Woman cancels wedding after discovering fiancé's $17,000 credit card debt — only to realize they were already married

The "Happily Ever After" blueprint usually involves a white dress, a three-tier cake, and a shared bank account. For a 26-year-old (u/IndividualGarlic1365), the cake was picked out, and even the $10,000 deposit for the venue was signed. However, before she could walk down the aisle with her partner of seven years, a single question about wedding budget triggered a landslide that revealed a secret legal status that she perhaps never saw coming. Posting the story on April 27, the bride shared a unique incident that's regaling us all.

Secret debt

Well, it all started with the bride being stressed out about the idea of putting $30,000 into a wedding. Even more so, because the couple only moved into a new home three years ago and had been splitting all the expenses since. So, before she sent a non-refundable $10,000 check to the venue, she wanted to be sure. Nonetheless, since her partner wanted a "big wedding," she agreed but knew that despite trying their best, they'd be at least $2,000-$3,000 short.

Nonetheless, since her partner worked on commission, she wondered if he had a good month, he'd be willing to chip in a little bit extra. However, he didn't say yes, which led her to suspect something was wrong. "Are you hiding something from me financially?" she asked him. As it turns out, that was the case, as he had racked up almost $17,000 in credit card debt. Soon, she found out he had been lying about a few more things. Meanwhile, her partner enrolled himself in therapy and insisted on joining couples therapy as well. 

She didn't know she was married

Over the next few weeks, they stopped the venue from cashing the cheque and canceled the wedding altogether. And so, while the woman was figuring out where the relationship stood, the time to file taxes came around, bringing unexpected news. As she mentioned, the pair bought a new home, so while they were getting solar panels for the same, to get maximum tax credit, they decided to file as married. This came after the woman at the desk suggested so, and said that in case they broke up, they'd only need to fill out a separation form. 

However, that wasn't the case, and now, she is legally married. The woman is standing at a critical crossroads in her life, having to figure out how to get a divorce even before getting to wear her white dress and a potential tax nightmare. Nonetheless, even though it is quite a serious issue, it's not uncommon, according to studies. A new Bankrate survey held with over 2,000 participants reveals that 2 in 5 adults who are in a committed relationship have committed financial infidelity against their current partner.

A common deception

Additionally, nearly 23% of respondents stated that "secret debt" was their form of deception, while 17% reported having a secret credit card. Nonetheless, this is also a major cause of breakups, as another study by Experian shows that nearly 27% of Americans have ended relationships because of their partner's financial issues. In addition, 1 in 4 U.S. adults have either been on the giving or receiving end of an ultimatum that finances had to be improved for the relationship to progress, and 34% of U.S. adults admit they’ve hidden a purchase from their partner.

Nonetheless, seeing this woman's concern, people extended their support in the comments section. u/bradd_pit wrote, "Filing your taxes as married does not make you married. Marriage is not handled at the federal level; you have to get a marriage certificate from your county." Meanwhile, u/EmmalouEsq commented, "Talk to a divorce lawyer and get your options. And stop taking legal advice from the random lady at H&R Block, she's not a lawyer. Many aren't even CPAs but rather random people off the street hired for the tax season."

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