When my cousin, Lisa, announced her engagement, the whole family was ecstatic. She and Jake had been together for years, and everyone had been waiting for the day they’d make it official. A few months later, she sent out beautiful “save the date” cards, the kind with embossed gold lettering and a romantic sunset background. I was excited—I loved weddings, and Lisa was like a sister to me.
As the wedding date got closer, I realized I hadn’t received an actual invitation yet. At first, I brushed it off, thinking maybe she was sending them late. But as more time passed, doubt started creeping in. Maybe mine got lost in the mail? So, I finally texted Lisa, casually asking when the invites were being sent out.
Her response came quickly:
“Hey! So, we actually decided to do something really small—just ten people in Vegas. We’re keeping it intimate, mostly immediate family. I hope you understand! We just couldn’t afford a big wedding.”
I won’t lie, it stung a little. Lisa and I had always been close, and I thought I’d be at least among the top ten people she’d want there. But I understood. Weddings were expensive, and if this was what made her happy, then I wasn’t going to hold it against her.
Then, a week later, I got another message from her.
I was in the middle of eating dinner when my phone buzzed. Expecting it to be a casual follow-up, I absentmindedly opened the message—and GASPED.
It was an official notice from Lisa and Jake, but it wasn’t another wedding update. It was a GoFundMe link.
“Hey everyone! Since we’re keeping the wedding small, we’d love it if you could help us have our dream honeymoon! We’ve set up this fundraiser for contributions instead of gifts. Anything helps! Love you all!”
I blinked at the screen, rereading the message to make sure I hadn’t misinterpreted it. They couldn’t afford to invite people to the wedding—but they had no problem asking us for money?
I scrolled through the GoFundMe page, feeling a mix of disbelief and irritation. They weren’t asking for a modest sum. The goal was set at $15,000. For their honeymoon.
The description talked about their “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to Bora Bora, detailing their planned activities: a luxury overwater villa, private helicopter tours, spa treatments, and fine dining.
I checked the donor list. Some family members had already chipped in—fifty bucks here, a hundred there. A few left sweet comments like, “Wish we could celebrate with you! Have a cocktail for us!”
I sat back, processing. I wasn’t upset that they wanted a small wedding. That was fine. But asking people—especially those who weren’t even invited—to fund their luxury vacation? That felt… wrong.
I debated what to do. Should I ignore it? Politely decline? Or should I be honest?
After a few minutes of staring at the donation page, I decided on honesty.
“Hey Lisa, I just saw the GoFundMe. I’m really happy for you and Jake, but I have to admit, this feels a little off. You didn’t have room for me at the wedding, but you want me to help pay for your honeymoon?”
She replied almost immediately.
“Oh no, no pressure at all! We just thought if people wanted to contribute instead of a gift, this would be an option! But if you don’t want to, that’s totally fine.”
Her message seemed harmless enough, but something about it still felt off. Like she knew how it looked but wanted to play it down. I decided to let it go.
I didn’t donate. And I didn’t hear much from Lisa after that.
Until the day of the wedding.
That morning, my phone pinged with an Instagram notification. Lisa had just gone live. Curiosity got the best of me, and I clicked on it.
The stream opened to a massive, extravagant wedding ballroom. Chandeliers dripped with crystals, the tables were covered in lavish floral arrangements, and a live band played in the background. Lisa, in a stunning designer wedding dress, was twirling on the dance floor while guests clapped and cheered.
I scanned the crowd. There were way more than ten people.
My stomach dropped.
They hadn’t had a small Vegas wedding. That was a lie. They had a full-blown luxury wedding, but they’d pretended it was tiny so they could exclude people without looking bad.
And then, like a final slap in the face, I saw the guest list. Some of the people there? Distant family members I knew Lisa barely spoke to. People I had never seen her interact with outside of big family events. Some of them, rich.
I exited the stream, my heart pounding.
I wasn’t hurt anymore. I was angry.
It wasn’t about not being invited. It was about being lied to—about the whole family being manipulated. They had made people feel guilty about their “budget” wedding, then shamelessly crowdfunded a five-star honeymoon.
I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The family group chat exploded that night.
My aunt Otilia: “Lisa said they couldn’t afford a big wedding. What the hell was that live stream?!”
My cousin Mark: “Wait, they asked me for honeymoon money but threw a full-blown banquet??”
And then, the best message of all—Lisa herself, trying to do damage control.
“Guys, please don’t take it the wrong way! We had to keep the guest list small for immediate family but we got last-minute sponsorships from vendors so we were able to have a bigger event. We didn’t mean to hurt anyone!”
Sponsorships?
So now they were claiming that vendors had donated services to them at the last second? It was a pathetic excuse, and no one was buying it.
Family members started pulling their donations from the GoFundMe. Some even left comments calling out the deception. Within an hour, Lisa took the page down completely.
And just like that, the damage was done.
Lisa and Jake got their wedding, but they lost something much bigger: our trust.
Would you ever forgive something like this? Or would this be a relationship-ending betrayal for you? Let me know in the comments—and don’t forget to share this with someone who loves a good wedding drama!
