Bachelor parties have long been a bone of contention for the betrothed, but a man who squandered his fiancée's entire wedding dress fund on a gambling-fuelled night in Las Vegas might take the cake for the most badly behaved groom-to-be.
Sharing her story anonymously on social media, the man's devastated fiancée claimed he then told her to "just get a cheaper dress" when she confronted him about his misspending.
Taking to the popular Reddit forum 'AmItheAsshole' on Monday, the young bride-to-be, 25, explained that the money had been a gift from her parents to help with the cost of her wedding dress, with any excess to be put towards the couple's first home.
"The wedding is in two months and we still have to get a wedding dress and we're planning on moving into a house shortly after getting married," the woman said.
"I come from a fairly wealthy family, so recently we received a generous monetary gift from my parents to go towards the wedding and as an early wedding gift for any extra that we didn't spend."
The woman said her fiancé, 27, recently celebrated his bachelor party in Las Vegas with 10 of his friends. The couple had agreed on a US$1000 (NZ$1476) budget for the night, not including the cost of the flights or hotel.
The day after the stag do, she received the shocking news.
"I received a call from the bank and found out that my fiancé spent the entire gift from my parents on gambling - and lost all of it."
She said the blow was particularly disappointing as her partner had been working hard over recent years to overcome a gambling addiction.
"We had an argument about this when he got home and he has been really upset with me because he says I should understand that he was struggling and this will always be a temptation for him," the woman shared.
"I have no idea how we're going to pay for the wedding dress I'm supposed to get, much less contribute to the house, and I honestly have no idea what to do right now. He thinks I should just get a cheaper wedding dress, but I don't think I should have to because this is his fault, not mine."
The bride-to-be then asked the internet if she was in the wrong "for being upset" that her fiancé had "spent all of the money for my wedding dress and our future house".
The story has stoked a strong response from Reddit users, with readers overwhelmingly in favour of the bride-to-be. Many have urged the woman to think twice about the engagement, expressing concerns about the couple's future financial wellbeing.
Others questioned why she or his friends had not considered the consequences of taking a recovering addict to Las Vegas, a city renowned for its casinos.
"You need to screech brakes on the wedding," one advised. "Absolutely do not tie yourself financially to this man.
"The fact he blames you and saying you should understand that all of this would be a struggle for him? Unacceptable. Who on Earth decided that a gambling addict should go to VEGAS for his stag? And that's before you even get onto him being an asshole for using up the wedding budget for something for him.
"Do not marry this man."
"Do you have a prenup?" asked another.
"Have you discussed separate finances for everything? You cannot seriously marry him without protecting yourself and your family, it would be a HUGE mistake."
"Imagine the gambling scenario when it's your kid's college fund," a third chipped in.
"He is an asshole who made an active choice to gamble away your wedding money. A weekend... with his buddies and feeding his addiction was more important to him [than] your wedding dress, your wedding, or your ability to purchase a home," another added.
It's not the first time bachelor party behaviour has sparked outrage on social media. In 2019, a woman suffered the wrath of Reddit users after she shared a list of 10 rules for her husband to follow at his friend's stag do. No strippers and no illegal drugs were included, but also no swearing, no alcohol and no "play wrestling".
Last year, a man took to Reddit for advice after his "very sophisticated" wife made it clear she didn't want children at their nuptials - including his nine-year-old daughter.
