Saturday, October 4, 2014

The Regret Text

Every time I arrive at the Wedding Preps, this scenario usually happens....

First, the Bride welcomes our team and we start with her Bridal Makeover. As I do her hair and makeup, she happily starts the day while waiting for her relatives, friends and the other suppliers to arrive. Every one of my Brides are always hopeful that after months (or even years) of preparations, this special day has finally arrived and will turn out to be just as they expected it. Then I will hear her cellphone beep for the arrival of what I call “regret text”. It would generally say “Best Wishes. Sorry I cannot attend your Wedding because.....(then comes some flimsy reason from having nothing formal to wear, busy at work, not feeling well etc).

So this is my question: Should a visitor send a text or not to the Bride on the morning of the Wedding day that he is not coming to the occasion? Personally, I believe they should NOT. They are just giving the Bride undue stress (which I always witness with sadness). RSPVs have been arranged days before the Wedding day. These visitors have no idea how many other friends/relatives were booted out from the list of invites just to accommodate the special 300, 200 or 100 guests that their hard earned budget was able to afford, this regret texter being one of them.

In the long run, whether they texted the Bride or not, it would still mean a lonely empty chair or two in their event. And it will be too late to replace them with other more willing attendees. Truly it is such a shame. Worst, they made the Bride feel bad on the morning of her Wedding by announcing their non-arrival. 

Therefore I believe it is more appropriate to send apologies after the event unless the text would change the outcome of his absence in the end.