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Doug and Dedra Simmons: Chicago newlyweds send $240 bill to wedding no-shows

After being stood up by people who had RSVP'd yes to their dream destination Jamaican resort wedding, Doug and Dedra Simmons demand compensations

A newly-married couple has gone viral for the most bizarre of all reasons — a wedding invoice for no-shows. Reportedly "petty" on purpose towards people who had RSVP'd 'Yes' to their wedding but ended up never attending, the newlyweds identified Doug and Dedra Simmons, are now mailing them a $240 bill to cover their costs. A screenshot of the invoice, originally posted on Doug's Facebook account, went viral after it was shared on Twitter by a user who claimed: "I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wedding reception invoice before lol.” But they weren't the only ones to react to this innovative return gift for no-shows as many debated whether the couple's invoice was tacky or fun.

The couple's wedding was organized at the Royalton Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica, reports the New York Post. With per head costs soaring up to $120 a head, Doug, 44, and Dedra (nee McGee, 43, of Chicago have surely sparked a foreseeable trend in the future. Doug admitted to the outlet that getting stood up by people who promised to join him on his special day, “made me feel some kind of way.” And thus arrived the Facebook post.

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“This invoice is being sent to you because you confirmed seat(s) at the wedding reception during the Final Headcount,” the invoice reads right at the bottom, as can be seen from the photos of it that have since gone viral. Doug captioned the original screenshot of the invoice on Facebook, writing: "GONNA LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I'LL BE SENDING IT VIA EMAIL AND CERTIFIED MAIL... JUST IN CASE YOU SAY YOU AIN'T GET THE EMAIL #PETTYPOST”. The bill also intimates its recipients: “Because you didn’t call or give us proper notice that you wouldn’t be in attendance, this amount is what you owe us for paying for your seat(s) in advance. You can pay via Zelle or PayPal. Please reach out to us and let us know which method of payment works for you. Thank you!”

Soon Twitter was divided into Team newlyweds and anti-newlyweds. “I wish I’d thought of this. A third of the people who RSVP’d for our wedding didn’t show up. We paid for a LOT of food that went to waste (though it was a LOT LESS than $120 a plate),” wrote one user. Another slammed the couple writing: “You are so special to us that we invited you to our wedding. However, we are going to severe [sic] that relationship for $240 because you didn’t let us show off to you in person. But we will send an invite to our baby shower at some point, so show up with a gift or face collections.” Someone even quipped how they would send back the invoice right away with the word “LOL” scrawled across the bill in big red letters. They attached an accordingly edited photo too with their response.

But if Doug is to be asked, the man admits he got a “little petty — but I am not some trifling person who is going to bill somebody," reports New York Post. The small business owner also asserted this wasn't about money, but more about him and his new bride feeling hurt and disrespected by the no-shows at their dream wedding that was attended by more than a hundred people. “Four times we asked, ‘Are you available to come, can you make it?,’ and they kept saying ‘Yes,’ ” he told the outlet. “We had to pay in advance for Jamaica — this was a destination wedding."

It was following the final headcount that Doug realized not everybody had kept their word. “No one told me or texted me, ‘Hey, we can’t make it’,” Doug said. “That’s all I was asking. If you tell me you can’t make it, I would be understanding — but to tell me nothing, but then let me pay for you and your plus ones? Four people became eight people. I took that personally.” One Twitter critic however argues, "Everyone here knows that they don't actually want the $240 right? If you are throwing a destination wedding at a resort on one of the most beautiful beaches on earth... it's most certainly not about the money. This is a public F*ck Off + friendship over notice to a former friend".