Mom Found Out About My ‘$8.2M Wedding’ Three Years Later – Through My Forbes Interview

The $8.2 Million Secret

James and I started planning our wedding. We weren’t interested in something small and quiet.

We wanted to celebrate with everyone who’d actually supported us. We wanted it to be spectacular.

We booked the Plaza for August 2022. We hired the best planners in New York.

We created a guest list of 280 people. These were our friends from MIT, our business partners, our employees, and our mentors.

Professor Williams was there, as was David and his entire family. James’ huge extended family, who’d welcomed me with open arms, was also included.

The budget was $8.2 million. That wasn’t a typo: $8.2 million.

We flew in guests from six countries. We hired an orchestra.

We had custom Vera Wang and Tom Ford designs. We served Kobe beef and Dom Pérignon.

We had ice sculptures, a 12-piece band, custom installations, and fireworks over Central Park. Forbes heard about it, as did TechCrunch.

“Tech CEO’s Dream Wedding” became a trending topic. There were photographers, interviews, and a behind-the-scenes documentary team.

My parents weren’t there. They weren’t invited.

Madison wasn’t there. She wasn’t invited.

Not a single person from my biological family received an invitation. I didn’t send a “save the date,” and I didn’t mention it in our occasional phone calls.

I planned an $8.2 million wedding, and I didn’t tell them it was happening. When Mom called two weeks before the wedding to ask if I’d come to Madison’s baby shower, I had my answer ready.

“I can’t. I’m busy that weekend,” I said.

“Doing what?” she asked, annoyed.

“Just some work stuff,” I said.

The wedding was perfect. I walked down the aisle to Pachelbel’s Canon played by a 20-piece string orchestra.

James cried when he saw me. Professor Williams gave a speech about watching me grow from a scared freshman to a CEO.

David’s toast included the story of our first sale made from my dorm room. James’ grandmother, who was 93, pulled me aside during the reception.

“I’ve been to a lot of weddings, dear,” she said. “This is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. Your family must be so proud.”

“My real family is here,” I said, looking around at the room full of people who’d believed in me, invested in me, and loved me. “Every single person who matters is in this room.”

The photos were everywhere. They appeared on social media, in Forbes, in TechCrunch, and in the New York Times wedding section.

“Techflow CEO Sarah Chin Marries in Plaza Extravaganza.” There were pictures of the dress, the cake, the first dance, and the fireworks.

My parents didn’t see any of it. They didn’t read tech news.

They weren’t on social media beyond Facebook, and I’d had them on restricted mode for years. Three years passed.

James and I bought a house in Westchester, ironically only 15 minutes from my parents’ place. It was a $4.3 million estate with eight bedrooms, a pool, and a guest house.

We just closed on a second office in Austin. Techflow was now valued at $127 million.

I’d been featured in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” two years earlier, and now they wanted to do a follow-up piece: “Where Are They Now?” The reporter, Michelle Santos, was thorough.

She wanted to interview me, James, our employees, and our early investors. She wanted the full story of how Techflow grew from a dorm room project to a nine-figure company.

We did the interview at our house. Michelle brought a photographer.

We talked for three hours about the early days, the challenges, the growth, and the wedding that became famous in tech circles. “That wedding,” Michelle said, smiling. “Everyone still talks about it. The Plaza, the guest list, the budget. It was like a tech fairy tale.”

“It was perfect,” I said. “Everyone who mattered was there.”

“Your family must have been overwhelmed,” she said.

I paused. Then I told her the truth—the whole truth.

I told her about the scapegoat daughter, the golden child sister, and the parents who dismissed me for 28 years. I told her about the wedding they didn’t know about because they weren’t invited.

Michelle’s eyes widened. “That’s… that’s an incredible story,” she said.

“It’s my story,” I said. “I’m not ashamed of it anymore.”

The Forbes article came out on a Tuesday in October 2025. “Techflow’s Sarah Chin: Building an Empire After Being the Family Disappointment.”

It went viral immediately. The wedding photos were republished.

The story of my parents missing their daughter’s $8.2 million wedding because they’d never bothered to notice her success resonated. It resonated with thousands of people who’d felt dismissed by their own families.

Hit that subscribe button if you’ve ever had to set boundaries with toxic family, because what happened next absolutely shattered their world. My mother found out at her book club.

She went every Wednesday afternoon to her friend Karen’s house. It was eight women, wine, and usually a book nobody actually read.

That Wednesday, Karen pulled up the Forbes article on her iPad. “Patricia, I didn’t know your daughter was a tech CEO,” Karen said. “Look at this wedding. It says 280 guests.”

According to Karen, who called me afterward to apologize, my mother’s face went completely white. “What are you talking about?” Mom said.

Karen showed her the article and the photos. There was me in a custom Vera Wang gown, James in Tom Ford, the orchestra, the fireworks, and the guest list that included venture capitalists, CEOs, and MIT professors.

Mom grabbed the iPad. She scrolled through every photo and read every word.

Her hands were shaking. “This can’t be real,” she whispered.

“There are like 50 articles about it,” Karen said. “It was three years ago. How did you not know?”

Mom didn’t answer. She grabbed her purse and left without another word.

She called me from the car. I was in a meeting, so it went to voicemail.

“Sarah, call me back immediately. I just saw some article about you getting married. This has to be some kind of mistake. Call me,” she said.

Then Dad called. “Sarah, your mother is very upset. There’s an article saying you got married three years ago and didn’t tell us. That can’t be true. Call us back,” he said.

Then Madison called. “What the fuck, Sarah? Mom is losing her mind. Did you actually get married and not invite us?” she asked.

I didn’t call any of them back that day or the next day. I let them sit with it.

On Friday, they showed up at Techflow’s New York office. Our receptionist, Maya, called up to me.

“Sarah, there are three people here claiming to be your family. A Richard and Patricia Chin and a Madison Warren,” she said.

“Tell them I’m in meetings all day,” I said.

“Sarah, they’re saying they’re not leaving until they see you,” Maya replied.

I thought about it. Then I said, “Send them up.”