'Did they think they were gonna make money from their wedding?': Newlyweds "devastated" after only gaining $3k from wedding instead of the $10k they expected

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Nov 13, 2024 11:00 AM EST

This newly-married couple is going to be in a world of debt after throwing a lavish wedding that didn't exactly pay off. 

Weddings these days are a bit different than they were 50 years ago. Besides the obvious changes in decorum and decoration, there's a whole new tradition around gift-giving. Many couples choose to live together before marriage these days, which can be quite beneficial. You can learn if you are compatible with someone before legally declaring it forever. However, if you live with someone for a few years before marriage, you'll have to buy everything for your house in the meantime. In the past, couples were just starting out, and would move in together after marrying. Their gifts would often include cookware, baby items, furniture, or other presents designed to start a new couple off in their home. 

Nowadays, you may as well give the newlyweds some cash. They probably have a lot of furniture and pots and pans already. But they might be going severely into debt to pull off their dream wedding, just like the couple here. It's an eye-opening read, as shared by @kaylajohnsonatl. Commenters debated the state of gift-giving these days–check it all out below. 

After that, this interviewer lamented that "[It] is just really tacky" after noticing that a job candidate did something that gave him pause. 

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  • 01
    Kayla + @kaylajohnsonatl Another bit of audacity from the wedding groups today
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 02
    We just got married yesterday- and we spent $60,000 on our wedding with a guest count of 270. We worked our butts off and pushed so many bills, rent, ect, only taking out a loan of $4,000 (from my mom and is demanding back by the end of this month). We received $3000 cash and checks TOTAL from cards only.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 03
    We are like freaking out and just really devastated. Because we would've thought we would at least got like 10,000. Lowest Card amount was $10. Has this happened to anyone else and how did you move past this? it's just really eating both of us alive and just really disappointed about it.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 04
    We were supposed to leave Monday for our honeymoon and we canceled it instantly after opening everything. We literally couldn't buy our plane tickets and was going to buy them this morning because we booked the hotel for free with points.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 05
    Jason Baz @tdybaz Did they think they were gonna MAKE money from their wedding?!?
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 06
    Kayla @kaylajohnson - Apparently???
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 07
    Kara Obe @irishviking I'm Gen X, people got their house down payment from their wedding (I'm also in NYC). Cash gifts are the standard and most people give minimum $100 per person - more depending on your own circumstance. My parents in CT don't give less than $300 these days, more if close family.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 08
    Jason Bazioti @tdyba I'm Gen X too, .... And spending $60K for a wedding and then just expecting to MAKE MONEY from this to not only cover what you owe but also book the honeymoon is ridiculous
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 09
    @_ThisGirliKnow_ Yes. This is the way people view weddings now. They want guests to help them recoup costs AND fund the honeymoon.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 10
    CC @GlobalMoo We made money from our wedding. We didn't expect anything. But spent $6k and got a little more than that back. We were very happy with it.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 11
    @APalmeroy I don't think they expected to make money, but $10,000 in cash gifts from 270 people is totally reasonable, comes out to like $37pp. I'd want to see what their registry looked like. My wife and I registered with mostly a cash fund because we have everything we need already
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 12
    @jacklandtoria It states in the post that it was a 60K wedding, and they would have expected about 10K back based on the number of guests, and only got 3K. So even in the scenario they thought would happen, they were only expecting about 17% back.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 13
    @MyDinnerWAndre People definitely say the wedding pays for itself yeah It's wrong but it's something people say
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 14
    Blonde Mi @musii That equates to $11 a guest, which is low, but you still need to throw a wedding you can afford in the first place. Also, it's acceptable for guests to mail a gifts after the wedding, so maybe wait a few weeks before slamming your friends & family on the internet
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 15
    RogerNHI @rmtbiker How in the F do u spend 60 grand on a wedding that's just crazy I mean Bat sh crazy.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 16
    Kayla @kaylajohns $222 a person isn't toooo crazy if you're trying to have a 270 person wedding in a major city! But to expect to be paid back is crazyyyy.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 17
    @Intrepid Reportr Not everybody gives cash. Some give physical gifts.
    via @kaylajohnsonatl
  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10427660800
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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