Photo: Courtesy Douglas Simmons
On Douglas Simmons' wedding day, eight of his invited guests were nowhere to be found.
While the Aug. 18 ceremony in Negril, Jamaica, went off without a hitch, Simmons tells PEOPLE he and his newlywed wife, Dedra, wondered why their no-shows couldn’t have let them know before the event.
“People might be unable to make it, which is fine,” Simmons says. “But when we got to the actual, final headcount, and we had 109 people total, we asked everyone, will you be able to make it? Everyone said yes.”
“This invoice is being sent to you because you confirmed seat(s) at the wedding reception during the Final Headcount,” the invoice reads. “The amount above is the cost of your individual seats. 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 seat(s) in advance. You can pay via Zelle or PayPal.”
Courtesy Douglas Simmons
Simmons says the post was meant as a joke, but it quickly generated a massive response on social media. Many of it, he says, came from other people who had gone through similar experiences with friends and family who didn’t attend their event — which ultimately meant food, drinks, and seating were wasted.
“These were family members and friends, and we have to hold each other accountable,” Simmons tells PEOPLE. “If you can’t make it, just say that. If they had just let us know that, we would have understood. We would have totally understood. It would have been no problem.”
“But to tell me you’re coming, and I asked you four times, and you didn’t show up?” he continues. “Now I got to teach you a lesson. And that lesson came in the form of an invoice.”
Simmons has no intention of sending a real invoice to the no-shows but says some have since apologized for their reconsideration. He hopes the attention the invoice has received can be a “teachable moment” for anyone else thinking of skipping out on a wedding without letting the newlyweds know.
“It’s about accountability. It’s about being considerate,” Simmons explains. “There are hundreds of people who’ve inboxed me, telling me horror stories about their wedding, about their birthday party, and people who did a no-call, no-show. And it begs the question of, is that fair?”
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“Whether I’m rich or poor, is it fair to tell me you’re going to do something, give me your word, then no-show me, and I have to just eat the cost and just the smile about it?” he asks. “Is that fair?”
source: people.com
