Fun & Famous
PARTIES THAT COST YOU MONEY
MAY-BRITT THINKS IT’S RIDIC
My aunt Mies always visited hear great-aunt twice a year. And that great-aunt was old. And rich. Together they would sip on some coffee with a small glass of milk and a cookie.
When my aunt Mies left, her great-aunt would tug at the back of her coat and say “You still owe me 1 euro and 75 cents. You had two cups of coffee and a cookie.” Yes, I was in shock too. Especially since her darling great-aunt could easily give out one million cups of coffee and still have plenty of money left to live comfortably.
Even before the invites had been sent out, my friend was asked to cash in 350 euros for the hotel.
We find this to be extremely ridiculous and can still blame this on the great-aunt coming from a different era. But when you come to think of it, there are so many parties nowadays that require us to empty out our own bank accounts.
Let’s start off with the phenomenon known as weddings. For a lot of people, a simple ceremony is far below their standards. Getting married abroad is the new trend and believe me, I am very prepared to jet off to other countries for those who are dear to me. I thought it was very thoughtful (and also somewhat normal) that our friends S and M offered us two nights in a hotel. And my best friend A and her hubby T just took their entire posse to a resort in Turkey for four days. Obviously these are two cases of ultimate pampering, but then again; you’re the one that wants to get married abroad and you can’t expect all your guests to just spend five hundred euros or so on you. At least, that’s what I think.
Sorry, sorry sorry if I have offended you in anyway, but if you want to celebrate your birthday at a distant location, you can’t expect everyone to spend so much money
Yet that’s the situation my friend F was recently in. A dear friend of hers is getting married in Barcelona and she has scheduled a total of three days for the celebration. Even before the invites had been sent out, my friend was asked to cash in 350 euros for the hotel. And that didn’t even include the flight tickets for F and her partner, the bachelor and bachelorette parties and the days she would have to take off from work. And let’s not forget the outfits she would need. A three day wedding definitely requires about five or so cool outfits.
Another friend of mine has a neighbor who will be celebrating her fortieth birthday soon and decided it would be a fun idea to celebrate it on the other side of the country (in the Netherlands that is, but still) and the same rule applied here. She would have to pay for it herself. Gas included.
Sorry, sorry, sorry if I have offended you in any way; but if you want to celebrate your birthday at a distant location, you can’t expect everyone to just spend their own money to get there and also pay for an overnight stay. I would say one hundred and fifty euros should be the limit. It’s probably what they would have spent on a present for you anyway.
And if that isn’t an option, why not celebrate it in your own back yard? Real friends are content anywhere.
