I was invited to a friend's wedding under one tacky condition

And the rule only applied to female guests... 🙄

We all love a good wedding... it's a time to kick back, let your hair down and have a good time with friends or family. 

But one woman wasn't afforded that privilege when her childhood friend invited her to her daughter's wedding under one "tacky" condition.

In a post on Reddit's AIBU  forum, the anonymous woman explained that her invite came with a huge catch that would massively limit her ability to enjoy herself on the day. 

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Image: IStock

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The "offensive" wedding request

Explaining to her fellow group members, the 50-year-old said that she and her husband were "beyond stoked" to receive the invite in the mail.

But then she noticed another card in the envelope explaining that while her husband was invited to the ceremony and reception, she was assigned babysitting duties throughout the festivities.

"I’d be in another room helping to babysit all the children there with several other female invitees," she wrote. "There’s a special room for children at the church and that’s where I’d be. For everything."

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The OP explained more of what the invite outlined—she was still instructed to follow the dress code in case she "winds up in any photos" and buy a gift from the couple's gift registry. 

And it doesn't stop there... the invitees were also told they would have to fork out $100 each to cover the cost of their meals, which would need to be paid when they digitally RSVP'd. 

Not only was she "gobsmacked" by all of this, but first and foremost, she was offended because she was the one who had been friends with the bride's mum, not her husband, yet he managed to escape the babysitting duties. The OP also explained that she had chatted with other invitees, who confirmed that only women had received the babysitting request.

"I confess that I feel offended and hurt that I'm nothing more than a babysitter to them who is expected to pay for my supper and babysit for free," the woman admitted. "Would I be wrong to simply tell them we won't be able to attend and to find another sitter? And if we don't go, do we still send a gift."

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"Tackiest thing I've ever heard of"

People immediately reassured the woman and shared their outrage on her behalf. 

"That is the tackiest thing I’ve ever heard of," one person wrote.

"Asking guests to provide free child care, pay for their meal, and give them a gift? Hell no. I would just ghost these people. They might have been your friends, but they aren't good people, and they aren't people you are going to want in your life anymore, because this kind of behaviour will continue and escalate."

Another user jokingly suggested: "You can reply… that there must be some mistake in the invitation. Your current rate for babysitting is $20 per hour, per child. Can she please get back to you with the number of children she has been assigned?"

And a third insisted: "This is not normal. Send your and your husband’s regrets, and don’t send a gift. These people are clearly not the friends you thought they were. Everything about this invitation is just wrong."

Originally published as I was invited to a friend's wedding under one tacky condition