Is Charging a Wedding No Show Fee a Good Idea?

I can see why you might want to do it but it's really, really tacky lol.

Please don’t do this. No shows are v annoying (and so rude) but charging guests (or threatening them with charges) is not the route to a fun, relaxed wedding that everyone is looking forward to being at!

Well, those guests might never pay those no show fee anyway. So better just not charge them. Moreover, they may also feel a bit of resentment because they were charged.

I honestly think if I was asked to pay a ‘no show’ fee to a wedding, depending on who’s wedding it was, I would decline altogether. I think it gives out the wrong message, like money is more importance than the guests’ presence. Plus, do you really want to start you’re married life with the ‘showers’ chasing you to give them their money back, although they may give it to you as a wedding gift? Bottom line, it’s a terrible idea and I think you’ll have more people outright decline this way than those who would change their mind last minute.

Eh no, it's a terrible idea.

I can see why it might be tempting but some people will have genuine reasons for not showing up when they said they would - they might have got ill on the day or had car trouble or whatever. Making them pay on top of their misfortune would just be mean, they're supposed to be your friends and loved ones, not customers at a budget hotel. And then if there are people who have just not showed up out of sheer rudeness, well that's probably an indication that they're not very good friends and you know that for the future.

Hahahaha! No! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh that's made my day.

I would love to get an invite where I was asked to pay an up front fee to attend their precious wedding, just so I could spend hours constructing just the right response.

No! You can't do that. However, it would be tempting to ask people who actually didn't show up to pay. But don't try charging people in advance.

I'm a wedding photographer and there are so many rubbish excuses. I remember one guest who didn't attend at all because he decided to stay at home and walk the dog.

I don't think 'no show fee' is a good idea. Maybe there are other ways to keep people's presence?

Can't imagine a 'No Show Fee'

Good luck chasing the money in for that! It's hard enough getting a response out of guests let alone money! How are you ever going to keep track of who has paid you and their details to return the money too? Unless you're an accountant and have a personal Sage program it'll never work! If you're worried about certain guests not showing then just send them a message about 2 weeks before, make an excuse that venue is double checking final numbers and can they confirm that they will definitely be there.

I think it would be best not to chanrge anything. I don't know if people would be willing to pay and you might cause rifts with people as well.

Best of luck to you though!