For my brother’s wedding, they spent $40,000, bought him a new suit, and covered his honeymoon. For mine? I paid for everything—and my mom still said, ‘You should be grateful we even showed up.’ My dad laughed and added, ‘He’s always needed us more than we needed him.’
I’m Jake, thirty-two, and I got married last spring. You wouldn’t know how important that day was by watching my family. Growing up, everyone knew my older brother Ethan was the favorite. He was...