Stassi Schroeder had good reason for leaving many of her former Vanderpump Rules co-stars out of her and Beau Clark‘s second wedding in Italy earlier this month.
During a podcast appearance on Monday, Stassi opened up about why she was forced to cut 70 percent of her guest list after being fired from the Bravo reality series in 2020 due to past accusations of racism.
“It was supposed to be on Vanderpump Rules,” Stassi explained on the May 23 episode of the Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, via Us Weekly.
According to Stassi, she and Beau were actually joined by a producer when they first scouted their wedding venue in 2019. However, after booking the ceremony and reception areas as well as their selected hotel, Stassi learned she would not be included in the series’ then-upcoming ninth season.
Stassi was also dealt with complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept her and Beau from traveling to Europe and led them to instead tie the knot in an outdoor ceremony in September 2020.
“Bravo didn’t pay for this sh-t,” Stassi shared. “[We had to] cut 70 percent of the guest list because it’s too expensive. Now it is a 35-person wedding in Rome in a location that’s meant for a sh-t ton of people.”
As Pump Rules fans now know, the only cast members in attendance during Stassi and Beau’s Italian ceremony were Katie Maloney and her estranged husband, Tom Schwartz. Luckily, despite the “cutthroat” decisions she was forced to make, Stassi said “everyone’s been pretty understanding.”
“We sent out an email, like, ‘Yo, times are tough, we can’t have a 200-person wedding. This doesn’t mean that we don’t like you, but you’re not part of my 35 top people,’” Stassi revealed.
While Stassi has kept in touch with many of her former castmates, she admitted that she’s much closer to some than others.
“Katie, like I said, is my baby’s godmother. She’s one of my closest friends,” Stassi said. “I’m friends with Kristen but it’s not the same. We’re all going in different directions. Our lives are so different. I don’t have time to be a Witch of Weho.”
On Instagram after Stassi and Beau’s wedding, Kristen Doute confirmed she was, in fact, invited, but couldn’t make it due to a prior commitment.
“Ugh so sad I missed Rome, but we have a wedding here we had already booked!” Kristen said. “I’m soo happy she got her dream wedding.”