I Refuse to Pay for My Stepdaughter’s Wedding After Her Dad Had Passed Away

Blending families is never easy, and this story proves it. A stepdad bonded with two of his wife's kids, but one never warmed up to him. Now, years later, a heated argument over wedding expenses brings all the buried family drama back to the surface. Here's what really happened.

The whole story:

What was people’s reaction online?

• Yeah, it was a stupid, hurtful, and immature thing to say, but I get it. I understand this was the oldest girl and probably closest to her father and of course, she probably resented the divorce, but that’s something you should grow out of.
  Once her father died, you’d think it might’ve opened up her heart a little, but apparently, that was not to be and you know, so be it. It’s her life. It’s her choice.
  But it takes a lot of courage to then come skipping back and want you to pay for her wedding!! I don’t blame you for refusing, but I am curious as to what your wife thinks. Pure-Relationship125 / Reddit
• Kelly obviously took it too far by practically forbidding her mom from moving on and for punishing her siblings for deciding to bond with you. But still, having a dead parent is something traumatic and you bringing it up just to make a point in an argument is really low. Lopsided_Put4682 / Reddit

• You were in the right to say no. You'd have been in the right to say, "because I pay for my kids' weddings." But taking a swing at her dead dad was a bit too far. FacetiousTomato / Reddit
• If she didn’t want to accept you... Don’t Pay For Her Wedding!!!!!!! Stick to your guts!!! Gold_Reference8247 / Reddit
• I would love to hear Kelly’s side of this story. She sounds traumatized, plus this narrative also sounds like you treated her differently from her siblings. Likely from day one if she was the “difficult kid”.
  The outcast in her family for struggling with complicated grief over the loss of her unworthy father. So I feel like we’re not seeing the whole story through your perspective, and I can’t make a judgement about the family dynamics at large because of that. Open-Bath-7654 / Reddit

• I am curious what your wife's reaction was. treehugger1874 / Reddit
• I always had a good relationship with my parents, but never expected them to pay for my wedding. It would have been extremely weird to ask for it if we had a bad one. Just_Cauliflower14 / Reddit

No matter what happens between this man and his stepdaughter, it's important to remember that love is stronger than their conflicts, and forgiveness is key to bringing families together. He might feel hurt by her actions because he wants to connect with her like he has with the other siblings. But Kelly is dealing with grief, and her behavior is a way to protect herself from the pain. Building strong family bonds takes love and effort, and hopefully, this family will work through their issues and create a happy home.

We have lots of similar stories involving stepparenting and arguments about money