A Week Before Wedding, Bride and Groom Tell Wedding Party They Will Be Responsible for Cleaning Up the Celebration

A wedding guest is questioning a bride and groom’s decision to assign post-reception cleanup to their wedding party.

In a recent post on Reddit’s “Weddings” forum, a groomsman’s partner said the bridesmaids and groomsmen were told they’d be responsible for cleaning up after an upcoming wedding. The wedding party’s plus-ones were also expected to pitch in — but the guest said they don’t want to.

“Is this normal?” the groomsman’s partner asked. “Because it has thrown me for a loop as the guest of a groomsman. I mostly feel deterred because I work as an event planner and fundraiser for a nonprofit and know how much planning and effort goes into decorating and taking down events. I DO NOT want to help clean up an event I didn’t plan. Selfish, I know.”

The guest said what bothered them most wasn’t just the request — it was how it was delivered less than a week before the wedding. They added that the bride and groom don’t plan to help, and that no additional staff was hired to handle the work.

“Fleeing the venue before cleanup is leaving a bad taste in my mouth,” the plus-one added in a comment.

They also questioned why the couple couldn’t pay for extra help, noting the groom’s family is well-off and the bride has an expensive custom ring.

In the comments, Redditors debated whether this is common practice. Many said it’s not unusual for wedding parties to help with certain tasks, including cleanup — but argued that springing it on them at the last minute and depending on unpaid labor was unfair.

“They clearly knew this was the plan. And it is weird that they’d leave and not help,” one commenter wrote. “That’s fine if vendors do it. It sounds like maybe they’re just more committed to the grand exit and disappear for their evening but aren’t putting much thought into what happens after they leave or how it affects their experience.”

Another popular response noted they’ve seen similar expectations before, but warned it often leads to frustration among the wedding party — especially when it feels less like an honor and more like being treated as staff.