“They came, they ate, they had fun, and in one envelope I found PLN 50. It didn’t even pay for dinner.”

I recently got married. My fiancé and I spent a long time preparing for our wedding. The room was not the cheapest, but we know what the prices are now in large cities and surrounding areas. We managed to snag a place and even matched the date. Needless to say, organizing a wedding is a huge expense. Michał and I paid PLN 300 for the proverbial plate. There were a lot of guests. My family, his family, and of course friends and acquaintances. I expected the wedding to drain our wallets, so we started saving for it well in advance. My parents and parents-in-law contributed a little, but most of the costs were ours. Dress, suit, decorations, catering, alcohol, make-up artist, hairdresser, photographer, host, DJ… a lot, a lot of expenses.

Hence the custom of giving money in an envelope for a wedding. I believe that everyone should give what they can afford, just to be clear. I’m not one of those who demands millions. I know more or less what the situation of individual members of my family, friends and acquaintances are, so I fully understand the amounts they gave me. It was appropriate, appropriate, and I had no doubts about it. I realize that a wedding is also an expense for the guests. If someone is in a bad financial situation, I totally understand it and I don’t judge. I’ve been to this place many times myself.

She received PLN 50 in a wedding envelope from her rich uncle. “I’m speechless”

But the situation at my wedding made me feel a bit off balance. In one – just one – envelope I found 50 zlotys. And not from people who couldn’t afford more, because he never complained about lack of money, oh no. It’s about my uncle Władek and my aunt Zosia, my dad’s cousin. They came, ate, had fun, and in one envelope I found PLN 50.

My uncle is the first in line at family weddings. He doesn’t refuse a glass, he likes to eat well and dance, so he took full advantage of it. And as I mentioned, she is a very wealthy person, she likes to brag about it and leads a very lavish life

Together with her aunt, they run a large company and several times a year they go on holiday to exotic places, e.g. the Maldives or Seychelles. So, even the 300 zlotys “for a plate” would be enough. But 50 zlotys?! It didn’t even pay for dinner. When I opened the envelope from them, I was speechless. Michael was also surprised. However, he added that I shouldn’t worry about it.

I don’t want to seem materialistic or demanding, but I think such behavior is simply in bad taste and classless. Interestingly, so far I have not been interested in issues such as how much someone puts in the envelope. Whenever I was invited to a wedding, I just wanted to give a reasonable amount that would not be too high, but would also improve the bride and groom’s budget a bit. I don’t know, maybe not everyone just thinks like I do.

Dominica.

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