A couple missed a wedding because they couldn't find a sitter, so the bride charged them $75

Weddings are expensive. They’re expensive to throw for the bride and groom, and they’re expensive to attend for the guests.

Weddings are so expensive, in fact, that they can apparently cost you money even if you don’t attend them..

Local TV station KARE reports a suburban Minneapolis woman received an invoice charging her and her husband for a wedding they RSVP’d for, but were unable to attend after they could not acquire a last-minute babysitter. The bill charged Jessica Baker $75.09 for 2 herb crusted walleyes, plus tax and service.

Baker was forced to cancel her plans to attend the wedding when she learned her mother couldn’t look after her children on the night of the reception. A replacement sitter couldn’t be found on short notice, and the wedding invitation specifically asked for guests not to bring children.

The internet has not reacted kindly to the bill, settling on one word to describe it: tacky.

There are some unanswered questions in this story. Did Baker alert the unidentified couple that she would be unable to make it? Did she send a gift in lieu of her absence? Were there other options to eat besides herb crusted walleye?

If the answer to these questions is no, it doesn’t make the bill less of a faux pas, but it could make it a bit more understandable as possibly an act of frustration.

KARE gave no identifying information for the couple throwing the wedding, and we’ve been unable to track down Baker’s contact information. We’d encourage either party to contact us and shed some light on the situation.

We promise to bill very reasonable rates for the e-mail exchange.