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Can’t go to a wedding because of financial reasons, don’t want to travel, or simply forgot to RSVP? Well, you might have to pay a price for that. 

Chicago newlyweds Dedra and Doug Simmons seem to think so after sending a $240 bill to no-show wedding guests. The newlyweds have now sparked an online debate about their situation, prompting both criticism and support for their decision to do so.

The newlyweds sent an invoice to no-show wedding guests.

The newlyweds recently got married at the Royalton Negril Resort and Spa in Jamaica, which was very costly because they had to pay for each seat in advance. Even though they initially invited 109 people, only 101 showed up, leaving them short by eight guests. 

Each guest was asked to RSVP to the event, and, unfortunately for the couple, those eight people never officially RSVP’d. Therefore, it’s not a huge surprise that they didn’t show up to the wedding. 

However, what upset the newlyweds was that those who didn’t RSVP didn’t have the courtesy to let them know they couldn’t make it. Instead, they verbally confirmed to the couple that they would be at the wedding but still chose to ignore the RSVPs after being asked several times. 

“We asked four times from November to August if they would be in attendance, and every time they said ‘yes.’ If at any time they were unable to attend, we would have truly understood, but to no call no show was a bit disappointing,” Doug Simmons told TODAY.

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The couple was a bit peeved about the money they lost, so they decided to invoice the guests.

When the newlyweds returned home, Doug got straight to work and created an invoice that included the cost of two seats at their wedding and posted it to social media. Doug claims it was meant as a joke, saying, “We never had any intentions of sending it out…It hurts more to show it.”

After posting, they acknowledged it was petty to do so, as Doug told the NY Post, he got a “little petty — but I am not some trifling person who is going to bill somebody.”

The invoice, which the newlyweds titled “No Call, No Show Guest,” stated, “Because you didn’t call or give us proper notice that you wouldn’t be in attendance, this amount is what you owe us for paying for your seats(s) in advance.”

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The invoice received mixed reactions online.

The newlyweds both own small businesses, and ever since posting the invoice, they have received support and donations from all over the world. Unfortunately, some of the feedback they’ve received hasn’t been the kindest.

FaceStock | Shutterstock

Dedra shared that other people commented on posts about the invoice, saying it was broke behavior and that they “Shouldn’t have had a wedding they couldn’t afford. Tacky, classless.” Despite the fact that they obviously didn’t make any of these guests actually pay, some thought that the idea was ridiculous.

Even though some saw it as a classless act, Doug believes it was worth posting the invoice, as it was a “teachable moment” for the guests who didn’t show up. “We would have given them the benefit of the doubt had they reached out to us, but the fact is that you didn’t reach out,” he adds. 

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Megan Hatch is a former contributor to YourTango who has had bylines on Medium, Buzzfeed, MSN Canada, Patch, Voice of America, Canyon News, and others.