An Indian man took to Reddit to share a shocking story about his sister's wedding being cancelled after their family was unable to pay for food of 600 guests invited by the groom.
In a post seeking legal advice, the man said his sister's wedding was cancelled last minute because a "dowry" demand. "My sister was engaged to this guy who we knew through relatives. We live in a very small town where panchayat is still a thing. There are usually two ways people marry in our town. It's either a grand wedding (which can cost above ₹10-15 lakhs) or a simple evening tea wedding," the man wrote.
He said that initially the two families agreed to pay for food for each of their guests. He added that both families had similar financial status but the groom's side suddenly demanded for the bride's family to pay for all the guests.
‘They cancelled’
"The thing is we are not rich enough, so we cannot spend such money. We told the groom side the same few days ago. The marriage was supposed to be in May but now due to this, they cancelled the wedding. They cancelled the wedding because we can't spend lakhs of rupees to entertain their grandiosity and end up in debt. My mom and sister are crying non-stop. My family is afraid to get involved in legal because of repercussions to my sisters reputation. What can we do here?," he asked.
He added that the groom called his family and claimed that he planned to invite 600 guests and since the bride's family refused to pay for their food, they are cancelling the wedding.
‘Much better than divorce’
{{/usCountry}}He added that the groom called his family and claimed that he planned to invite 600 guests and since the bride's family refused to pay for their food, they are cancelling the wedding.
‘Much better than divorce’
{{/usCountry}}The post was flooded with comments backing the bride’s family, with many saying they had “dodged a bullet,” as the groom appeared to be interested in money more than marriage.
"A broken engagement is much much much better than a bitter divorce. Throw a party at home and move on from this mess," suggested one user.
One comment added that though it was shocking, there were no laws broken by the wedding being called off. "No crime. You had a disagreement over the type and expenses of wedding function. This does not come under the definition of dowry as per Dowry Prevention Act, 1861," they said.
Another remarked, "Your family has not only dogged a bullet but a tactical nuke."