My friend asked me to be her maid of honor, but that means flying across the country. I’m telling her no, right?

This is a complicated situation. <br><br>I’ve known my friend, Jenny, since college. We’ve always been friends. She’s getting married now, after a long engagement. Her wedding is on the other side of the country. My family is on the West Coast, hers is on the East Coast. <br><br>I was flattered when she asked me to be her maid of honor. I accepted her offer without really thinking it through. I assumed that the wedding would be sometime in the distant future, and that I would have time to save for the trip. I live in California, she lives in Florida. <br><br>It’s not cheap to fly across the country, and she wants me to be at the wedding as early as possible. She’s renting a house for the wedding party to stay in for the week before the wedding. I’m supposed to be there for all the pre-wedding activities, including the shower and bachelorette party. <br><br>I was considering asking my friend if it would be okay if I just flew for the weekend of the wedding, but she’s already made it clear that she wants me there for the week. We have talked about money, her family is comfortable, mine is not. What I mean is, she doesn’t understand the concept of not being able to afford something, because her family has never had that problem. <br><br>This whole trip is going to be expensive, and I keep thinking about how much money I’d save if I just flew in for the weekend of the wedding. <br><br>I feel a little bad, but I’m going to call her tonight and tell her I can’t afford it.