Planning and hosting a wedding can be expensive, especially if you want to have a lavish ceremony and treat your guests to a fancy meal at the reception afterwards.
But one bride has been criticised online after she decided to offset the costs of her wedding by making her guests pay for their food - which saw them have to fork out a staggering $50 (£41) for a steak.
A guest who attended the wedding was left so baffled by the "ridiculously expensive" menu that she ended up completely ditching the event in favour of visiting a nearby McDonald's for dinner.
The guest explained the bride was her co-worker, and she had been told before the wedding that she didn't need to "pay anything" to attend, which turned out not to be the case when she arrived at the venue and sat down to eat.
Having not brought enough money with her to fund the pricey menu, the guest first asked the bride if she would mind if she nipped out to grab some food from McDonald's before heading back to the reception once she'd finished.
But the bride was fuming with the suggestion - and even branded her colleague "cheap" for refusing to eat at the wedding.
In a post on Reddit, the woman said: "Recently, my colleague invited me to her wedding, which happened yesterday. I was super excited and happy for her. Just in case, I asked her if there were any guest fees - she said 'No, you don't need to pay me anything'.
"On the day itself, everything went well until the reception. To my shock, I was presented with a wedding menu that had prices on it. (For example steak, $50). Everything was ridiculously expensive, including the vegetarian options.
"At first, I wanted to question her because she lied to me that I didn't have to pay for anything. But it was her wedding and I didn't want to spoil her day by embarrassing her in front of everyone.
"However, the only other option was to simply not eat, as I didn't bring enough money for both a meal and a ride back. But this was completely unfavourable as I had skipped my lunch to 'save space' for the wedding meal and was pretty hungry.
"Suddenly, I remembered that I saw a McDonald's about five minutes away from the hotel. As tactfully as I could, I asked the bride if I could make a quick stop at McDonald's as I didn't bring enough money for the reception meal. I said that I'd be back in time for the gift ceremony and cake.
"I thought she'd agree, but to my horror - she got really upset. She said that she put in so much effort to get this 'Michelin-star restaurant service' yet I still wasn't happy. That I was trying to bring her down by saying that I'd rather eat McDonald's."
The bride said it was the woman's fault for not bringing enough money, and claimed that when she said the woman didn't have to pay, she only meant there was no attendance fee.
Furious, the bride told her guest to leave the wedding, and she did - grabbing a McDonald's on her way home.
The guest added: "She asked me to leave her wedding. I did, struck dumb and rather hurt. And on my way home, I grabbed a Big Mac.
"Back at home, I told my boyfriend everything. He thought it was a funny story but said I was an a**hole - if I didn't have the money, I could always pay her back later. In his exact words, he said 'You chose the wrong time to be stingy'.
"My other friends agree as well, saying that it was not tactful of me for doing that at the wedding - and although she lied, I should have just brushed it off instead of dampening her happy spirits.
"After hearing their opinions, I felt quite guilty and embarrassed."
Commenters on the post were equally baffled, with many saying they couldn't understand the thought process behind charging guests for food.
One person said: "I've never been to a wedding where the guests pay for their meal."
As another added: "Never before heard of a wedding where you have to pay for the food. If there's a food fee, she should have told you or it should have been clarified in the invitation.
"I do think that you handle it a bit clumsily - you should have just gone to McDonald's in secret and come back later. When asked, you could just say you weren't feeling well and didn't want to eat."
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