Child-free weddings often split guests into couples who want an adult evening and parents who must find someone to watch their kids. One bride claims that divide has now cost her a friendship, according to a post on Reddit in r/AmItheAsshole. She and her fiancé sent invitations for their spring child-free wedding two weeks ago, and one friend’s response reportedly turned hostile.
The couple chose a child-free wedding as they reportedly plan to include drinking games and other activities they consider unsuitable for children. Both also feel kids would be disruptive on the day, the bride wrote. One friend, a mother of two children under the age of seven, then apparently sent a long text saying she couldn’t attend.
According to the bride, the friend said she could not afford a babysitter and that the bride knew it. The bride says the message struck her as entitled, but she replied that she understood and offered to hang out another time. She also suggested the friend’s husband stay home with the kids, as the couple apparently is not close with him.
That husband suggestion apparently did not go over well at all
The friend reportedly fired back with a far harsher message about the child-free wedding. “You know my financial situation and you know for a fact I can’t even afford my groceries,” the friend wrote, claiming she struggles to cover her bills. She added that she no longer wanted to attend and called the bride an “inconsiderate b****.”
The bride says she has not responded and left the message unread for 19 hours before posting. She now wonders whether reportedly enforcing the child-free wedding rule was inconsiderate, or whether she should have offered to pay for a sitter herself. However, she maintains the policy is firm given the planned entertainment.
Paying for a sitter would not have been cheap. Nationally, posted babysitter rates average $19.81 an hour, according to Care.com, with families typically adding 50 cents to $1 for each extra child. However, rates vary widely, from about $17 an hour in San Antonio to more than $25 in Seattle.
At the national average, a five-hour reception with two young kids would likely cost more than $100 before a tip. The company’s 2026 Cost of Care Report also found the average parent spends 20% of household income on child care, far above the 7% benchmark the Department of Health and Human Services considers affordable.
Weddings have soured other friendships too. One woman claims her friend turned the blame on her after she sent proof that the friend’s husband allegedly hit on her at a reception. For this bride, the fallout so far amounts to one furious text and a conversation she still hasn’t reportedly reopened.
Published: Oct 31, 2026 08:30 am