I was born outside the EU. I have been on several visas and eventually became a permanent resident of the UK.
My fiance knew I had always wanted to visit Berlin. (Long story). He knew one of the hurdles was the time and faff of getting a Schengen visa. A day off work to go to the embassy, travel to the embassy for photos, fingerprints, get bank statements, letters from work etc. You have to show you have booked your return flight and accommodation and that you have enough money in your bank account (not credit card lol) to fund the trip. That's before even saving up for it etc.
Fiance and I are both from immigrant communities and know the difficulty involved in getting visas for travel but he is a British citizen as they changed the rules after he was born. At the time, if you were born here to parents legally present in the country you automatically became a British citizen.
Anyway for honeymoon we had agreed to stay home as we were saving money for a house.
The day after the wedding he said 'surprise! We are going to Berlin!'
No. Because I don't have a fucking visa for Germany.
No, it's ok. You're British now because we got married yesterday.
That's not how it works. You still need a visa. It's just a different type (spouse of EU national: Form XYZ 23)
So we lost the cost of the flights, hotel everything and were only able to afford a holiday several years later.
We called the embassy and tried for an emergency appointment, honeymoon etc. No luck. Even the flight and hotel bookings he had done were fixed and couldn't be changed and insurance would not cover for 'your own stupid for fault.' First day of married life = Begging call centre people to bend the rules just this once please and (naturally) getting no's.
I don't even know how he booked the plane tickets because you have to click 'what visa do you have' if the passport number is not a British passport.
I guess he had been reading too much daily mail. I'm still not a British citizen many years later.
At the time I was in tears. Then I just tried to have a stiff upper lip about it when it was clear all the money was lost. I was like 'never mind, you made a mistake.'
Over the years he has told the story like it's a cute funny story.
I think it either shows you are a complete moron and that you had not been listening me for years about difficulty travelling.
Or that it was a mistake at the time but to tell it as a funny story is hurtful.
I did go to Berlin in the end years later. But it left a bitter taste in my mouth because it was meant to have been my honeymoon.
Aibu to think it is not a funny story.