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An engaged couple has sparked mixed reactions after the bride asked her retired mother to pay for her wedding, despite the groom being financially stable.
In a post shared on Reddit's Wedding Shaming forum, a relative of the bride's mother (a retired art teacher struggling to make ends meet) explained that the bride expected her mother to pay for her wedding. However, the Reddit user claimed there was something off about the couple.
“Their relationship is a bit unconventional as they have an age gap of over 20 years and the groom has older children from a previous marriage who are closer in age to the bride than she is to him,” the family member wrote.
The bride, who is in her 40s, and the groom, who is in his 60s, are both well off — each earning more than $200,000 a year. The Reddit user noted that with their combined income of around half a million a year, they have the means to pay for their wedding. However, they are still “allowing” the bride’s mother, who is struggling financially, to pay for the festivities, except for the rehearsal dinner that was ultimately canceled.
The Reddit user explained that the mother of the bride lives on a fixed income and often feels stressed about her financial situation. While they noted that she seems happy to pay for her daughter's wedding, they found it odd that a successful middle-aged couple wouldn't pay for their wedding.
“They are always stressed and complaining about money,” the relative wrote of the engaged couple. “They also asked the bride’s mother to help them buy a new house, something she obviously can’t afford.”
Although the three seemed to be on board with the financial arrangement, the rest of the bride's family was concerned. The Reddit user claimed that the grooms were taking advantage of someone who was struggling financially, when they could easily pay for their own expenses themselves.
“I’m honestly surprised the groom isn’t offering to foot most of the bill, as he has a 40-year career and makes a ton of money. The bride makes a ton of money too, so I don’t see why she can’t at least pay some of it,” they wrote. “I wish them both happiness, but I can’t help but feel like this isn’t right, especially for the groom, who is much older and wealthier.”
In the comments section, many people wrote that the mother of the bride needed to set boundaries with her daughter and future son-in-law.
“No offense, but the mother of the bride should have the courage to say no,” wrote one.
“If you get married at 40 or 60, you pay for your own wedding,” added another.
Others commented that it was atrocious that the groom and bride took advantage of the bride's mother.
“Both he and the girlfriend are useless,” another person commented. “He is over 60 and there is a 20-year age difference, which means she is over 40. She is an adult and has been for 20 years. If she goes through with this, she is equally responsible.”
“Poor mother of the bride!” wrote another. “Seriously, shame on the bride and groom for letting a retired man on a fixed income pay for their nonsense, whether she offered it or not. They are adults with paid jobs. They can pay for their own nonsense.”
