Redditor Refuses To Pay For Son’s Wedding If He Isn't Allowed To Invite Some Older Family Members

He who pays the bills chooses the guests.

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• March 26, 2023

There’s no denying that weddings are expensive. Research shows that the average wedding cost in 2022 was $30,000.

Weddings are so expensive for so many reasons, including how large they can be and the details that go into them. Many people try to incorporate things that are special to them during their wedding, which can come at extra costs.

Fortunately for some couples, they don’t have to pay for their wedding themselves. They may have a family member footing the wedding bill, and while this is a blessing, it can also be a curse.

This is because sometimes this generosity comes with stipulations and requests the bride and groom don’t want to answer.

We found a story on the AITA subreddit that tells a similar story. 

OP shared that his son was getting married, and he had offered to pay for the wedding, giving him and his fiancé a budget of $150,000 to work with. 

However, he had two stipulations. One was that the couple used a wedding planner for the event, and the other one was that he be allowed to invite eight older relatives he was close to.

Although OP's son and his fiancé agreed to the first stipulation, his fiancé didn’t agree to the second. Her reason was that she didn’t know the relatives well enough.

OP then refused to pay for the wedding unless both stipulations were met, leading his son’s fiancé’s family to label him as the AH.

OP then turned to the court of Reddit for some advice. Check out the verdict below!

Let's dig into the details...

OP explained that his son is getting married and he's willing to pay for their wedding if they agree to two of his demands. However, the bride isn't happy about one particular demand

Here's how the Reddit community reacted to this story:

"Nope NTA you are asking for 8 people and offering $150k."

"With 400 guests there is no way she will know every single person "well" or even at all. It's a power play."

"You're being more than generous in the amount you offer, you have a right to invite HIS FAMILY to show up."

"The bride is the definition of entitled. To accept the gift of a 150k wedding but not allow you to invite 8 relatives (which would be in essence about 2% of the guest list)-"

"The bride and groom are the guests of honor but you are the host and having a small contingent of family that you are choosing to invite doesn't seem unreasonable to me."

"it’s going to be a massive event and she won’t be able to greet each and every party guest anyways, so what is an additional 8 more people going to hurt?"

"The 8 you want to invite are actually family. These aren't just friends."

"Nta It would be different if it was a small wedding or they didn’t get along with the relatives."

"NTA. 8 guests out of 400 are going to ruin HER day?"

"I don't think you're asking for a lot. AT ALL. With that many people coming, it's not like it's going to be intimate and that she's going to be able to talk to everyone there."

"Ashley is being an a**hole excluding your son's family for no apparent reason."

"Stay firm. If this is her hill to die on, leave it to her family to foot the bill for the wedding."

Important edit: OP just can't leave out some of his special relatives

Edit 2: OP has urged his son to speak with his wife. This is one family matter that needs to be resolved ASAP

Final update...

Continuation...

The commenters believe OP is NTA, as his stipulations weren’t so tricky. 

Some even labeled his son’s fiancé to be a gold digger. However, OP clarified in an edit to his post that he didn’t believe that was the case. 

Jesse