When my sister Emily sent her wedding invitations, she didn’t just include an RSVP card — she added a price list. Guests had to “select a participation tier,” with options ranging from $100 for a selfie to $5,000 for a champagne toast. I thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t. Emily truly believed her “luxury celebration” was a business opportunity.

Growing up, Emily was the favorite — the fun, charming one who always got her way. I was the practical sister, the one she turned to whenever she needed money. So when her pay-to-attend wedding invite arrived, my parents told me to “just pay it.” That was the moment I decided to teach my sister a gentle lesson about value — with humor, not anger.

At the reception, I walked up with an envelope filled with one hundred $1 bills labeled “Payment for Sister’s Selfie Package.” I counted them aloud — one by one — until the crowd burst into laughter. Emily turned bright red, and even the groom looked ready to disappear. When I joked that I wanted a refund because my “smile service” wasn’t delivered, the whole room lost it.

Emily was furious, but the moment went viral online. Days later, she mailed me a single dollar with a note: “Refund issued.” I laughed. Maybe she learned something about love and generosity that day — that they’re worth more when freely given, not sold.