Bride-To-Be Cancels Wedding After Her Rich Dad Pays Groom To Sign A Secret Prenup
"I was just trying to protect you."
cottonbro studio | Pexels For some couples, it’s just common sense to sign a prenup. For others, it feels like a slap in the face. But no matter which side of the contract argument you find yourself, one thing is always universally clear: It's a decision made between the engaged couple and really no one else. Both have to be involved, and both have to sign, or it's not right. That’s exactly the predicament one bride-to-be faced and why she subsequently canceled her wedding.
Taking to Reddit for advice and obviously support, a frustrated woman shared how her meddling father went behind her back and essentially bribed her fiancé to sign a secret prenup, leading her to end the engagement.
A bride-to-be canceled her wedding after her dad revealed he bribed her fiancé to sign a secret prenup.
“I was supposed to get married two months ago to my fiancé,” the woman wrote in a Reddit thread. The would-be bride explained they had been together for five years, and that the man had proposed romantically on the island of Santorini, in what felt like the most perfect moment of her life. “I truly believed I had found my person,” she said.
She shared that she comes from a wealthy family, and her dad is a lawyer. “He has always been a bit controlling, especially when it comes to money.” She believes it’s likely because he’s witnessed his fair share of “ugly divorces” in his legal career.
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Everything seemed perfect, and the wedding was just two weeks away. “My dad and I were having lunch,” she wrote, “when he said something that completely blindsided me.” He mentioned a prenup. “I literally paused mid-bite.” Then he told her he had offered her fiancé a “significant sum of money” in exchange for signing a prenup, one he had written himself.
What hurt the bride the most was the secrecy.
She explained that the idea of the prenup wasn't what bothered her about the situation. She wrote, "I understand the value of one, especially with the wealth imbalance between me and my fiancé. I would have been totally fine discussing it openly." But that was the issue. It was all a big secret. Her father had done it all on his own, and behind her back. Even worse? Her fiancé agreed to it. He became her father’s “partner in crime.”
“I went home that night and confronted my fiancé,” she wrote. His excuse? He didn’t want to stress her out. “He said my dad was being intense, and he just wanted to keep the peace.” Her response? She canceled the wedding.
She went on to say, "The fact that two of the most important men in my life made a deal about my future without me. The fact that money was exchanged like my marriage was some business arrangement. I felt like I was being handled, not respected."
And honestly, this bride-to-be was absolutely justified in her reaction, even if the contract between her father and her fiancé was designed to "protect" her. As one commenter simply pointed out, "Interesting how both men claim they just wanted to protect you, but fail to see that they treated you as a child."
The bride said she still loves her ex, but she can't get over his deception.
While it all sounds a bit dramatic, the fact remains that both her dad and her fiancé broke her trust. That's not easily restored with a simple apology.
Research says that romantic betrayal, especially something as serious as a hidden legal agreement, can be psychologically traumatic. A 2020 study found that betrayal like this is often experienced as a shocking and destabilizing event, and that many people benefit from trauma or PTSD-focused treatment in its aftermath.
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The would-be bride then wrote that the used-to-be-fiancé said it was a "stupid mistake" and urged her to reconsider. Her mom also thought she overreacted. Her dad insisted he was just trying to protect her. “My friends are split,” she added. “Some say I dodged a bullet. Others think I’m being cold.”
Her now-ex keeps texting, saying he wants to make things right and that he wants her back. “I miss him,” she admitted. “I still love him. But I can’t shake the feeling that if he hid this from me before the wedding, what else would he be willing to hide later on?”
And she makes a fair point. Transparency is essential in a healthy marriage, especially when money and family are involved. Can we blame the dad for writing a prenup and offering it to the fiancé? Yes. Can we blame the fiancé for secretly accepting the deal? Also yes. But the real victim here is the bride. She lost trust in two men she loved. Hopefully, with time, she finds peace and someone who's true to her from the very beginning.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
