KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 — A couple from Chicago, US, has gone viral on social media after they asked for a return of US$240 (RM995) from guests, who failed to show up at their wedding despite confirming their attendance earlier. 

Insider reported that Doug and Dedra Simmons held their wedding at Royalton Resort in Negril, Jamaica last month but eight of the 109 guests did not turn up despite RSVP that they would attend.

“When we got back, they didn’t say anything,” Doug told the portal. 

“And I feel like that was a real issue because we would’ve understood if they had told us that they could not make it. It wouldn’t have been a problem. But to no-call, no-show — that was an issue,” he added, noting that they had paid for the guests in advance.

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On August 24, Doug decided to post the “invoice” on his Facebook that had since received 2,100 reactions and shared 6,700 times.

In the post, Doug asked the recipients of the invoice not to be offended.

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“It’s gonna look something like this. I’ll be sending it via email and certified mail…just in case you ain’t get the email #PettyPost.”

Doug, however, told the portal that he did not actually send the invoice although he did start to receive apologetic explanations from some of the missing guests after they saw his post.

“It was me just being a bit petty and just having a teachable moment at the same time. I’ve never had to send it out because just them seeing it alone on Facebook brought about guilt,” he reportedly said. 

“You don’t have to always do stuff for people, but the fact that you put it out there and they saw it, that’s when they came running and say, ‘Hey, you know, I apologise.’”

Doug said some of the guests offered to cover the costs, but he declined.

“We said: ‘Hey, it’s OK. Let this be a lesson to you. Please don’t do this to anybody else because we understand that things happen, but it’s just not OK at the end of the day to do someone like that, especially someone that you call a friend or you call family.’”

Doug said he and his wife received hundreds of messages online from people who agree with his post.

“The past three or four days, I’ve gotten hundreds and hundreds of comments and inbox messages thanking us. A lot of people have been stiffed when it has come to their wedding and their birthday parties. People RSVP, and they do not show. It’s very inconsiderate and it’s not OK.”