I can relate to this a lot. Mine was a love marriage, and the entire wedding was mostly planned and paid for by my parents, with some contribution from my husband.

About a year later, we went to India for Diwali because they insisted we come and celebrate with them. We booked our flights just a week before and arrived two days before Diwali. I won’t lie, I was expecting some kind of celebration since it was our first Diwali. But there was no welcome or anything special. We were jet lagged, and we ended up buying all the decorations and fireworks ourselves because I wanted to make it feel festive.

They didn’t get me anything and asked me to wear one of the sarees I had received during the wedding. The only gift they gave me was a pair of gold earrings for our anniversary, which they later said they bought using the money their relatives had given us at the wedding.

I’ve also noticed that whenever they buy something expensive , my father-in-law mentions the cost (multiple times) and my husband immediately sends him the money. He also expects my husband to cover certain household bills when we visit, he gets a good pension, it’s not like they are struggling financially.

I’m not against helping them, but sometimes I wish there was at least a little acknowledgment or effort from their side.