In an anonymous post on Facebook group ‘HIGH END’, a Sydney bride shared her frustration after a friend attended her bridal shower without a gift.
Her post has since sparked a heated debate over gift etiquette at pre-wedding events.
“My invitation clearly indicated the register”
The now-deleted post read: “A good friend showed up to my bridal shower without a gift or an apology. My invitation clearly indicated the register or an option to donate money.
She then wonders if her friend’s message earlier in the day asking if she could bring “something” (which the bride declined) was her way of bringing a gift.
“Surely it’s not his fault for not bringing anything?” I took it like we needed an extra ice pack,” the woman wrote.
Although the bridal party was “prepared very well and all alcohol was provided”, the bride said she was “quite offended” by the lack of gifts and her friend “didn’t even bring a card!”
With her wedding on the horizon, she wonders if this indicates that her friend and partner will “do the same for the wedding” and not buy a gift.
“I’m not sure what I can do,” she concluded before asking the group’s opinion.
“Sticky” and “entitled”
Before the post was deleted, commenters flooded it with scathing messages about how the woman had a right to appear.
I asked around Potty for children office to see if they agreed.
A member of the team told me: “The bride is completely upset about this. Like, is that all you care about? Gifts? Sticky.”
Another bluntly stated: “FFS, get over it. It should be enough that she made the effort to attend and even bothered to ask you if you needed anything that day. Grow up and accept that not everyone thinks like you.
Then another shared this personal anecdote about the pressure to buy gifts: “I had a friend who threw a Cellar Party (bring wine to contribute to your cellar) and a Kitchen Tea (appliances for the kitchen), as well as the bridal party. I filed for bankruptcy shortly after. It’s not just about gifts, and you never know someone’s financial situation.
A fourth also condemned the bride’s attitude, saying: “She seems important and doesn’t seem like she values friendships.”
Then a colleague offered another interpretation: “From what I understand, you either had gifts for the party OR the wedding, not both.” At least that’s how we did it.
New York Post
