An anonymous Reddit user turned to the forum's AITA ("Am I the A--hole") forum after their reluctance to honor a last-minute wedding request -- that was a whole lot more work than the groom seemed to realize -- resulted in hurt feelings and worse.

While most commenters took OP's (a.k.a. "the original poster") side here in establishing boundaries they're comfortable with, it's their subsequent update three days that left everyone gobsmacked.

Read on to see the full story and how Redditors reacted.

The anonymous cousin began their post by sharing that they've been working as a tattoo artist for four years, having just opened their own studio recently. Add to that an upcoming family wedding taking place in another state and the stage is set for this drama.

"Me and my family are invited to a wedding, that is taking place in another state. My Cousin is marrying and we got the invitation a few months ago. Time has moved forward and now the wedding is in a week already," OP said, establishing the background.

"Out of the blue my Cousin, let’s call him Matt, texted me with something along the lines of 'you’re gonna tattoo me on my wedding day.' I was a bit confused as I never even thought of bringing my equipment, since I also didn’t plan a guestspot or anything."

OP went on to explain that a guestspot is when a tattoo artist works at another studio for a few days or weeks, "mostly in a different area to grow the clintele."

Hoping the groom was joking, OP asked if he had a machine. "He then just asked if I don't have one (???) and that one machine wouldn't take up that much space to take with." OP tried to explain that wasn't true at all, detailing it "in fact contains more than just a machine (color, hygiene stuff, stencil (thats the purple stuff you put on the skin to then trace the tattoo with actual needles) etc)."

Further, OP told him, "I'm not prepared to tattoo at a wedding of which i don't know anything about (layout of the location, is it inside/outside and so on) He then said that he had planned on this and that it would mean a lot to him to both get a tattoo on his wedding day and that I'd be the one to tattoo him."

"Remember that this is the first time I'm hearing this."

"I again tried to explain that I don't feel comfortable with that and that it’s quite short notice as I work until me and my brother fly over to attend the wedding and a tattoo needs to be designed first, right?" continued OP. "He saw my message but didn't reply anymore."

The cousin then said that the morning of this post, their mother called "and she was furious ... she asked why I couldn’t pull my s--t together and just tattoo Matt." When OP gave her the same explanations, they said "she didn't wanna hear it. She just said it would mean a lot to her and Matt's family if I'd do that and that it could be my wedding gift then she hung up."

OP then talked to their brother about it, who "just shrugged it off and said 'it would be nice of you tho.'" All of this left OP unsure of their decision, questioning if saying no was "selfish."

In response to several questions that came up in the comments, OP edited the original post to add that they had oil-painted the couple a wedding gift already, as they knew OP was an artist and had requested art for a new house they recently moved into.

OP also noted, "Matty doesn't have any tattoos as far as I know." As for their own mother's reaction, all they could say was, "I don't know what my mom's problem is with all of this, I think she just wants to 'keep the peace.'"

The top commenter quickly had OP's back, saying that "if Matt had his heart set on this happening at his wedding then he should have discussed it with you as soon as possible, NOT ONE WEEK BEFORE!! Jeez he knows a tattoo is permanent right? He wants you to just show up with kit in an unsterile environment and what, just wing out a design on him? No prep, no planning? All on his wedding day?"

"Getting it done on the day, for what reason? This just seems silly AF," the commenter added. "But mainly, not your problem. He should have given you more notice. That's on him."

OP agreed with this, noting that "you can't (or shouldn't) combine getting tattooed with drinking alcohol and knowing Matt, there will be plenty of Alcohol at this wedding." In another comment, OP also noted, "They are going to Bali... I doubt that he had considered not being able to swim or being in the sun at all." While they weren't sure, OP suspected Matt had never had a tattoo before and "I think he has no clue how getting a tattoo actually works."

One commenter asked, "Isn't the tattoo a wound? like, it hurts and is red and inflamed and needs to be kept sterile and separated from the external environment from the start? how does he plan this to happen during a wedding? Also, depending on the design, it can take hours. he wants to sit still on an uncomfortable chair for hours while others party?"

OP explained, "Yes exactly, the tattoo needs to be kept safe (especially in the first 24-48h) and yes it takes time and I'm not sure he is really aware of that or the pain. I don't think he has a tattoo already."

