Weddings are expensive affairs and one couple who were stretched beyond their budget decided to save money on a reception by asking their guests to join them at a nightclub after dinner.

A friend of the groom, who was not a fan of this “incredibly stupid idea,” shared her frustration on Reddit.

“My husband has a friend who is getting married next year,” she begins her tirade.

“He and his fiancée have booked a fancy villa in an expensive area for the ceremony and dinner. However, the venue does not allow music after 9pm and, to save money, there is actually no music there at all.

“Instead of dancing and socializing after dinner, the couple asks guests to stay until nine and join them, at their own expense, to a crowded nightclub in another part of town for dancing and drinks.”

“This is the crowning glory!”

The woman says the couple calls this part of the wedding day the reception, but she can’t imagine that guests would be so keen to go.

“The nightclub is one of those places with a high entrance fee where people queue up to get in. I think that’s an incredibly stupid idea and I can’t imagine the guests going along with it.

“I thought I’d heard it all, but this is the icing on the cake.”

Hundreds of commenters weighed in on whether this was a good idea, with one saying he had unknowingly joined a wedding when a local couple had held their reception in a similar manner.

“I once went to a Great Gatsby-themed night at a fancy local bar with a nice seating area,” the user writes about her bizarre wedding experience.

“What I didn’t find out until AFTER I paid for admission was that it was a wedding reception and the couple had opened it to the public to recoup some of the costs but hadn’t informed the other guests. I knew a few people there but not the couple. It was SO WEIRD when random people came over and asked how we knew the couple.”

Another person commenting on the thread had an unpleasant experience at her brother and sister-in-law’s wedding reception, which clearly lacked planning.

“They had to leave the venue at 9pm… but since they are heavy drinkers and wanted to keep the celebration going, they hosted an after-party at a local bar and club, but failed to mention that guests had to pay for the drinks or that there was an entry fee.

“They also did not inform the bar in advance that they would have to expect a sudden influx of nearly 100 people. They just ‘assumed’ that everything would be OK… Needless to say, it was not OK.”

“An after-party in a bar – which was closed”

Another user had an even worse experience at a friend’s wedding: he had to walk to a closed hotel bar on a freezing winter night.

“They were planning an after-party at a bar and had even written it on the invitations. It was a huge scramble to get people there… we lost people trying to find the place. We got to the bar… it was completely dark because they were closed.

“The happy couple didn’t think to contact the bar because dozens of people would be there for an after-party and just assumed it would be open.”

One older person commented on this cost-saving approach by saying that it only works for certain guests and that some couples may have different priorities.

“I’m old and the last time I went to a wedding the dance floor didn’t open until 10pm and I had an hour drive home so I was totally bummed I couldn’t dance. Driving all over town, parking, standing in line and paying admission when the wedding is over at 9pm? No way, I’m going home and to bed.

“One of my biggest turn-offs is when couples obviously go out of their way to look pretty in photos and skimp on the basics for their guests. As if you can’t dip into your flower budget and hire a DJ and a venue for a few hours?”

“We paid for a round of shots”

Finally, one poster shared that this type of wedding could actually be done well at a local pub with a little extra planning.

“At my wedding we had an ‘after-party’ at an Irish pub with live music,” explains the poster.

“We paid for a party bus to take our guests to the pub and we also had a part of the back of the pub reserved for guests to have somewhere to sit. We also paid for a round of shots to be waiting for our guests on arrival.

“We paid for all drinks during our two-hour cocktail hour and all drinks during dinner. We also paid for and provided drinks for guests on the party bus. We were only at the pub for about an hour and a half, but our guests loved it.”

“I don’t think it’s inherently bad taste to have an after-party at a club or pub. But I do think it’s important to make sure guests have transportation and don’t have to wait in line or pay to get in.”