Why do some people take such offence if you don't go to their stag party or wedding?

Not going to the Stag party is fine by me.

Not coming to the wedding is a bit different.

I understand some people don't like them, they're expensive, there's hassle with getting done up, possible childcare and hotel costs, maybe days off.

But if a close friend couldn't make it to just the ceremony and leave straight after and it wouldn't be much hassle for them, I'd be a bit disappointed.

I don't mind doing certain things that I don't enjoy, if it makes my friends and family happy. I can handle a bit of hassle on their behalf.

Its called friendship.

Some people couldn't be bothered doing anything that they don't want to do. Its all about them, at all times.

Those are the sort of "friends" you stop talking to.

Yes it does.

A real friend would actually care about something that matters to their friend. Sounds like your just one of those lads who expects everything to be stagnant and gets angry when their friends evolve.

The wedding industry loves the mentality of some posters here. It is clearly a social faux pas for some if a friend doesn't attend their wedding but nobody can explain why exactly weddings are so special compared to any other event.

It seems to be people's primitive brains that make them attach such importance to ceremonial bullsh*t like weddings. This normie sheeple weakness is manipulated and exploited by the wedding industry, laughing all the way to the bank.

If I invite a friend to do some activity and they say they don't want to/don't feel like it, should I ditch them as a result? Or is it ok once they have an excuse that is deemed be ME to be a "genuine reason"?

And going to a wedding is generally a bigger ordeal and expense than most activities. Inviting others to attend but actually expecting them to do so shows poor social skills and means it was more akin to a summons than an invitation. It shows particularly poor social skills if the friend has previously let it be known that they are not interested in attending weddings, you invite them anyway and then get miffed when they refuse.

It's something I've seen a lot of people fall out over, especially if the wedding is abroad. People that were good friends for years and then suddenly stop talking to each other. I must admit I do hate them myself. Stags can be good craic though.

This is very true. Going or not going to a wedding is not a measure of real friendship.

If someone experiences a marriage breakup, death or depression, it is quite likely that their friends will "go missing" regardless of whether they were at the wedding or not. Particularly true for men IME.

And sometimes it is worse than that, I know several people who were shafted by "friends" who had been at their wedding and vice versa. As they tried to come to terms with what happened, more than once I heard the phrase "But they were at my wedding".