Planning a special occasion has a way of revealing who respects your boundaries and who doesn’t.

One woman carefully planned a dinner for her closest friends, but a last-minute demand to add a stranger stirred up drama she never expected.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for not letting my best friend bring her new boyfriend to my birthday dinner?

I (25F) am having a small birthday dinner next weekend with just eight of my closest friends at a nice restaurant.

I booked this place months ago, and the reservation is tight since they don’t allow more than eight people per table.

But then her best friend threw a wrench into her plans.

My best friend Lila (26F) asked if she could bring her new boyfriend of two weeks.

I told her NO because:

1. The reservation is fixed, and
2. I don’t feel comfortable having a total stranger at what’s supposed to be an intimate dinner with people I actually know.

Of course, Lila didn’t take this well.

She got upset and said I’m “gatekeeping happiness” and that if I really cared about her, I’d make room for someone who makes her happy.

She tried to accommodate Lila, but nothing was good enough.

I offered to celebrate separately with her and her boyfriend another time, but she’s still mad and now says she might not come at all.

Now the rest of the friend group is conflicted too.

Some of my other friends think I’m being too rigid and should’ve just let him come, but others agree with me that it’s my birthday and I should get to choose who’s there.

AITA?

The party hasn’t even started, and there’s already tension brewing.

What did Reddit think?

Does her friend even know how reservations work?

Whatever happened to the birthday girl being the center of attention?

This commenter comes up with a whole new type of judgment.

If her friend doesn’t get her act together soon, there could be trouble ahead.

Her intentions were to celebrate with people she knew, but somehow she still ended up the bad guy.

If her friend can’t respect her boundaries, then she shouldn’t bother coming at all.

If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.