Emma's answers to Can my guests pay for their own food?

Question

I was taken with the idea of asking wedding guests to pay for their meal at our reception instead of asking for presents. This seems to kill two birds with one stone as we already have a household and so traditional gifts are not appropriate, and it would also mean we could extend our invitation list. Would this be acceptable?

Answer

I can totally understand the reasoning behind this but I'm afraid it's just not polite to ask guests to pay for their food - that implies that they have to pay to attend your wedding. Your guests are being invited to celebrate your wedding and it would be rude to expect them to pay to eat.

If you don't want a traditional list, how about asking for more unusual gifts or having a charity list. If you feel comfortable doing so, you could ask family and close friends for money instead of a present.

Emma x