A friend of mine's sister is getting married. Friend is MOH, and is thinking ahead to the bachelorette party (won't be till next year anyway). She started a facebook group to plan it with the wedding party and other close friends, and also as a way to notify people of preliminary invites (I guess kind of like a save the date).
Her plan is to have the party at a local hotel that has one of the bride's favorite restaurants/bars, and also a really awesome pool, etc. That is the part the bride knows about. But the second half of the party, which is supposed to be a bit of a surprise... is odd.
Background: MOH and Bride and their closest friends (several of whom are in bridal party) all grew up together on the same street. One of the things they used to do as kids was put on silly "shows" for their parents. It is a very fond memory for all of them.
So MOH thought it would be fun if guests coming to the party put together some kind of silly little skit (can be anything, lip-syncing, whatever) and we would all perform for the bride, the guest of honor. Some people are teaming up, some are going solo. The idea is just to create silliness, and I'm sure people will think of things that will make the bride laugh. I thought it was unconventional, but fine, kind of a cute idea.
Here's where the problem starts. She made it clear that this is a co-ed bachelorette party, and that SOs are welcome to attend. But she just messaged me complaining that someone wants to bring their SO, but their SO doesn't want to "perform." He's a little shy, I guess. MOH said to me that "she put her foot down" and said if he doesn't want to perform, he can't come. Apparently, MOH is *requiring* that everyone who attends does some kind of performance. I thought it was going to be something that was encouraged, but not required.
I don't know how I feel about this. I'm uncomfortable that it is a surprise. I know the bride, and I wonder how she would feel if she knew her sister was insisting that guests to her bachelorette party put on a show for her.
So, MOH has asked for constructive criticism... I'm not sure if I should say anything. To me this sort of feels like a "potluck", but instead of food, we are bringing the entertainment. I know a potluck isn't rude as long as it is clear from the beginning that is the nature of the party. So I did tell her that I didn't realize performing was required, and that I would make sure that is explicitly clear to all the guests.