31-year-old bride reluctantly accepts $25,000 gift from her mother-in-law, who proceeds to hijack the wedding, hiring a secret wedding planner

If a "gift" comes with strings attached, is it really a "gift" at all?

Undeniably, having access to money and a comfortable living is one of the greatest advantages in life. Giving you not only a head start, but the security to take risks that others quite literally can not afford. And then, when and if you inevitably fail, there's always a secure safety net waiting for you to land in and try again. 

But, if you've ever been granted an opportunity like this only to find an axe of expectation (which is a legendary item, btw) hanging over your head, you know just how stifling and claustrophobic it can be. Sure, you have that leg up of having access to their money, but you're similarly being forced to walk a path that is not your own and pushed into decisions and a future that you do not want. 

The strings that came with the gift are quite literally controlling you, and you are now just a puppet with little say over your own life. 

(The first part of the original story begins below. Keep reading for the update, which starts on item #14)

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This is why, even with family, it's best to understand the terms of an agreement you are entering into before entering into it. It can be painful to have these hard conversations with family, but everyone will be better off for it.  

Even if there are the best intentions on both sides, you'll inevitably find that things will go sideways at some point, and you'll at least have the ground rules that you set to go back to.

Of course, we have heard of family, or have family of our own, who do not have the best of intentions, or will quite simply say one thing and then do another. We know that we can not and should not trust these family members sometimes, from hard, firsthand experience.

Well, that was the situation that this bride-to-be found herself in conflict with her future mother-in-law, who “graciously” offered $25,000 towards the wedding. Concerned about potential strings being attached to the sum and suspecting that the mother-in-law was seeking to meddle in their wedding planning and affairs, the bride and her fiancé sat down to have a clear-the-air chat with his mother. The mother-in-law accepted their terms, and it seemed that things were going to move forward positively.

However, things took a turn when the bride was contacted by a secret wedding planner (yes, really) that the mother-in-law had hired to seek out venues for a much larger wedding than the one the couple was planning. But, it went beyond this, the mother-in-law had actually gone and booked out the venue that she knew they had been eyeing to prevent them from having the wedding according to their original plans. 

The bride and her fiancé ultimately decided to return the money and cut off her involvement and any communication with her at all about the wedding, and potentially go no-contact with her permanently after the wedding had finished.

_{The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.}