A best man started a 'break-up bet' at his best friend's wedding and it did not end well.

Oh. A best man came up with the genius idea to take bets on when the bride and groom will divorce, collecting funds at their wedding. And now he would like to know if he is an “a**hole” after he made the bride cry, despite insisting his “intentions were honourable”.

Right…

Posting to Reddit, the man explained his very clever plan.

“I got the idea to start up a bet and collect a pool from other people attending the wedding. The basic idea is that participants guess a year in which the couple will divorce and put in a certain amount of money (minimum bet $50), and IF they end up divorcing during that year whoever guessed that year wins the whole pot.”

If the couple do remain together and last longer than the latest bet, the bride and groom take the money.

“So that was kind of the twist that I meant to convey to them, that yeah sure it was a real bet, but that if they stayed together they could expect three grand in 2041,” he explained.

So how did he announce this idea to the wedding guests? During his best man speech, of course.

“When I was explaining the bet during my best man speech that was how I was going to end, kind of with a charming/corny line that ‘But we all know none of us are going to be winning the bet, because you two will be together forever, so you can look forward to cashing in in 2041!'”

But the bride, he shared, didn't take it too well, and began crying before he could even get to the end.

"The parents and bridesmaids and all that were almost yelling at me, and the groom (my best friend of decades) was furious."

The best man explained that when he tried to explain his intentions to the groom he wouldn't listen and the bride felt "betrayed by everyone who participated in the bet".

"So needless to say I feel extremely bad. But I meant it all as a nice gesture and I feel if they could just see they have a near certainty of getting a free three grand in 2041 they could see this intention," he continued. "I think by then it will be a fond memory and a 'look back on it laugh' kind of thing when we get to the 2040's, plus a nice little bonus of a three grand prize."

The man concluded that he isn't convinced he "was the a**hole here".

But those who responded didn't quite agree with him (surprisingly). In fact they pretty much all thought he was absolutely in the wrong. And everyone agreed that the worst part about the whole thing, was that he announced it during his speech, mortifying the couple in front of everyone.

"It doesn’t tell the couple you want them to have a happy ending," responded one user. "You’re basically shoving it in their faces that there are dozens of people who believe they won’t last. That’s not how celebrating a wedding works."

"If someone had done that at my wedding, there would have been absolute hell to pay," commented another. "I know what you meant by it, and it would have been funny for a couple and family with a different sense of humour, but to do it at the wedding and to the wrong crowd was your bad."

What do you think of this man's 'break-up bet'? Let us know in the comments section below!