I'd like to get a few things straight about "socials":
1. There are NO invitations. Its mainly a word of mouth thing.
2. There is NO advertising. Its actually stated in our liquor laws that a social cannot be advertised. The only thing you'll see is a sample ticket taped to the counter of the local gas bar (or grocery store, etc.)
3. You do NOT have to go. There is no pressure put on you to go... at all. Usually, there's too many people there to notice who's there and who's not there.
4. You are welcome to go to ANYONE's social. So there may be strangers at a social, but it's more than likely people who know the couple.
5. It may seem like a cash grab to some people, but that is definitely NOT the intention. It's seen here as a 'great time'. You never hear 'how tacky', but instead "when is your social?".
Socials have always been a great memory for me and my friends... whether we knew the couple or not. You get cheap drinks, have the chance to win great prizes, there's food, great music, lotsa dancing, and at the end of the night, its good to know that you might have helped someone out (not just the local bar).
Which etiquette rule does this break, exactly?