Bride's shocking ultimatum for friend of 10 years

It is customary in many cultures to give monetary wedding gifts, and many would be more than happy to fork over some cash so their friends could start their new lives. But one woman is not too sure, taking to Reddit to ask for some advice.

The UK woman wrote that she would be flying out to Belgium to celebrate her close friend's wedding, with whom she's had a decade-long friendship. She would be paying for flights and accommodation, and had planned a lovely gift of some custom artwork to give the couple. The bride then told her that it was in fact customary to give a monetary gift at Belgian weddings, which the woman was more than happy to accommodate - until she heard the amount.

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"I was told I had to bring a minimum of £UK250 ($443) cash as my wedding gift to them I was shocked by this as that's a lot of money especially considering that I have to fly out and get a hotel.

"When I questioned her about this she said it was the bare minimum every guest had to bring and that anyone who didn't wasn't allowed into the wedding. This has me shocked as that's...extremely rude right?" the woman questioned.

"I confronted her about that and told her it wasn't really appropriate to make such demands of her guests and that I wasn't comfortable with this. She brushed it off saying it was normal and customary in Belgium as all the money goes towards getting the newlyweds a house..."

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The woman could see some sense in that, but still thought that it sounded "like a cash grab". She said as much to her friend, who consequently "had a meltdown, saying if I wasn't comfortable paying it wouldn't be fair to the other guests who were paying and she wouldn't be comfortable with me being there

"I told her if she felt that way I wasn't sure I wanted to come and thanked her for the invitation.

"She's been freaking out online over my disrespect of her customs and my rudeness in questioning her and even crying to other friends about how I'm trying to spite her day...am I out of line for not feeling comfortable with this?" the woman questioned.

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Commenters were equally as suspicious.

"That's not a custom. Sounds like she figured out the cost per person and tacked on additional money to profit off her wedding. Tacky," said one commenter.

"Cash gifts are custom in many cultures. You know what is not a custom ANYWHERE? Dictating the amount that you have to gift. She's being greedy. You already know she's lying though, and you're right, it really is just a cash grab," agreed another.

One person with a Belgian friend gave some context behind the bride's demands.

"Apparently cash is traditional and there's a whole chart for how much you should pay depending on how close you are. Close friends since childhood = 250, partner of close friend = 100, work acquaintance = 50, etc. So I guess this is based in reality, and telling you how much to pay may been a hamfisted attempt to let you know the cultural expectations.

"But my friend also said people would understand if a foreign guest didn't follow that norm, and not letting guests attend if their gift is lacking is utterly unheard of, so the bride here is also a bit douchey," they added.