Couple’s COVID-19 Wedding Invite Goes Viral, ‘This Is Truly Rude’

A couple getting married during the COVID-19 Pandemic is coming under fire after one of their guests posted a note included in their wedding invitation on social media, which explained that due to capacity restrictions at their venue, they were splitting their guests into different priority groups.

The note was shared on Twitter on July 23, with the poster captioning the image “This was included in an actual wedding invitation.”

“Please understand that our venue is limited in the number of guests we will be able to accommodate for our wedding day. As much as we would love to have each and every one of you join us on our big day, we are forced to split our guests into groups to ensure we do not surpass our capacity restrictions,” the note reads.

The couple goes on to explain that they divided their guests in “A” “B” and “C” groups, and gave specific instructions to each group about how to handle their RSVPs, with those in the second and third groups encouraged to check the couple’s wedding website to see if space was still available after they received their RSVPs from Group A. They also requested that guests hire babysitters for their children and forgo bringing a Plus One in order to also accommodate the capacity restrictions. The note ends with a line letting the guest know which group they were in.

Naturally, the post went viral and the message was not well-received by many.

“This invitation is truly rude,” one poster shared. “I see people defending it as ‘but it’s pandemic planning.’ No. There are far nicer ways to approach it. You don’t tell people they’re less important. I would have declined and ended my friendship if I got an invitation like that.”

“This is a no-brainer. Take my name off your list, don’t expect a wedding gift, don’t send me X-mas cards & lose my email address & cell phone #. Don’t call, don’t write, no need to keep in touch. Don’t want to see wedding pics or any future kid pics. I won’t follow you on Insta,” another added.

Another user also chimed in, stating that couples generally had the nerve to think that people were honored to be guests at their weddings but that they felt differently.

Another stated that if the note was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple should instead have changed their wedding plans to do a smaller-scale event outdoors and utilize safety measures which would ensure they could have more people and allow their guests to bring others as well.

However, others jumped to the couple’s defense, noting that because of the pandemic and how difficult it has been for many couples to hold their events, they also haven’t been able to cancel entirely with venues and vendors, meaning they are forced to comply with restrictions on capacity and are doing the best they can in order to still have some semblance of a wedding.

It is also worth noting that the concepts of different tiered guest lists and priority of invites are nothing new in the wedding industry, with The Knot even specifically noting on their website that couples should make an A-list and B-list of their guests, but cautioned that couples should send the different group’s invites at different times.

Another Twitter user echoed that sentiment, stating that someone who was smarter about the situation would have followed that advice and logic instead of sending the note.

The couple who sent the note has not yet publicly identified themselves or explained their reasoning behind the note.