A woman has been praised for refusing to pay part of her sister’s wedding expenses after both the sister and her mother came up short of cash at a grocery store.
In a viral Reddit post, user diuw18 said that she was the first person in her family to earn decent money.
The woman added that she went to a grocery store to help her sister to get set up before her wedding day.
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Her post read: “We went to the grocery store and she bought $1,700 worth of groceries as we were cooking it for the wedding. Her card was denied and she tried a few but they were all denied.
“We stepped aside and she called the credit card company to find out she nearly maxed out her cards. She started to panic and checked her accounts and found out she has $200 left in checking.
“I told her to check savings and she snapped back she didn’t have any and our mom checked her card and still had $600 so she said she would cover $600 and volunteered me for the other $1,100. I told them I didn’t have the money, I did, but I don’t think my sister would have the money to pay me back.”
The woman then claimed her sister demanded to see proof that she had maxed out her credit cards.
The sister started to cry and yell at her and said that the woman looked down on her for being broke.
Afterwards, the sister texted the Reddit user and said that she was no longer welcome at the wedding.
According to wedding planning publication The Knot, the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. in 2022 was $30,000, a $2,000 increase from the year before.
Rima Barakeh, deputy editor of wedding-advice website Hitched.co.uk told Newsweek: “When it comes to planning a wedding, the most important step that should be top of every couple’s to-do list is planning a wedding budget and deciding how much you and your partner can afford to spend, realistically.
“Not setting a budget, or setting one that’s more than you can actually afford is going to add a lot of pressure and stress to the wedding planning process that is completely avoidable.
“Most people shy away from talking about finances, and I get it, making a budget plan can be daunting, but you are far more likely to overspend and spend beyond your means if you don’t have a realistic budget to start with.
“I’d always advise couples to plan a wedding that they can afford. It’s not uncommon for parents and other family members to contribute financially to a wedding, especially in traditions where it’s customary that a particular side pays for the wedding. But even in modern scenarios, getting contributions for your wedding is fine, if it’s the other person’s idea and it’s agreed prior.”
Since being shared on Monday, May 29, the post has been upvoted 6,800 times and received an estimated 1,200 comments.
Many of those who commented on the post were sympathetic to the poster and praised her actions.
IndependentRace5 added: “I’m still in awe at $1,700 worth of groceries. That sounds like a feast.”
While Jenren0608 posted: “I’m stuck at ‘she had $1,700 in groceries in her cart’ and had no plan to pay for them. You can’t convince me that she was unaware of her balance or how close to limit she was.
“She walked into that store, loaded those cart, FULLY expecting her sister to pay. She created the situation, brought on her own humiliation and seeded the rumor mill.”
Newsweek has contacted diuw18 for comment via Reddit.
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