A man has taken to social media to ask strangers whether he behaved poorly just days before his friend’s wedding.
Writing in the Reddit forum “Am I the A**hole”, the social media user with the telling nickname “SoberNewYearsWedding” explained he was meant to attend his friend’s nuptials, taking place on New Year’s Eve, but recently decided to back out.
Sharing the reason that brought him to take this decision, he wrote: “My buddy [a 33-year-old man] is getting married to a girl that our friend group is not in love with. He loves her though so we support him.
“We have known for months this was a New Year’s Eve wedding. I RSVP’d yes months ago with my wife. Several friends and I operated under the assumption that there would be booze at the wedding, especially considering it is on New Year’s Eve.”
However, the man revealed he found out with just days to spare before the nuptials that “it is a dry wedding” – which means no alcohol will be served – a decision the social media user says is linked to the bride-to-be and her family.
The revelation surprised also the man’s wife and the close group of friends he was planning to attend the event with, and many – including the poster – informed the groom they would no longer attend the wedding.
The Redditor wrote: “I told him this is something you should have told us a long time ago. I told him that Wife and I wouldn’t be going. We want to spend the night drinking.”
Only four members of the 12-strong friends group have decided to still head to the dry wedding, the man reported.
As the U-turn of the friends who had previously said they would attend the New Year’s Eve event happened so close to the wedding, the groom complained to the man who first discovered it was going to be a booze-less affair, saying he is “now overspending on catering”.
The Redditor added: “I’ve been called an a**hole among other things for ‘leading the charge’ in people not going to the wedding.”
As he asked internet users whether he truly was in the wrong there as stated by his groom-to-be friend, thousands of people shared their views.
Many agreed with him a dry wedding on December 31 wasn’t the most exciting way to see 2023 off, but still believed he let down his friend by backing off just days before the event.
One Reddit user wrote: “What kind of ‘friend’ can’t stay sober for a few hours for a friend on his wedding day? Perhaps the couple is trying to protect and preserve their special day from family members/friends who are out-of-control drunks or are recovering alcoholics. Oh, the horror!
“Sure it would suck not having alcohol at a NYE wedding, but suck it up, Buttercup – it’s not about you. Pregame or cut your time at the reception if you’re too out of control to stay sober for a couple of hours. Pathetic.”
Others argued the bride and groom should have made it clear from the beginning that it was going to be an alcohol-free event – but still think it was wrong to back out of the event last minute, possibly wasting the bride and groom’s money.
One Redditor wrote: “I’m confused. You could easily leave the wedding by 8pm, 9pm at the latest, and go to a bar. You can also sneak alcohol in purses and pour it into your glasses when no one is looking. Your friend sucks for doing the wedding on a holiday and hiding that it’s dry, but that in itself isn’t a reason to bail last minute when there are simple workarounds.”
