Gifts are supposed to bring joy, not unexpected bills.

In this story, a man surprised his partner with a $1,400 CAD painting from one of her favorite artists.

Instead of being happy, his partner was upset that the painting had no frame.

With a special frame costing about $850 CAD, they’re arguing over who should be shouldering it.

Check out the full details below…

AITA for not paying to have my partner’s birthday gift professionally framed?

I gave my partner a painting for her birthday by one of her favorite artists.

She already owns several pieces from this artist.

A while back, the artist was having a sale. My partner mentioned she was thinking about buying one.

She decided not to when she realized the price was in USD and not CAD.  That made it too expensive.

This man bought the expensive painting as a gift for his partner.

I ended up buying the piece as a surprise for her birthday. It cost me about $1,400 CAD.

Afterward, she told me that it would cost around $850 CAD to get the piece professionally framed.

Apparently, this specific artwork required a special frame and glass to properly preserve it.

That is also what the artist recommends. The pieces also tend to appreciate in value.

Proper framing matters.

His partner got upset, saying she couldn’t afford to buy the frame.

My partner is now upset because she feels that she is stuck paying for the framing.

She says it is not affordable for her.

She believes that since I bought the artwork as a gift, I should have agreed to cover the framing as well.

She says otherwise, it is not really a gift if she now has to spend $850 because of it.

He thinks it shouldn’t be his obligation to buy the frame.

From my perspective, I already spent a significant amount on the gift itself.

I did not realize framing would cost that much.

I did not intend to give her a financial burden.

I just wanted to surprise her with something meaningful.

His partner continued to bring it to his attention.

She has also expressed frustration that she had to bring this to my attention.

She is upset that I did not realize or come to the conclusion on my own.

AITA for not paying for the framing?

Let’s see how others reacted to this story.

This user makes a valid point.

Here’s an idea.

An art consultant speaks up.

Finally, here’s an honest opinion.

Seriously, how hard is it to be appreciative of a gift you couldn’t afford?

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.