SIMCHOS IN HALACHA – MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED SHAILOS

May a guest take leftover food home, or does the food remain the property of the host or caterer? May a guest take flowers, centerpieces, decorations, or unopened bottles from the table after the simcha? If someone accepted an invitation but failed to attend, must he reimburse the host for the meal ordered on his behalf? Who owns gifts distributed at the tables—such as bentchers, souvenirs, yarmulkes, or children’s prizes—and may a guest take additional ones for family members? Is there a halachic obligation to attend a wedding, bris, bar mitzvah, or sheva brachos after being invited? When does attending a simcha override one’s regular Torah-learning schedule? Must parents go into debt to make a respectable wedding? Can parents or grandparents use maaser money to pay for their child’s bris, bar mitzvah, or wedding? Does it matter whether they could afford it without maaser? May maaser money be used to pay for a nicer wedding—or only the minimum necessary expenses for someone who cannot afford a wedding? If a wedding is canceled, who bears the loss—the family or the caterer, photographer, band, florist, and hall? Can they keep the deposits? And much more….