I’m a musician, and my cousin asked me to sing at her wedding. I assumed I was invited, but I wasn’t. I still showed up and played for 7 hours.
Later, I sent her an invoice, but she said she thought I was doing it for free as a gift. So without telling her, I posted a short clip from the wedding on my socials, thanking “the Johnson wedding” for booking me for a full-day set. No names, no drama.
But the fallout? Way more than I expected. Let me take you back a bit.
I’ve been a working musician for over ten years. I’ve played in coffee shops with barely five people in the crowd, and I’ve played weddings, corporate gigs, and even a couple of music festivals. I love music—always have—but it’s also how I pay rent.
So, when someone asks me to perform, I treat it like a job, even if they’re family. My cousin Bianca texted me out of the blue about her wedding. “Hey!
I’d love if you could sing during the ceremony and maybe a bit during dinner too?” I replied, “Of course! Send me the details.” She said she’d get back to me. Days later, she sent the time and venue but never actually said, “You’re invited,” or anything about food, seating, or payment.
I figured maybe she was just busy with planning. Weddings can be chaotic. So, I showed up, dressed nicely, with my guitar and speaker.
I asked around at the entrance if there was a seat for me. The woman checking the guest list didn’t find my name. I laughed awkwardly and said, “No worries, I’m the musician.”
She nodded and led me around to the side area, where vendors usually set up.
That should’ve been the first red flag. Still, I played. I sang during the ceremony, then during the cocktail hour, then dinner, and even the first dance.
No breaks, no food offered, and no real thanks beyond a brief “You sounded great!” from Bianca’s new husband as he passed by on his way to take selfies. Seven hours. I packed up my gear at 10 p.m., starving and sore.
On my way home, I sent her an invoice for the usual wedding rate, with a slight discount for family. A few hours later, she replied with: “Wait… you’re charging me? I thought you were doing it as a gift?!”
I stared at the message for a while.
A gift? For a wedding I wasn’t invited to? For a full-day performance with no seat, no food, no acknowledgment?
I didn’t reply immediately. Instead, I posted a 20-second clip of the first dance on my music page. I wrote: “Had the honor of playing for the Johnson wedding this weekend!
7-hour set, pure joy. Thank you for trusting me with your big day!”
I didn’t tag her. I didn’t use her real last name.
Just a nod to the work I did. I went to bed and forgot about it. The next morning, my phone was blowing up.
Apparently, one of her friends saw the post and thought it was sweet—then shared it. A local wedding blog picked it up, too, since the clip had a nice vibe. My page gained over a thousand followers in a day.
But Bianca? She was livid. She called me and started yelling the moment I answered.
“You’re trying to make me look bad online?! I told you I thought it was a gift! Why would you post that?!”
I stayed calm.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
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