Let's admit - it's a bit unfair that if the list of the seven wonders of the world, compiled more than two thousand years ago, was revised more than once, then the no less ancient list of the seven deadly sins has never changed over the past millennia. But in the contemporary world, it would be worth removing at least gluttony, laziness and pride (isn't that what TikTok was invented for?), And add, for example, arrogance.
Well, arrogance is a real scourge of the modern world. We meet arrogant and entitled people literally every day who are skillfully (or not) trying to manipulate our consciousness, assuring us that we are not really doing them a favor, they are condescending to our help. Sometimes, however, something does not work out for them - but even in this case, having given a worthy rebuff to the entitled insolent person, somewhere in the depths of our head there's a sprout of the thought "AITA?"
This is exactly what happened with the author of this story, which appeared in the AITA Reddit community two years ago, and has gained almost 3K upvotes and about 300 different comments to date. We are almost sure that the author and his wife are doing well today, but in the process of preparing for their wedding, they encountered just such a manifestation of blatant impudence.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post and his fiancée are about to tie the knot and have chosen a lovely venue for their upcoming wedding
Image credits: Virginia State Parks (not the actual image)
So, a few years ago, the author of the post and his girlfriend were going to get married. At first, the couple planned a small ceremony in a beautiful place without the participation of anyone else. But you all know very well how it happens - first, the moms of both partners were added, then more relatives - a total of about twelve people.
Image credits: u/edward_aux
At one point, the OP found what he was looking for - a beautiful place where one can rent a lakeside pavilion with staff and food for a small festive banquet. The man told his fiancée about the place he'd found - she was also extremely delighted. The mothers of both partners also liked everything - it remained only to make and send out wedding invitations...
Image credits: u/edward_aux
One day the bride-to-be's cousin told relatives that he doesn't like that venue due to possible traffic problems for the guests
If you remember Murphy's notorious law, it says "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong". This law is true literally for any life situation - and this story is no exception. One fine day, the OP's fiancée got a call from her mother who said that "Steve" - the bride-to-be's cousin - did not approve of the venue where the upcoming wedding was planned.
Image credits: u/edward_aux
"Who is this Steve, and why the hell is he interfering?" - so our hero probably thought, but his fiancée, as the OP himself says, is a non-combative person and does not want confrontations with anyone. Therefore, during the conversation, the author of the post discovered that Steve somehow found out from his future mother-in-law about the venue, and is now afraid that on the wedding day, guests will face traffic problems.
Image credits: u/edward_aux
The guy started speaking to guests-to-be behind the couple's backs trying to convince them of his point of view
Of course, the OP decided to follow the "My wedding - my rules" principle, especially since even the invitations had not yet been sent. But Steve had already begun his destructive work behind the backs of future spouses. He surreptitiously spoke with all the relatives (most of those invited were just from the bride-to-be's side), and stated that he was worried not so much for himself as for his 80 Y.O. father-in-law and his wife, who might be uncomfortable with a possible traffic jam.
Image credits: u/edward_aux
Steve had to be given credit for being a skilled manipulator, and by the time the OP and his fiancée were about to send out invitations, exactly six out of twelve future guests said they weren't coming to that particular venue. Needless to say, the author and his girlfriend were incredibly stressed and surprised.
Image credits: u/edward_aux
After the 'guestzilla' had convinced half of the guests, he had the audacity to ask the author to make him a website for his company
But this, as it turned out, is not all. The real icing on the cake was Steve's call a few days later. The man asked the OP's girlfriend if she knows anyone who makes websites. Probably, the trickster knew perfectly well that the author of the post was doing just that - the woman handed him the phone, and after all that he had done, Steve had the audacity, firstly, to ask the OP to help his company make a website for free, and secondly, started the conversation with a cheerful "Hey, future relative!"
Image credits: Sergiy Galyonkin (not the actual image)
The groom-to-be decided to refuse yet his non-combative fiancée was upset by this decision
The OP was patient enough to listen to Steve and say what he thought about it. After hanging up, the author emphatically told his future wife that he was not going to help her cousin - after all, Steve could call them earlier and just say that he did not like the wedding venue, and not weave a web of intrigue behind their backs. The fiancée, however, said she didn't want to quarrel with anyone, so the original poster even wondered how right he was in his decision to refuse to help Steve.
Experts think that developing a company website is definitely not a thing to be asked for free
"No matter what relationship the hero of this story has with his future cousin-in-law, what he asks for is a big enough favor," says Igor Fomenko, a web developer and co-owner of the Nomax web studio, whom Bored Panda asked to comment on this situation. "Developing a company's website is a rather expensive and time-consuming process, especially since if the original poster is doing it professionally, then we are clearly not talking about a simple one-page website in a WYSIWYG editor."
"Thus, if the hero of this story undertook to make a website for Steve's company, he would lose a lot of his own free time, because he would have to do it in his spare time, I believe. And given this relative's penchant for weaving intrigues, one can assume that if he does not like the site, he may well criticize the OP's work behind his back. In any case, developing an entire company website is not something that can be asked for free," Igor Fomenko believes.
People in the comments side with the author, stating that his fiancée should grow a spine and start keeping toxic relatives at a distance
Most people in the comments, by the way, also think that cousin's website can wait. However, many commenters see the problem not so much in entitled relative as in the OP's future wife, who looks extremely conflict-averse, to the extent that she doesn't even want to clear up a simple agreement or disagreement. The author of the post partially agreed with this, writing that his fiancée would rather look into alternatives or cancel the banquet altogether.
Commenters also think that one should keep the toxic relatives at a distance, and his fiancée's cousin is definitely a douche. "Y'all two are the ones getting married, not anyone else", one of the people in the comments wrote. And, of course, commenters advise the original poster not to help Steve at all - or just make an agreement and significantly overcharge him. And, of course, 'the OP's future wife needs to grow a spine', commenters believe.
Well, wedding stories are often incredibly bizarre - just check out this post of ours about a bride who banned her polyamorous parents' throuple partner from her wedding, or this incredible tale about the guy who ordered fast food straight to the wedding reception. And we, of course, are also looking forward to your own comments on this particular story.
Exhausted by family or in-law drama like this one? Visit our Family Dynamics Hub for expert-backed guides on toxic relatives, parenting styles, and personal boundaries.