How $10,000 lottery win ruined a wedding
A bridesmaid who won $10,000 AUD from a scratchie that was gifted to her by the bride and groom, has been embroiled in a furious debate after refusing to share her winnings with the newlyweds.
A tight-knit group of 10 friends - all couples - travelled to Cyprus together for their friend's destination wedding.
As part of the wedding favours, the newlyweds gifted everyone a scratchie.
All of them were in high spirits when the win was announced, until another bridesmaid asked lotto winners Sarah* and her groomsman boyfriend Paul* if they would share their winnings.
“We all sat down to eat and while we were waiting, Sarah started jumping up and down shouting she had won $A10,000 on the scratch card,” the bridesmaid wrote on a Reddit thread.
“The whole room erupted in applause, and the bride and groom ran over to congratulate them. It was already a very happy occasion but this just made it even better.”
The bridesmaid asked the uncomfortable question over breakfast the next day.
“They were saying what they planned to do with the winnings and everyone was asking questions and I casually asked how much of it they were going to give to the bride and groom,” she said.
“There was no agenda behind my question — I didn’t ask because I was trying to hint that they should do this, it just never occurred to me as a possibility that they wouldn’t give at least a small amount as a belated wedding gift to the couple, given they wouldn’t have had the ticket without them," she added.
Much to her surprise Paul and Sarah went quiet until Paul replied that they weren't going to give the newlyweds anything.
“We sat in awkward silence for a bit, and Sarah got up and walked out.”
The bridesmaid later found out that Sarah had been crying over the question, and the couple have since cut their ties with her.
“Paul said I was the a****** for making them feel awkward and implying they were cheap. I apologise and said that’s not what I meant.
“I just said it because that’s what I would do in their situation, but it is their money and their decision so they should do what they want with the money.
“Paul’s walked off and neither of them spoke to me for the rest of the holiday or since.”
She later asked the rest of the group what they would've done with the winnings, and while some agreed that Sarah and Paul should give something to the bride and groom as a thank you, they also acknowledged that the question made the situation "awkward."
“So am I the a****** for making my friend feel awkward for not sharing her lottery winnings?” she concluded in the thread.
Shockingly, a majority of people criticised the bridesmaid's question and defended Sarah and Paul's decision to keep the winnings to themselves.
“You have no idea what Paul and Sarah might need that money for," one wrote.
"The lotto ticket was a gift, so they have no obligation to share the winnings with anyone. But you just had to put them on the spot and implicitly pressure them to do what you think you would have done with the money if you had won instead."
“That remark was in bad taste, and totally put them in an uncomfortable position," another commented.
"You asked them as if giving the bride and groom some of the money was a no brainer, but it’s not. if they keep it all for themselves, it’s their right and no one ought to judge them. The fact is that you totally put your foot in your mouth."
A third explained: “$A10,000 is a great win but it’s not so much they can share it without making their windfall pretty meaningless to them in the end and because of the way you phrased the question you stopped them from making a kind gesture themselves.
“You turned it into an obligation where the amount they decided to share would then be an issue for people to question if it was ‘enough’ or not. It’s such a shame you turned something nice for them into something that made them sad."
*Names have been changed.
Image: Getty