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A frustrated wedding guest has sought compensation after buying a lot of food for an event over the weekend.
The 28-year-old thought her request was reasonable until the girlfriend accused her of being a “bad friend.” Unsure whether she had made the right decision, the woman took to popular Reddit confession forum Am I The A**hole to ask anonymous users if they thought she was wrong.
To put this into context, the Redditor admitted that she had a “well-paying” job, but was supporting herself and her boyfriend because he had recently lost his job.
The wedding they attended was a two-day “Spanish-Italian” event where the Reddit user was asked to be the bride’s witness. “The two-day event was held three hours away from the city and included a wedding ceremony, lunch, party, and the next day a barbecue to celebrate the family member’s birthday,” she explained.
According to the Reddit user, guests were told not to bring gifts as the bride and groom were planning a larger second wedding in Italy at a beautiful mansion.
“As a witness and best friend, I always went out of my way to help her in her daily life,” the friend added. “For the wedding, I rented a car for 250 euros, picked up the guests and helped a lot with logistics (taking people to and from the airport).”
That said, when it came time for the barbecue, the redditor was asked to help out more than she intended. Upon arrival, she was notified that there was a food shortage and told to go to the grocery store.
The Reddit user said: “Okay, it happens sometimes, we made a grocery list for ourselves. While we were shopping, I got calls from the hosts to buy more food. They even asked my boyfriend to bring fresh bread.”
Then, when the Reddit user returned to the barbecue, she was tasked with cooking. The food she bought was being served to all the guests, but for some reason, her boyfriend wasn't allowed to eat the bread she bought. Even though she was actually the only guest helping out, the Reddit user said she was happy to do so.
She said: “Afterwards, the couple went on their honeymoon and asked me to look after their plants for a month, which I thought was perfect. I made them a nice bottle of champagne to celebrate their return from their honeymoon.”
The original post's author, who wanted money back for food she bought not just for herself but for all of her guests, added her expenses to Splitwise, an app that calculates the total amount of money owed by each person in a group. The Redditor said she charged the bride two-fifths of the total amount she paid.
“Despite my efforts and expenses, I was harshly criticized for being a bad friend, for not bringing a gift, not washing the dishes or contributing enough financially,” the woman confessed. “I was told that I should be grateful that their friends allowed us to stay the night (we gave them a bottle of expensive wine as a thank you).”
She continued: “Then his fiancé accused me of trying to take their money and suggested I look into my finances. The groom even insinuated that I didn’t make enough for the wedding.”
The Redditor noted how “emotionally” disappointing this response was. She felt “unappreciated” and “hurt by the accusations and misunderstandings” from the couple. While their intentions were genuine, they didn’t see things that way. However, her fellow Reddit readers did.
Supportive Reddit users flocked to the comments section of her post, arguing that she had done nothing wrong in the situation. Most readers thought her reasons for requesting compensation were valid given the number of people she fed.
One person wrote: “But you realized what kind of ‘friends’ they are when they showed you their true colors. Thank them for that. If they insist on not giving you your money back, tell them to consider it your wedding gift and then stop meeting them altogether.”
Another reader said: “They are not your friends. They treat you like a servant. I would let their plants die and drink the champagne myself.”
“You should send him this link to the post and the total of your purchases. Tell him that if he doesn’t pay, it will be his wedding gift,” suggested one reader.
A fourth added: “The reaction from her friend and boyfriend was disproportionate and hurtful, showing a lack of appreciation for her efforts.”
