AITA for wanting truth revealed after a “friend” canceled wedding venue 2 weeks before the date ?

A 29-year-old male Reddit user recounted how a couple, “Adam and Sarah,” had offered their home as a wedding venue, only to retract the offer a mere fortnight before the scheduled date. Despite having reached a consensus on the conditions, including payment arrangements, the agreement faltered when the couple voiced worries regarding licenses and disturbances.

Their sudden cancellation, despite prior guarantees, has left the user and his fiancée in a difficult position, needing to reorganize their wedding while also handling family travel arrangements and job-related issues. The user is now considering whether it would be inappropriate to expose the couple’s questionable business conduct and their management of the wedding arrangements. The complete account is available below.

‘ AITA for wanting truth revealed after a “friend” canceled wedding venue 2 weeks before the date ?’

Alright, I will do my best to be concise and chronologically accurate. We’ve been acquainted with another couple, whom we’ll refer to as Adam and Sarah, for the past three years. In January, my fiancé began employment with them at their dog training company, and in February, we all decided to host our wedding at their home, which also serves as the location for their (now discovered to be illicit) dog business.

We shook on it, settled on a price of $800, and began making plans. Two and a half months before the wedding, Adam messaged us, saying, “Hey, I see you’re holding your wedding here since our address is on the invitation.” I responded, “Yes, naturally, we agreed to this months ago.” He then stated that since they hadn’t received the 50% deposit, the booking wasn’t considered official.

I was thinking “what the heck,” but I just said okay, I’ll wire you the funds. Great, finished. We made an agreement when we met to acquire a special event license because the property is situated far out in the desert, and the previous owner had neighbors who had contacted law enforcement due to large gatherings and loud music. Adam agreed. Four weeks prior to the wedding, we had dinner with them, and he voiced worries regarding the music and the license.

He stated that he does not desire authorization. It is advised that he communicate with those in his vicinity. He opposes it. He communicated that we would be required to cease the festivity at nightfall (6pm), at which point Sarah defended our position. She declared that it is the most significant day of our existence and that such a notion is absurd. 10pm will be sufficient. (The authorization serves to accommodate over 50 individuals and safeguard against grievances and the presence of law enforcement; we anticipate a total of 65 attendees).

Two weeks before the event, we set up a meeting to tour the place and finalize the arrangements. Up until then, they hadn’t communicated many specific requests, mostly giving us free rein in the planning and saying they wanted to help us have a perfect day. (Sounded like great friends, didn’t it? – Wrong.) But at that meeting, they announced that no one would be allowed inside to use the bathroom.

We are going to require amenities. I mention to them that the date is fast approaching, and it might be difficult to secure these. They dismiss my concerns. After this, he reiterates that we must be finished by 6 o’clock in the evening but then consents to obtain a permit, as we are nearing the deadline to do so. The following day, we get a text and a voice message informing us that they are rescinding our venue reservation and will reimburse us. There is a complete absence of empathy. They simply state that they wish us to have the most wonderful day but that their property is not suitable.

Adam rang me, excitedly telling me how wonderful this would be. My future wife is heartbroken. He claims we are not the wronged parties and that he is acting virtuously. What the hell? My family is journeying from North Carolina to Arizona, and hers from California and Hawaii. Everyone has already booked flights, hotels etc. Not only do we have to reorganize our wedding with only two weeks to spare, but my fiance also has to resign from her position.

Who could possibly be employed by an individual capable of such actions? While I don’t seek retribution, we reside in a close-knit, spiritually inclined community where these individuals present themselves as prosperous business leaders and mentors, as well as respected members of the community who uphold integrity. Their actions contradict this image. During the cancellation, they stated that they wouldn’t mind if we went public with the information. However, I believe this was a facade, as the prospect deeply frightens them.

I’m I wrong for wishing potential business partners were aware of their true character by exposing their unlawful business dealings? I’m trying to avoid legal troubles, but this has been incredibly challenging.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

Ok-Draft9581 −  Dude, your friends are total jerks. Canceling your wedding venue two weeks before the date? That’s messed up. I’d definitely want to warn other people about them. Maybe even report their illegal business practices. They deserve to be exposed.

wlfwrtr −  NTA You live in a small spiritual town. You just have to let a few old chuch ladies overhear your conversation about it. They’ll spread the gossip around real quick and you won’t have to do a thing.

Prudent_Valuable603 −  Instead of dwelling on revenge/anger on these two idiots who messed up your wedding venue by cancelling it, immediately start looking for a church hall to rent out or a school gym. Ask the local fire department if they know of locations that can hold 65 people. Go to the parks and rec Dept and ask if you can rent out a park pavilion. Are there any skating rinks you can rent out? NTA, by the way.

Demand-Steep242 −  You deserve better than what they did to you. Honestly, I’d want the truth out there too.

Illustrious-Sky-713 −  Oh yes, and I forgot to add. When Adam called me I said we would end at 6pm (out of desperation) he still said no. I asked him why we still couldn’t have it there and he said he made the decision prematurely. (Yes almost 8 months ago)

SofiaActive −  You’re definitely NTA. It’s incredibly frustrating to deal with such irresponsible behavior from people you considered friends. They should have respected your wedding plans and communicated their concerns well before the cancellation.

It’s perfectly reasonable to want to tell people about what happened, particularly given that they’re operating unlawfully and appear to be presenting a false image to the public. However, be careful about how you proceed because you don’t want to make yourself vulnerable to possible lawsuits. Think about writing a review or sharing your story in a way that emphasizes your personal interactions instead of making explicit claims.

emerixxxx −  NTA. Also, if you paid by bank transfer with a reason such as “Booking for wedding venue” AND/OR there is correspondence to imply that a contract has been established, please look into the possibility of claiming against them for your consequential loss and damage such as the costs of looking for another venue, the costs of rehiring/relocating caterers, etc. Especially if you already have the permit in hand, and they have no justifiable reason to cancel on you.

hamsterfamily −  The illegal dog business is probably why they don’t want to have the wedding there. Having an event there – and getting a permit for it – draws attention there. Seeking revenge isn’t going to make them realize how messed up canceling the wedding is, it will confirm to them they were wrong to ever think about holding it there. I would recommend being honest when asked about the location switch but not attempt anything more than that.

Existing_Watch_3084 −  Post on fb or send a mass email or anything and say. X informed us on X that we are no longer allowed to use their property. We do not have an explination but are desperate as we no longer have a place to get married. And ask for recommendations and help

Bitter-Fishing-Butt −  put a post up on the town’s social media group saying “A local business has let us down right at the very last moment without real explanation. Looking for somewhere to host our wedding on Date at Time for This Many people :)” up to you if you name the business in comments, but word gets round small towns quickly anyway so people will find out

Is the user right to consider revealing what Adam and Sarah are doing, or would that be an overreaction? What would you do if you were in their shoes, with your wedding so soon? Let us know what you think and give your advice in the comments!