A judge has ruled that a Qidong, Jiangsu Province woman who ultimately called off her wedding to return the cash, jewelry and other dowry gifts she received from the groom's family, media reported Thursday.

The court found Xiao Lan (pseudonym) had forfeited her claim to the unspecified amount in gifts after ending their relationship 20 days before the ceremony despite claims that her ex had broke it off first as they registered their marriage in late 2013.

"I didn't ask him for emotional compensatio, how could he ask for the gifts back?" Xiao Lan told the court.

Her ex, Xiao Feng (pseudonym), 29, walked out of the local marriage registry office upon his discovery that she had not received a bachelor's degree as she previously claimed, said the report.

It was while Xiao Lan filled out a form her dark secret emerged - she had only earned an associate degree.

Xiao Feng soon after sought to reconcile, but by that time, Xiao Lan realized she wasn't married to the idea after all.

The split proved messy, as the two families had already exchanged cash dowries, jewelry and other expensive gifts.

The court ruled that because Xiao Lan had ultimately made the decision to call off the wedding, she was required to return the jewelry and cash gifts to Xiao Feng's family. 

Modern Express