A wedding can be expensive not only for those who throw it but also for those who attend.

For example, when Redditor CakeAndDiamond received an invitation to her younger sister’s destination wedding, she ran the numbers and, together with her own husband, they would have needed to pay around $3,000-$4,000.

Without having the necessary funds, the couple replied that they couldn’t make it. However, in a post on the subreddit ‘Entitled People,’ CakeAndDiamond explained that her sister refused to take no for an answer and demanded that she put her life on pause and go into debt for the trip.

A woman declined an invitation to her younger sister’s destination wedding because of how expensive the trip would have been

Image credits: medialensking

But she refused to take no for an answer

Image credits: Rawpixel

Image credits: halfpoint

Image credits: leungchopan

Image credits: jmartinstock

Image credits: cakeanddiamond

The bride has a history of picking fights with the family

We got in touch with CakeAndDiamond and she agreed to tell us more about what happened.

“My sister and I had a decent relationship growing up but it had its ups and downs since she displayed traits of being spoiled and narcissistic from a young age,” the Redditor explained to Bored Panda. “She had been steadily getting worse over the years. She was always picking fights with the family.”

CakeAndDiamond said that things haven’t improved since the fallout at all. “We are all still no contact with her and it’s been over a year. I don’t see that changing, not with me at least. I think my parents are relieved to not be abused anymore but sad about the situation. I think they would probably stay no contact with her even if she tried to come back into our lives. We don’t really have any other family for input but she has a history of being disliked.”

People shouldn’t be obliged to attend every wedding they’re invited to

According to a survey from Bankrate, on average, wedding guests planned on spending $611 per event in 2023. This sum includes spending on gifts, clothing and beauty, plus travel and accommodations.

But, as we saw from this story, special celebrations can be even more expensive. However, an invitation isn’t an obligation.

“You aren’t being selfish if you can’t go because the cost is too high. You’re being responsible,” personal finance expert Michelle Singletary wrote.

“Let the budget be the bad guy and tell the person, ‘I just can’t afford to go,'” she told CBS News. In other words, you’re not committing a sin for not attending.

However, Singletary doesn’t begrudge couples for hosting destination weddings, either. “I think people do it because that’s where they want to have their wedding. That’s fine,” she said. “But don’t expect people to come if they can’t afford it.”

Those hosts who really care about the attendance should consider their invitees’ finances. If the Redditor’s sister wanted her family to be there for her, she probably needed to remain mindful of their financial circumstances.

“I personally think that when you plan your wedding, you ought to be considerate of who can come and who you want to come,” Singletary added.

If the couple’s hearts are set on a particular destination that could be challenging for their loved ones to reach, they can consider going there for their honeymoon, not the wedding itself. This relieves guests who might be on tight budgets of making a hard decision that could be detrimental to their financial well-being.

“If it was your day, you would just get married with just your attendant and a witness,” Singletary said. “It’s a day you want to share with people, so don’t think of it as a selfish thing, think of it as, ‘Who do I want to come, and what is the most affordable way to have this event.'”

The original poster (OP) answered people’s questions in the comments

And remained in the discussion as the story went viral

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