AITA for telling my boyfriend he can’t go on his friend’s bachelor trip?

A 24-year-old woman found herself at odds with her boyfriend after a scheduling conflict threatened to derail their plans. The couple, who have been together for nearly three years and living together for two, had already committed to attending her college best friend’s wedding in June when an unexpected complication arose.

Her boyfriend, a groomsman in two upcoming weddings, learned that one of the bachelor parties would take place the same weekend as her friend’s ceremony. Although they had RSVP’d months earlier, he insisted he would not miss his friend’s bachelor trip for what he described as a “random” wedding. Now, she is questioning whether standing firm on their prior commitment makes her unreasonable.

‘AITA for telling my boyfriend he can’t go on his friend’s bachelor trip?’

They had already committed to her friend’s wedding months earlier.

I (24f) have been dating my boyfriend (25m) for almost 3 years and lived together for 2. We have have been to 2 weddings together and both have been friends...

I was happy to go because I am his partner and I love to meet people that have been a part of his life. This year he is a groomsman...

My friend’s wedding is this June and we have been RSVP’d since February. Yesterday, my boyfriend found out that one of the bachelor parties for his buddy is the same...

He insisted he would not miss his friend’s bachelor party.

I told him that he wouldn’t be able to go because we have my friend’s wedding. He told me that he has never met her and he was not going...

I told him that if we hadn’t already RSVP’d for him then things would be different. I am very traditional when it comes to commitments on formal events.

All I want is for my boyfriend to attend the wedding with me because we already committed to it before we knew about the bachelor party. But now I am...

She began questioning whether she handled the situation poorly.

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EDIT: After reading comments, I see that the way I addressed it by saying “he wouldn’t be able to go” was not the best way of approaching the conversation.

He often forgets plans and I have to remind him. We both RSVP’d together so had originally agreed to go with me. The invite was addressed to my name and...

In this situation, the disagreement is not solely about a scheduling conflict. On the surface, it appears to be a matter of etiquette: a couple RSVP’d to one event before learning about another. From her perspective, honoring commitments reflects respect and reliability. She has attended multiple weddings for his friends, including people she had never met, which likely reinforces her expectation of reciprocity.

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From his standpoint, being a groomsman carries added responsibility and emotional weight. Bachelor trips are often considered once-in-a-lifetime bonding events, particularly when someone is part of the wedding party. He may view attending as a key part of supporting his friend.

The broader issue may revolve around perceived prioritization. If she feels that her milestones consistently rank below his social circle’s events, frustration can build. Healthy relationships often require flexibility, but they also rely on mutual recognition of what matters to each partner. The real question may not be which event takes precedence, but whether both partners feel equally valued when conflicts arise.

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Many users supported the boyfriend’s choice to attend his friend’s bachelor trip.

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RookLax − So your boyfriends friend is getting married, and he is a groomsman The bachelor party for said wedding happens to fall on the same weekend as your friends...

Your boyfriend does not know your friend who is getting married. If I have all this straight, then if you pressed the issue ywbta,

the fanfare around the wedding he is a groomsman in for sure takes precedence over attending the wedding of someone he has yet to meet.

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It's unfortunate but scheduling conflicts happen and as much as you dislike your commitment being partially changed, if your friend is any friend at all they will 100% understand, if...

Edit: although I do find his comments a bit immature, I didn't factor it into the situation because at that point it is just arguing.

Edit 2: a lot of people responding who did not read the "bachelor party" is actually a whole trip. Just bring a different +1 op, lots of people love weddings...

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samuraintj − YTA. Why does this even need to be a point of contention. ..? You each have your own friends who are having weddings, and you should each go...

Why does he need to miss his friend's wedding to attend your friend's wedding? What could that possibly do for your friend?

And, how is it more important than him having to miss out on his friend's wedding? The RSVP issue sounds like an excuse for you to make some sort of...

