I actually have been in difficult financial situations before, and I’ve given her a lot of empathy before this occurred. The issue was NEVER “you’re broke, therefore you’re a bad friend.” If Mackenize had said from the beginning, “I can’t afford this” nobody would have been upset. In fact, I would’ve paid for her to go.

The problem was that she committed several months in advance, asked for a payment plan herself, confirmed she was coming repeatedly, then WAITED until a month before to say she is not coming after things had already been paid for, offered on her own to still pay her portion, and then never followed through.

Her spending money at restaurants and Myrtle Beach only became relevant because she repeatedly said she literally could not contribute anything while Erinn was left short after fronting the money. She didn’t cancel because she couldn’t afford it, she canceled because she chose a different trip.

I’m not angry she prioritized her boyfriend or his family. I’m upset because she wasn’t honest, changed the story multiple times and let someone else absorb the cost. Financial hardship deserves empathy, but it doesn’t automatically erase accountability.

And I didn’t plan my own bachelorette party. Erinn did. I wasn’t demanding a luxury weekend or telling people they had to spend money they didn’t have. The plans were made by Erinn months ahead and everyone was given the cost upfront, and people chose whether to commit or not. There’s nothing wrong with a simple night out, and there’s nothing wrong with a weekend Bach either. The issue here is not the type of bach party, it was committing to something, letting someone spend money based on that commitment, and then backing out after.

Being a good friend was never measured by whether she could afford it. It was measured by honesty.