Woman cuts off friend after being told her 100,000-won wedding gift didn't cover the meal cost

A woman says she was confronted by a newlywed friend who complained that her 100,000-won ($75) wedding gift fell short of covering the per-person meal cost at the reception.

The account was posted Monday on Blind, an anonymous online community for office workers, by a user identified only as A, who said the dispute arose after she attended a college friend's wedding.

A said she traveled more than two hours round trip to reach the venue — a private banquet hall in Gangnam, Seoul, known for its food.

Having heard that 100,000 won was the going rate for a wedding gift, she put in that amount without hesitation, then stayed for the meal and joined in photos to celebrate her friend's new life.

The trouble started after the friend returned from her honeymoon. While going through the gift ledger, the friend reached out to A and said she had mentioned when sending the invitation that the venue was expensive and the food was good. "The meal here costs 110,000 won per person, and you gave 100,000 won — so I ended up paying 10,000 won out of pocket to feed you," the friend reportedly told her.

The friend went further, saying that for weddings in Gangnam or at hotels, 100,000 won does not even cover the meal, and that 150,000 to 200,000 won is the minimum expected. "A real gift is money left over after covering the meal cost," the friend said. "How can you call yourself a friend if you're leaving me at a loss?"

A pushed back, arguing that a wedding gift is a gesture of goodwill, not a bill to be settled. "You chose an expensive venue because you wanted to treat your guests well — why are you charging the guests for that decision?" she said. "If you were worried about the meal cost, you should have set up a kiosk at the door and sold meal tickets."

Ultimately, A transferred the 10,000-won shortfall she had been called out for, then told her friend not to come to any of her future life events and blocked her.

A said it was wrong to reduce a guest who had given up her weekend and traveled to the wedding to nothing more than "someone who caused a 10,000-won deficit." She asked whether a wedding had become "a crowdfunding event to turn a profit off guests."

Online commenters reacted with a range of views. "Shouldn't you just be grateful someone showed up to celebrate you?" wrote one. "Are we supposed to research the meal price before attending a wedding? It's not like she gave 50,000 won," said another. Others called it excessive to demand that guests cover the catering cost, while one commenter quipped: "What about the priceless weekend hours she spent there — are you going to reimburse her by the hour?"