Wedding planner and venue owner Alison Rios McCrone helps solve your dilemmas, no matter how big or small, in a weekly agony aunt column. Hi Alison, I’ve got a bit of a dilemma. My friend is getting married in a lovely part of the Scottish Highlands in a few months – but it’s very remote, and everyone will have to stay overnight at least one day in order to make it.
My problem is that there are only two hotels in the area – one, where the wedding is taking place, and another around 10 minutes walk away. However both are wildly out of my budget . I thought I had found a solution because my husband and I own a large tent and regularly stay in campsites all over the country.
We found one near to the venue with showers and space to get changed. However, when I brought this up to the maid-of-honour and the mother of the bride they were outraged. They said it was tacky, that I ‘owed’ it to my friend to find the money for one of the hotels, and that if I was going to stay ‘outside’ I shouldn’t be going to the wedding at all.
I’m heartbroken! I love my friend and want to go to her wedding, but I’m shocked at the response of two of the people closest to her. I think it is just snobbery (they are from a wealthy background) and I think there’s nothing wrong with camping, but now I don’t know what to do. Should I go to my friend? I don’t want to burden her but I feel, as it stands, that I’m not welcome at the wedding and I don’t know what else to do.
Cheer.