My ex and I dated for 6 years and were engaged for 10 months (our wedding was ~4 months away) when we decided to call off our engagement and end our relationship.
All of our parents had given us money to spend as we saw fit (wedding, honeymoon, bills, whatever). Here's the breakdown:
His mom/stepdad: $5000
His dad/stepmom: $3000
My mom/dad: $2500
I'd gotten my wedding dress, and he'd gotten his outfit (both non-returnable). We'd put deposits down on the venue, caterer and photographer (some of which we aren't able to get back). All in all, we're out about $1200.
So my question is, are we supposed to return the money our parents gave us? I asked my mom and she said I could keep what she gave me but that I probably need to give the rest of the money back to my ex / his parents.
My thoughts are, our parents gave us this money to start this new life together, and now we're not doing that... at least not together.
Part 2 of my question is if we do keep it, do we just split it 50/50 even though his parents contributed more than mine did?
What do you guys think? Thank you!