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You can easily let your friend know that something came up for your bf, but you'll still make it. It's really not that big of a deal. Most people expect...

He should go to his thing, you should go to your thing, and you should both have a blast! It's not even your own wedding for god's sake. ..why all...

Jallenrix − INFO: My ex-boyfriend did something like this. It was just one example of a broader pattern where he simply didn’t prioritize me. (If roles had been reversed, he...

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Huge_Put8244 − YTA: it's April, she likely hasn't given the final headcount for dinner. He is one person. It is unlikely there is one single person they would have invited...

Yes you've RSVPd but substantively the bachelor party means more to him. It shouldn't be a big deal since your friend won't have to pay for the extra dinner. But...

and you can either up the size of your wedding gift or see if you can reimburse them because it is an AH move to pull out at the last...

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You SAY this is about an RSVP, but to me it seems more about controlling him and not letting him out of your sight.

Others offered more balanced takes, encouraging communication and reflection.

lotilou8 − Wow apparently my NTA is not the popular opinion. Everyone saying that you go do your thing and he does his is ridiculous to me. He made a...

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If he is a groomsman he would have had to have given his availability for the bachelor weekend so one of two things has happened. **A** he has said he...

Or **B** he said he was unavailable but the majority of other groomsman were available that weekend and they planned it that weekend fully knowing that your BF couldn’t attend.

I’m assuming with how flippant he is being about you just going by yourself and being defensive that you’re “not his mother” that he didn’t tell them he wasn’t available...

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and assumed he would be able to walk all over you and his prior commitments. Maybe if you had only been together for less than a year, but you two...

The commitments he made with you should be important to him. To me, this sounds like he just doesn’t care about your friends and the stuff that’s important to you...

Kwikdraw55 − I think the main issue here is that OP doesn’t feel like the BF prioritises her. She has been to countless weddings of his friends that she has...

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And he was supposed to go to just this one and after RSVP’ing gets the bachelor invite and wants to do that instead. If he’s a groomsman did he get...

If he did and it could have been another weekend, then not cool. I would say sit down and have a discussion with him, but he’s already said he’s going...

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Does this apply to other areas of your life where you feel like you aren’t a priority for him? If it’s just this one thing you might have to let...

Novel-Problem − YTA… If you had RSVP’d to the wedding of one of your boyfriends friends who you had never met, then received an invitation to a bachelorette party of...

would you honestly turn down your friend? I doubt it. Particularly given that the wedding is still MONTHS away. While not ideal, it still gives time for alternative arrangements to...

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It’s not like it’s the day before, and it’s not like it’s for some frivolous spur of the moment thing. He wants to attend an important milestone for one of...

Tbh sounds like you’ve found yourself in a position of not wanting to explain why you have to attend a wedding alone.

A few commenters sided with her or added lighter observations.

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amish__ − Info: any reason you can't call your friend and explain the situation and see if things are locked already? It's a genuine reason

faeriedustgirl − personally i think you are NTA, but communication is definitely an issue here, maybe you should both reconsider how you make plans,

especially since he assumed that his party time is more important than the event that you were supposed attend together.

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emtionallyconfused14 − I disagree with most of what I’m seeing here. OP’s BF committed to OP’s friend’s wedding first, before the bachelor party was even planned and OP has been...

This is the first friend of hers that is important to her (as far as we know). BF should be there with her, he is only missing an bachelors party,...

This couple’s dilemma highlights how easily scheduling conflicts can turn into emotional standoffs. One partner sees a matter of honoring commitments, while the other sees a rare opportunity to celebrate with close friends. Neither perspective is inherently unreasonable, yet the tension lies in how they communicate and prioritize each other’s milestones.

When invitations collide, how should couples decide which event takes precedence? Should prior RSVPs always outweigh later invitations, or do certain roles, like being part of a wedding party, carry more weight? Readers are invited to share how they would navigate this situation and whether compromise is always possible when important dates overlap.

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