Bride Divides Wedding Guests into Tiers, Invites Last Option Friends as Seat-Fillers 3 Days Before Ceremony

Mar. 15, 2025

A stock image of a bride at a wedding.Photo:Getty

Getty

Not all guests are created equal, according to one bride.

In a Reddit post from the pager/weddingshaming, one user claimed a bride divided her wedding guests into tiers — which included a seat filler role for last-minute invites. Redditor Throwaway_B_Class recalled how their friend group was in the “wedding stage” of their lives in 2019, and though they all had seemingly been invited to each other’s weddings, one couple wasn’t reciprocating.

“The bride has always been a pretty self-serving person, but she’s very charismatic and that glamour hides the narcissism incredibly well. The groom just goes along with whatever the bride says,” they recalled.

This particular couple shared at the time that they sent out wedding invitations and stated to receive responses, not inviting the Redditor — which didn’t seem to be a big deal.

“Fast forward a few months later, maybe 6 weeks out from their wedding, we suddenly receive an invitation. It was worded in a way that made it sound like everyone was getting a late invitation,” the user wrote. “But we knew we were the backup seat fillers.”

A stock photo of wedding invitations.Getty

The user and their significant other declined to attend due to distance and them entering their second trimester. The bride wasn’t “polite” about their response, but things didn’t stop there among the friend group.

“There were more guest tiers. 3 days out from their wedding, one of our friends gets an invitation. Not only did they insist he RSVP yes immediately, but to also not forget that his seat was costing them $300 and he should be getting a gift of equal value,” the user continued, adding that the friends said no.

stock photo of a wedding ceremony.Getty

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“I have had my first dance as my background this whole time and none of you have commented on it. You didn’t come to my wedding and I spent a lot of time practicing, so the least you can do is watch it!” the user claims the bride said.

“Just like at the Academy Awards,” one person joked, likening the seat-filler roles to that of awards shows. “I once got a ‘second string’ invite. The RSVP due date was the day I got it. I truthfully had other plans but checking the No box felt good,” another recalled.

A stock photo of a wedding celebration.Getty

“I have a sneaking suspicion that the demand for a gift to cover the plate is why she had so many open spots literally days before the wedding,” a third chided.

One user did note that it’s “fairly normal” for couples to invite family members they’re obligated to before they can invite other loved ones once they RSVP no.

However, they added, “It’s incredibly rude to discuss these kinds of tiers in front of others, especially anyone not invited in the first round and to have tiers being invited on that short of notice.”

source: people.com