Anyone else super annoyed at all the same old excuses people keep using to attempt to validate their rudeness? Some of them make no sense!
"We're paying for our wedding and we have a tight budget so we can't......"' Um...who else do you expect to fund your wedding? If your parents or others offer then great, lucky you! But today many many couples pay for their own weddings and not many have unlimited budgets. Your vision doesn't give you the green light to cut corners and be a shitty host. I'd rather plan/attend a $1000 well hosted wedding than a $100,000 one that just oozes rudeness. And no, those fancy centerpieces aren't going to make me forget how rude I was treated. Sorry.
"It's MY day and I can do whatever I want!" What are you 5? I mean really. Its not Burger King where you can have it your way, at least when you start inviting other people to attend.
"Everyone in my circle does ____ so it's fine!" Okay so if everyone in your circle started robbing banks would you do that to?
"We just can't afford an open bar, ____, or ____. Our family and friends will understand." Just curious, how much did your dress cost? Your flowers? Yeah...probably more than they should have if you can't host your guests properly. Have a dry wedding, scale back other areas, offer only beer and wine, wait until you can save enough to plan ex wedding you truly want. But there's no excuse or reason to treat others poorly.
Those are just off the top of my head. Please feel free to add

k, vent over
After 6 years and 2 boys, finally tying the knot on October 27th, 2013!
Re: Over the excuses
is there wine at the tables? you should have wine at each table ( im sorry but my venue does not allow bottles at the table because they wont know how much each person really drank) they do have wine at the bar for anyone who wants it.
you should really do the desert table it would be nice ( i wanted to at first but its an extra 1300 and i don't have that money)
"My husband is in the military, so we had to get married by a JOP for insurance, but we're going to have our real wedding in June."
"We have to have an open bar because our families expect it."
"Every girl deserves the wedding of her dreams!"
Even if someone else was paying, like their parents... do they think that would change our opinion? A budget is a budget, no matter who is signing the checks. Would they expect us to say, "Oh your parents are paying? Then by all means, definitely have an open bar with top shelf liquor AND have those doves and peacocks at your cocktail hour! Why not, someone else is paying, so who cares what the budget is!" Unless your parents are the Trumps, then stop whining about how you're stuck paying for it yourselves.
"But I had to invite..."
The only things you need to get married with are a marriage license and an officiant/pastor. You don't need to spend any more money than you would on those things. Once you start inviting people or choosing to use certain traditional elements, then you forgo using your number of guests as an excuse. You made choices, own them.
"Our family and friends will understand."
They might understand, but that doesn't mean they will like it. Big difference. I understand why my friend's wedding invitation said "SF and guest" but that doesn't mean I liked it.
"We don't trust anyone else to watch our kids, so we have to bring them even if they're not invited."
"It's our wedding, so we have to remember our deceased loved ones with unsubtle overt gestures, even if they evoke the grief of others present."
"We have to bring our own food and drinks even if that violates your venue contract-we don't trust you to plan for our dietary conditions."
"I want to have my brother/sister at my wedding, but their SO is soooo crazy. Like BSC. They always fight with me. How can I only invite my brother/sister?"
Ick.
Don't forget the "I'm only inviting people in a serious relationship because I don't want some random fling to be all over my wedding pictures."
yuck
A friend of a friend is getting married and started ranting all over facebook, "my grandmother is paying for/throwing my bridal shower. She wants to have chicken for the meal! Can you believe it? How cheap...it's my day! If I want steak I should have it. It's not like she can't afford it." I about lost it on this one!
We are doing food stations- so glorified buffet :-P
"Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends time and space."
I hope you still don't care when people don't show up or are suddenly very uninterested in listening to you gloat about your wedding where you intentionally plan to host people in a really shitty way.
If I wanted to see a show, I'd go to the movies. If I was ok with paying for drinks all night, I'd do that at a bar/venue of MY choosing. If you're asking me to come to your event, then please host me properly once I'm there (ex: a cash bar is essentially guests paying for the beverage options which the couple chose not to afford when they planned it). A wedding is an event hosted by two people, and hosted events should be hosted in such a way that the invited guests are taken care of.
You can certainly be a lovely bride, it's not that difficult. Invite your guests with their partners regardless of relationship type/length, do not leave an unhosted gap between the ceremony and reception, do not require guests to do things like wear certain colors/clothing, give only cash gifts, etc., and do not make your guests open their wallets at your reception. You wouldn't charge people for drinks if you had them over for dinner, right? A wedding is pretty much the same thing, just hosted at a venue outside your home (I'm assuming). You wanna throw the event, you pay for the food and drinks. It's not that difficult.
After 6 years and 2 boys, finally tying the knot on October 27th, 2013!
I just don't get the point of getting married in Mexico if you're not actually getting married IN Mexico. Or Italy. Or Chicago. Or Winterfell.
You want pretty beaches? Drinks with umbrellas in them? An excuse to be with your friends and family in an exotic location? Go for it! Get married where you want. But don't pretend like you're getting married just to put on a show for everyone. If I want to see a show, I'll go to the theater, thanks.
I'd love to hear someone say that if it were their parents or best friend of 20 years that thinks they're being rude.
After 6 years and 2 boys, finally tying the knot on October 27th, 2013!
"But what if someone wears white/ jeans to the wedding. My day will be ruined."
FWIW, I was at a wedding on Saturday and a guest wore a floor length, flowy, white dress and no one confused her with the bride.