Wait, before you say “yes totally!” I want you to think “GFC” and read the email I received from Sarah about this exact issue.
She wrote:
Question: Is it ok to have a significant birthday party and charge your guests to attend?
Example: A friend of mine is having her 40th coming up – at The Hyatt Hotel in Canberra – it will be a very glamour cocktail event, that will cost about $120 per head. She is looking at having about 50 close friends, a band, room hire etc. the function will end up costing her about $7,000.
She is considering charging her guests a nominal cost (ie $40 per head) and has asked for my advice on the matter. I am in two minds – initially I think it is really tight, and that if you cant afford to throw your friends a party then don’t have one.
Then I started thinking maybe it was a bit practical. If you stipulated no gifts and in lieu of that a charge…..
No, I still think its pretty average.
I would love your thoughts Mamamia community…..HELP
Tough call this one. In a perfect rich world, we would all be able to entertain our friends in lavish style or even just buy them a few drinks and some teeny little gourmet rice paper rolls carried around on a silver tray. And pay for it. Group dinners are SUCH a minefield of ettiquette it’s hard to know where to start.
Dive in. What’s been your experience and do you have any kind of….policy?
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Personally I wouldn't like to charge my friends, I guess I think if I want the function, I pay.
It's interesting, I was in a similar situation with a close friend, only it was for her child's birthday party.
She had it at one of those indoor play centres at $14.00 per child, and asked us to pay $5.00 per child.
I had a party for my child a few months later at the same place, I considered briefly asking people to subsidise, but the thought made me really uncomfortable, I felt it was tacky. My friend came along with her 2 kids, nothing was mentioned about her paying!! even though I had paid at her party!!