Okay, it’s story time!

I went to a wedding once several years ago and, out of nowhere, the people doing the catering asked if all the guests would help break down everything inside the reception hall. Say what? Well, that was the first and last time I’d ever heard that.

And all I can say is that a lot of folks weren’t happy about it. Is this a weird thing, or were we taking that request too personally?

Think about that while you read this story from a groomsman who had a similar experience at a wedding.

AITA For Refusing to Clean Up After a Wedding?

“I was recently a groomsman at a destination wedding.

First, I want to say I still love the couple, have no hard feelings, and overall had a great time. I’m just curious how others would view this situation. We were asked to be groomsmen about five months ago.

I hosted the 4-day bachelor party at a family lake house where everyone flew in from out of state. I covered the groom’s food, and there were no lodging or entertainment costs.

He really went all out for his friend.

The wedding was at a country club. My wife and I spent over $3,000 between flights, rental car, outfits, lodging, golf, gifts, and other expenses. It required a 5-hour flight and a 3-hour drive. We were told to arrive Thursday because the Airbnb and there were weekend activities planned.

The groom didn’t arrive until 11:30 pm, so everyone just sat around. The Airbnb had no A/C and was 82 degrees inside. Two days before the wedding, we got a text saying the groomsmen were expected to set up the reception at 10 am on the wedding day.

This is so ridiculous…

We helped, but it meant carrying roughly 200-pound tables 160 chairs. The groom stayed back at the Airbnb, which I understand, but I couldn’t help wondering why a $30k+ wedding didn’t hire the rental company to do setup.

We finished around 11:30 am, had no lunch, and only an hour to get ready for photos. We asked who was tearing everything down after the wedding. The groom said he’d tell the coordinator we couldn’t do it or that family could handle it the next day.

An hour before the ceremony, the coordinator emphasized that everything had to be cleaned up that night. The groom “remembered” the venue had told them that during the tour. We told him not to worry and to enjoy getting married.

This wasn’t gonna happen…

We stepped aside and agreed that we weren’t moving heavy tables after drinking and that we had to wake up at 4 am-8 am to make it to the airport on time . If the country club bill’s the brides dad who owns 6+ houses, then so be it.

The wedding was great. We danced, celebrated, and had fun. At the end of the night, I wanted to head back with my pregnant wife, who had pushed herself to stay until the end. I was intoxicated but not wasted, according to my wife.

Instead, the groom’s mom asked me to help because I was “young and able-bodied.”

The groomsman asked why I wasn’t helping. I sarcastically and loudly replied that I was too intoxicated to be carrying 200 pound tables and that my kid at home deserved a dad who didn’t get hurt.

I tried moving a table anyway, it dropped hard, and the other guys got mad yelled at me to just leave.

If you say so!

One said I was being a bad friend for not doing what needed to be done. I’ve only met these guys once and won’t see them again.

I felt bad afterward. I also come from a culture where the wedding party are treated as honored guests, not unpaid labor.

If we’d been told upfront that setup and teardown were expected, then that would be fine or I would even help pay for the cleanup crew.

These guys don’t have kids or wives, so maybe I’d be more flexible in a different life stage. I’ll see the groom in a couple of months, and I expect everything will be fine.

I’m wondering whether my behavior was unreasonable, and what you would have done?”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person said he’s NTA.

Another individual agreed.

This Reddit user weighed in.

Another person shared their thoughts.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man whose mom thinks he should give the home he saved for to his “more deserving” sister.

And this reader spoke up.

I gotta say…I think this is pretty tacky. What are these folks being paid for?!?! Clean up after yourselves; people are there to party!

This wedding sounds like a bit of a disaster…