The general consensus was that the tattoo artist was fully within their rights to refuse to do something they weren't comfortable with. "Your cousin is trying to take advantage of you and if you cave you would likely end up doing something you would regret," wrote one Redditor. "Plus he probably has expectations that are too high in terms of size and design."

Others called out the very idea of getting a tattoo on a wedding day at all. "Anyone with tats knows how much of a process it is!" commented one. "The smallest one I have, which is on my upper arm still took like, a week, start to finish, from making the appointment, consulting on the design, to actually doing the thing which took more then an hr. And a wedding is most definitely not a sterile environment!"

"When during the ceremony, photos, and reception do they even think they have time for this?" asked another Redditor. "Weddings are so busy that I've heard so many jokes about the couple not even being able to enjoy the food they planned because things were so crazy and there were so many people to talk to."

Still going in on the groom, another commenter noted, "It's inappropriate of him to expect you to work for free at an event to which you're a guest." Another echoed the sentiment, noting, "You were invited as a guest. Now you're being told to work instead."

One Redditor offered a comparison that OP appreciated, writing, "It's your profession and you have professional boundaries and professional conditions that need to be met. I'm a therapist. I wouldn't do a session of therapy at a wedding because someone thought they might find the day stressful and would benefit from talking to someone."

With the encouragement of Reddit's NTA ("not the a--hole") assessment behind them, OP stood their ground. All of that happened three days ago. In a new update shared to the forum ... well, let's just say things escalated quickly.

First, OP shared that they talked it through again with their mom, again explaining the reasons for saying no, adding in some from the commenters. "Before she could say anything else, I added that I felt like she wouldn't take me & tattooing seriously," OP wrote. "She didn't say anything for a bit until she tried to explain that she really thought it wasn't a big deal."

"I told her again that it is and that my mom of all the people should know how my job works," OP continued. "She agreed and apologised profusely. I then asked her if she'd like to attend and watch me work on a clients appointment and to my surprise she said yes! (Mom is tagging along tomorrow)."

Unfortunately, that's where the good news kind of stopped. Redditors were happy that things had worked out here, immediately wanting another update as to how Mom enjoyed shadowing OP at work. But there was still the big issue of the wedding itself!

After admitting in a comment to the original post that they're "not close with [the bride] at all," OP updated that they'd nevertheless reached out to her about their brother's request "Let’s say her Name is Becky," they wrote. "She seemed surprised as she apparently had heard from my aunt that I made them something for their new house." OP confirmed the painting, but that Matty had come through with this new request, again listing the reasons they were hesitant.

The bride "agreed with me immediately (I think she does have tattoos) She thanked me for telling her as no one else did. Becky seemed really mad but she seemed to pull herself together. (I would've lost it)," OP wrote. But, as it turns out, maybe she did, because they went on.

"I'm assuming Becky confronted Matt after our call because only 3 to 4 hours later I checked the family groupchat and there was a message from Becky: 'There will be no ceremony on the 13th as Matt and I decided we aren't getting married. Matt and I have things to figure out.'"

OP said that Becky subsequently called them back and apologized for Matt. "She said it was a stupid idea of his and that he just thought it would be cool."

While the wedding was off, Becky invited OP to still fly out for the wedding day, "as she will be hosting a party instead of a wedding. Everything is paid for anyways and she doesn't want anything to go to waste." When OP asked if she and Matt had broken up, Becky replied, "Not yet, but I'm gonna stay at my sisters place until next week."

"I'm assuming Matt hasn’t been too great but I'm sure I'll hear about it. (Apparently my brother and my mom aren't invited lol) My call must've been the last straw but as far as I am concerned Becky is handling it gracefully and Matt will be okay too, I'm sure," concluded OP. "So I'm going to a party but did I just make a new friend?"

Everyone quickly assumed there had to be more to this story, including OP, who commented, "I don't think it's the only thing that has happened, but as I said I'll probably hear about it at the party, and if not from Becky, I'm sure there are some of her friends that like to spill the tea."

"Matt isn't ready for marriage or a tattoo if this is how he acts. I hope he's learned his lesson," wrote one Redditor, while another replied simply, "see, that worked out lovely."

What do you think?