Hey, this is John. This is Sam. Your OG OK Storytime podcast hosts. We have some great stories coming up.

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This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. My best friend uninvited me from her wedding after I refuse to pay.

What if I'm broke, girl, sorry. I, 25 female, am part of a bridal party

for a close friend whose wedding is coming up soon.

A few months ago, the maid of honor

planned a bachelorette party in another country.

From the very beginning, I let them know

I wouldn't be able to attend due to financial reasons,

international travel, and the associated costs

just aren't in my budget right now. Everyone was understanding at the time, also I thought. By the way, this comes from Throwaway 3-9-50147. And if you want to submit your own stories, go to the R-slash OK Storytime subreddit. I'm Sophia. I'm Angie. I'm Carly. And we're here to give good advice

goofily, but we don't have all the answers. We only know what we do. So let us know what you would do in the comments. And O.P. Sets. The Bachelorette trip happened recently. And days after the group got back to the states, the maid of honors sent a message in the group chat, specifically one that included only the bridal party members

who did not attend the trip, asking each of us to send $300 so the bride wouldn't have to pay

her share of the trip. I never agreed to contribute financially to something I wasn't attending.

And at no point before or during the planning did anyone say anything about splitting the bride's costs among people who weren't going. If they had, I would have made it clear that I couldn't afford that either. Now I'm feeling really weird about the whole thing. On one hand, I get that people want to treat the bride. And if I'd been a part of the trip, I might have chipped in with the others to cover some of her expenses,

but to ask for that money after the fact from people who didn't even go feels unfair and borderline manipulative. I haven't responded to the message yet, and I don't want to cause drama,

but I also feel like I shouldn't have to pay for something I didn't attend, especially when I

was upfront from the beginning. So am I the A-hole for thinking it's unfair to ask me to pay $300 for a trip I didn't go on.

Update three months later.

I texted the bride telling her that due to financial issues, I would no longer be able to be a bridesmaid,

but I wish her the best and would still love to be there for her and attend as a guest.

I know, I know I should have at least called, but I also struggle with confrontation and social anxiety, so I prefer to do things over text, so I have time to really think about what I'm going to say. But crap really hit the fan. She told me she's really hurt by my decision, and she felt that she deserved more than a text message. Valid. I agree with that. Sure. Yeah. And that she doesn't know where we go from here. Hindsight is 2020, so I asked if I could call her after I got out of work, to which she never responded. I tried reaching out a few more times, and she told me she didn't have time for this drama, which I took as she needed some space, so I decided to respect that.

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