AITA For Not Going to My Friends Destination Wedding?
A Reddit user expresses their annoyance with the considerable expenses involved in attending a close friend’s wedding held in a faraway location. The wedding is planned at a pricey resort, with rooms costing approximately $700 nightly, a figure far exceeding initial estimations.
Even though the user has the financial means for the journey, they believe the quoted price is excessive, particularly after finding lower prices online.
Following their expressions of worry, they eventually chose to skip the wedding, which saddened their friend. The user now wonders if their choice was unjust. To understand the complete situation, refer to the original post provided below.
‘ AITA For Not Going to My Friends Destination Wedding?’
A close acquaintance of mine has chosen an overseas destination wedding at a well-known vacation spot. This isn’t particularly problematic, but the expense of staying at the resort he selected is. The nightly rate is approximately $700. That is quite costly, I realize it includes everything.
I’ve traveled with him to international destinations much farther away in the past. Typically, I managed all the planning, including flights, accommodations, and so on. Even several of our acquaintances have opted out due to the expense. It’s not a question of affordability; we are all capable of paying.
I had no intention of paying over $700 per night. Considering the location, I anticipated something closer to $300. Initially, he was quite vague about the costs, mentioning he was using a travel agent to handle the reservations and secure a “favorable rate.”
u/Particular_Pie_3112
A basic search across various travel websites yields comparable prices, perhaps marginally lower, but not significantly so. I suspect the reason he selected such a pricey venue is to reduce the financial burden of an extravagant wedding by discouraging attendance among invitees.
I’m aware it’s a financial burden for him since neither his future spouse’s family nor his own are covering the costs. After he revealed the location and I observed the resort’s expense, I informed him of my non-attendance and ceased the discussion. I mentioned it was pricey, even by his measure, and he concurred.
See what others had to share with OP:
_s1m0n_s3z − A lot of resorts comp the wedding couple if they bring along enough ~~suckers~~ guests, so the price might reflect a margin built in to cover that. Sometimes, destination wedding guests end up paying for the honeymoon without knowing it. NTA.
lyr4527 − NAH. Anyone who decides to have a destination wedding knows (or should know) that some people will not attend because of the cost. You’re NTA for deciding not to attend. Your friend is also NTA, unless he’s giving you a hard time about not going or something.
Worth-Season3645 − NTA…You were invited. It is not a requirement to attend.
Lizwings − NTA. Most people assume everyone won’t be able to make it to their destination weddings, and that one sounds unusually expensive. You can always give him a nice card and gift or take them out to dinner when they get back to congratulate them.
sickofdriving007 − $700 a night??? WTH. That’s a couple hundred less than I pay for a mortgage payment.
OddRefrigerator6532 − “It’s an invitation, not a summons.”. I see this answer a lot!
Rare_Sugar_7927 − What’s the problem here? The groom said he thought it was expensive too? So where’s the problem? Doesn’t seem like he is demanding you go anyway.
It’s disappointing to be absent from the wedding, but these things happen, particularly with destination weddings. Honestly, that’s precisely why I always planned on having a destination wedding – to ensure some family members wouldn’t be able to attend, haha. Not an asshole.
Think-Committee-4394 − NTA. basically anyone who opts for what I would term (a special circumstances) wedding. No kids – expensive destinations – bizarre. By definition exclude people from attending. Their choice, their wedding, but you don’t have to join in
Tdluxon − NTA. IMO if you are having a destination wedding, you can’t reasonably expect everyone to come, and even more so at a place so expensive. People have lives, bills, work, etc. and its ridiculous to expect that everyone is going to spend huge amounts of time and money to go to your wedding.
jbarneswilson − INFO: who is calling you TA?
Was the Redditor right to skip the wedding because of the expense, or should they have prioritized being there for their friend? What would you do if you were in the same boat? Let’s discuss in the comments!
