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Dear Readers: We've received hundreds of letters concerning weddings where the bride and groom want to charge people to attend. Apparently, this is now a trend in America where the happy couple want to have the wedding of their dreams but can't afford a lavish celebration. The reaction from the public was more than I had expected, but below are a few of the responses we received. — Heloise
WEDDING FEES
Dear Heloise: I read your letter this morning about couples who want to charge their guests to attend. No way, no how! It's totally presumptuous and tremendously rude. If a lavish wedding is what they want, they should start saving for it as young as they can. — Mary, in The Villages, Florida
WEDDING FEES CONT'D
Dear Heloise: I hate lavish weddings. They're usually too loud, too crowded and too expensive. Asking people to pay to see this kind of spectacle is stressful for family and friends, especially if money is tight as it is for most people these days. — Sarah M., in Lansing, Michigan
PAID PRESENCE
Dear Heloise: I think asking people to pay to attend a wedding is ridiculous! What happened to the parents of the bride paying for the wedding and the groom's family paying for the dinner that includes the bridesmaids and groomsmen the night before the wedding?
However, when you are the grandma, I am sure that you want to go. So, pay for the wedding, but don't give them a gift. Your paid presence is enough of a gift. — Grandma, in The Villages, Florida
Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.