$1,000 Wedding Trip Sparks Relationship Rift After Cash-Strapped Girlfriend Says No To Being Boyfriend's Plus-One
He heard “I can’t afford it” and translated it into “I won’t show up.”
In a high-cost city where two full-time incomes can still feel tight, OP and her boyfriend both bring in around $35,000 a year and live month to month. Now, a summer wedding has turned into a relationship test neither of them expected.
OP’s boyfriend is a groomsman for a close high school friend. He invited OP as his plus-one, and she felt excited at first, until she priced it out. Between flights and the rest of the weekend, she estimates it would cost $1,000 or more.
With law school starting in the fall and more than $150,000 in debt on the horizon, she says she can’t justify spending that kind of money to attend a wedding for someone she has never even met.
She told her boyfriend she wants to support him, but the cost feels like a mistake she’ll regret. He seemed disappointed, but he said he understood.
Then her boss approved two weeks of vacation, and OP suggested a backpacking trip through Central America as a last big adventure before law school. She expected it would cost about $1,000 each, which flipped the mood fast.
Her boyfriend has now accused her of not prioritizing him, and he’s stuck on the idea that she’s willing to spend on a backpacking trip but won’t spend on his friend’s wedding.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how people reacted to this relationship fracas.
Let’s dig into the details
Reddit.comA bit of backstory
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OP told her boyfriend that she would have to opt out of attending the wedding due to the cost involved
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OP's boyfriend was sad, but understood her situation. A week later, she invited him to go backpacking with her in Central America, which would cost the exact same amount in transportation as the wedding. This got him upset
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Her boyfriend accused her of not prioritizing him since she was willing to spend $1k on this backpacking trip but refused doing same for the wedding he invited her to
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Interestingly, her boyfriend's parents have offered to pay for one of their flight tickets
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“You will spend 1000 not even being with him, he doesn’t NEED a plus one if you will.”
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“If it’s his friend’s wedding, who you’ve never met, and he wants you to go that badly, than he needs to pay all of your expenses.”
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“NTA. You have every right to prioritize a vacation you want over the wedding of someone you don't know.”
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“NTA. At this stage of life, especially right before a large financial undertaking you need to be picky about how you allocate resources.”
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“NTA. It’s totally reasonable of you to not want to spend $1k for a wedding of a stranger you’ve never me.”
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OP’s money logic makes sense on paper: law school debt is real, and $1,000 adds up fast on a $35K salary.
Still, the boyfriend’s feelings also track, because this isn’t only about dollars, it’s about showing up for something that matters to him.
The parents’ flight offer helps, but it also adds pressure and awkward strings.
What would you do in OP’s place? Share your thoughts in the comments.
