with the friends."

The bride and groom are making it seem as if it's their wedding reception instead of a pay-your-own-way event, said one etiquette expert about a story that's gone viral. (iStock)

The bride and groom shouldn't call the outing a "reception," Gottsman emphasized, and expect guests "to go out, stand in a long line and pay their own way."

"They probably expect people to pay for them, which adds to the insult," she said.

As an alternative, Gottsman suggested the couple could pay for the first two rounds and then have guests pay for their drinks thereafter. 

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Another option, Gottsman said, would be to provide appetizers for guests and have guests pay for their own drinks.

"It makes things a bit more festive in keeping with the wedding celebration," she said.

Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital.