Really good wedding drama doesn’t just happen the day of. It begins with the engagement ring, and the fireworks keep happening throughout the showers, bachelor parties, and the big day itself. These Redditors came together to share their wedding woes—and they’re unhinged enough that they made us want to elope.
1. Second Class Citizen
My husband's colleague invited us to his wedding, held in a large park venue with multiple events happening at once. We were checked off a list and given a hand stamp upon arrival, likely to avoid uninvited guests.
The vibes were a bit strange. After mingling, the wedding party entered and the buffet lines opened to serve food. We noticed that the servers were looking at our hand stamps. We then found out that the guests were served based on whether they knew the bride or groom.
And there was a big difference between them. The groom's side got hot meals like prime rib or ham, while the bride's side had basic sandwiches. It was clear that the groom's food was fancy catering and the bride's was homemade or store-bought.
Thankfully, they shared the champagne at least. It was pretty awkward eating with people from the other line and everyone seemed taken aback. We didn't stick around long, leaving after the first dance before things potentially got rowdier.
Later, my husband asked his colleague about the strange food situation. His response was shocking—his parents didn't want to foot the bill for the bride's guests because her family couldn't afford a posh meal. Out of all the unique weddings I've been to, this one just seemed rude.
2. Empathy Doesn’t Cost A Thing
This happened in Austin, Texas. There's this free wedding chapel with an Italian name. All a couple has to do is give a $200 deposit to secure the date. After the wedding, you get your cash back. Easy, right? But because we booked our wedding a year early, we had to give a $400 deposit instead.
Okay, no biggie, we'll get it back, right? But plot twist—six months before the big day, my fiancé was hit with a rare kind of cancer and passed on a month after. I told the chapel what happened, hoping they'd understand. No sympathy, just a cold reply saying that refunds are only given on the day of your wedding, meaning if you don't go through with the ceremony, you lose your cash.
Even after explaining that half of us were no longer around to get hitched, they didn't budge. Eventually, they grudgingly gave back half of the deposit. Meanwhile, every other vendor refunded me without any fuss. I still can't believe a place can make money from someone's loss.
And to argue about it over and over without even a token "sorry for your loss", that's just icy. Just to clear things up, this isn't about the $200. It's about basic human decency. Penalizing someone because their fiancé is gone just ain't right.
3. Keeping The Receipts
My buddy's getting hitched, and her best woman planned the bachelorette bash. She did quite a good job, even asked us about our budgets before booking anything. One fun plan was chilling and hiring a private chef for brunch. All was cool, until the chef had to back out because their mom passed on. I'm into cooking and blogging about it, so they asked me to fill in as the chef. I said fine, as long as I got paid less than the previous chef.
Everything seemed fine. But there was a dark twist. The best woman couldn't understand why I needed to get paid and thought I should just do it for free because we’re friends. When I reminded her that she had actually paid me for her baby shower cake, she accused me of causing more stress. Then she started avoiding questions about the refund from the canceled chef.
Things got sketchy when she admitted having spent the funds on a so-called “bridal gift”, but refuses to tell us how much and what it's all about. People are now thinking there’s a rip-off going on. This is where the drama peaks.
It turns out from the bride's sister that the best woman might be in financial trouble because of her hubby's gambling habit. So, is the mystery “bridal gift” a way to cover her bills? No one knows until now, and it's a bummer because she got defensive with me, just so she wouldn't have to tell the truth. As I kept digging, I found out that she’d canceled the entire bachelorette party without telling anyone! That'll sure be a surprise when I break the news, I just hope it doesn’t ruin the wedding.
4. Mas Drama, Por Favor
I'm getting hitched this winter, but the ride since my engagement has been a real-life soap opera. My dad cut off my brother because he messed with the family business. My invitation to him got axed, but after he chewed me out, that's fine by me.
Recently, my parents split up. Mom's being a bit much, crossing her fingers that this is my "first and last" wedding. But that's not even the worst part. She's pushing for us gals to stay single and I've got 15 voicemails to prove it's no joke.
On top of that, my newly divorced sister said she won't show up because she thinks we're being thoughtless getting married when she's trying to rebuild her life. Basically, my family has been stirring up most of the drama since our engagement. Not cool when you're months away from a winter wedding and the chaos keeps ramping up.
Mom blew up at lunch with my in-laws, calling my future mother-in-law names, making her feel uncomfortable. My brother made things worse by stealing a couple of dad's business clients. This just made my dad come down heavier on the brother-ban. And to top it all, my sister has gone one step further.
She's trying to make one of my wedding suppliers pick a side between us and her. This makes me want to say, "forget all of this, let's just elope"! For just 20 people, this wedding's turning into an expensive nightmare.
5. Happily Ever Three Days After
So my ex's boss ditched his wife on their honeymoon to hook up with my then-girlfriend. He'd married the woman and jetted off to Bali...only he's in the toilet sending my girl spicy pics. I catch a glimpse of one and confront her.
She confesses and lets him know that I'm onto them. Dude freaks out. From what I gather, he steps out of the loo, tells his newlywed wife, "I think we messed up. We shouldn't have tied the knot", hops on a plane, and heads home. Leaves her stranded. On her honeymoon. Without any clue of what's happened.
In the end, I had to spill the beans to the wife because he lacked the guts to do so. So yeah, their wedded bliss probably lasted a grand total of three days.
6. Grow Up
My pals had to ditch their big wedding plans, opting for a small ceremony at the registry office due to the pandemic. They restricted it to eight people with a mini party at the bride's parent's backyard later on.
Even though it was a small affair, they still wanted people to dress nice: guys in decent shirts or suits, ladies in pretty dresses or blouses. The groom's bro insisted that he HAD to be at the registry, otherwise it was no fair. Wanting him there, they invited both sets of parents.
The registry office crew was set: four parents, a maid of honor, a best man, and the oldest brothers from both sides. Come the big day, everyone starts primping at the bride's family home. The groom's brother rocks up in casual gear, despite everyone else being in fancy clothes. His wife and daughter even brought dresses for the afterparty. He claimed he didn't know about the dress code and blamed his wife for not reminding him—although she definitely had.
The groom ended up racing home to scrape together a suit for his brother. The brother ended up in a slightly oversized suit, a shirt, and shoes borrowed from the bride's dad. Despite dressing down at first, he still tagged along to the registry office, turning up in sweats. To me, that's just not what you wear, even on a typical day.
The morning was all about him due to his wardrobe hiccup. I mean, can't a grown man figure out what to wear to a wedding?
7. The Long Con
Let me break this down for you. My sister and I have always been rivals, especially since I came along when she was almost nine. I got great grades in science and she didn’t, despite being a nursing student. She'd take clothes I bought with my money because she "liked them". Yep, mom totally favored her.
Fast forward to 20 years ago when I got married. Mom insisted on copying every detail from my sister’s wedding. I wasn’t having it, even threatening to elope. Mom chose my sister to be my matron of honor even though I wanted my childhood best friend.
During the wedding, my sister decided it’d be the perfect time to announce she was pregnant. But that's not the craziest part. She was faking the pregnancy. Her husband left and a divorce followed. Fast forward a bit more, my sister got remarried and wanted me as matron of honor. She demanded I cut my hair but I refused. Instead, I worked out immensely to fit into a backless dress.
She was picky about my look but little did she know, I had a surprise in the form of henna tattoos covering my back and arms. Mom’s reaction was priceless. The tats washed off a few days later, but the satisfaction was immense. You know what they say, revenge is a dish best served cold. And I like my dishes slow-cooked.
8. Too Close For Comfort
So, my fiancé popped the question this weekend. We've already chatted about what we want our big day to look like and have a solid idea about it all you know, like the where, what you're supposed to wear, food, and of course, when we're tying the knot. But, rather than celebrating with us, my soon-to-be brother-in-law lost it, accusing us of being thoughtless towards him and his soon-to-be wife.
Here's the backstory. They set their date for spring 2022 back in 2020. And our plan? We're aiming for a fall wedding later that same year. This dude is under the impression we're spoiling his year by getting hitched ourselves. We've told him time and again that we're not rushing down the aisle ahead of them and are making sure to pick a date way away from theirs.
Honestly? Having to defend our wedding date feels silly. And to pile on more drama, the future mother-in-law weighed in. She feels like my guy should wait it out since it's not fair we're getting married barely a few months after his younger bro. And to top it all off, she's blaming my folks, saying they must have bribed him to marry me—which is just hurtful and straight-up false.
Look, we don't even have invites printed yet, but with the way they're acting, I seriously feel like torching theirs.
9. The Final Boss Of Mother-In-Laws
My mother-in-law's a sweetheart but when a wedding's on the horizon, she can't help but go over the top. Here are some of her antics at her sons' weddings.
She's tried to show up in cream dresses at all the weddings, some even sequined or laced or as pale as the champagne. At one, she tried to don a full-length white fishtail gown with gold sequins and rhinestones that left the bride in tears.
After the first wedding dress disaster, most brides tried to exclude her from the planning stages. Lots of efforts went into keeping her in the dark so she wouldn't meddle in the arrangements.
But she wouldn't be stopped. Like this one time, she chose to wear a tiny junior-sized dress which would expose her during any movement. It's not about being modest, but about being inappropriately short.
She even arrived at a wedding with a mountain of home-cooked desserts and appetizers, despite the event being fully catered. Her food, not refrigerated properly, was off and ended up taking the prime spot on the dessert table.
She meddled in the floral arrangements for one ceremony while the couple was abroad. She even scheduled a ridiculously expensive vendor friend at the reception as a 'favor'. The couple was livid when they discovered they'd been scammed.
She disregarded the couples' wishes and threw enormous parties before and after the weddings. Her thrift store decorations for another ceremony were all junk she was storing on her porch. It was filled with cobwebs and dust, ending up being the last straw for the couple who halted their wedding plans for a whole year.
Despite her antics, she's never been invited wedding dress shopping with her daughters-in-law. Wonder why.
10. It’s A Wedding, Not A Surprise Party
I tied the knot this past Saturday with a gorgeous sunset ceremony by the bay. We'd invited my sister-in-law over a year ago, but she told us she decided not to attend as she's stopped drinking. Though I was bummed, I got it.
However, my mother-in-law persuaded her to at least come for the ceremony and bounce before the party starts. It didn't cost any extra for chairs, so I agreed. As my spouse and I rocked up for our big entrance, there she was, in the doorway, drink in hand.
After we'd danced and everyone was fed, my sister-in-law and her family were still hanging around. My mother-in-law came over to say sorry for her daughter's actions and mentioned that at least "so-and-so" wasn't there, hinting that my sister-in-law could replace them. I quickly put her straight, saying that, actually, those three extras were on my tab since "so-and-so" had the courtesy to RSVP and not show up unlike her. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place!
My husband turned to me and said he was ticked off too, but didn't want to boot out his sister. It's just not cool, right? He insisted we shouldn't let it ruin our night. Despite this, our night and honeymoon were nothing short of incredible. Still, it was a bit of a bugbear.
11. Getting A Head Start On The Drama
So, my wedding is coming up and my bachelorette party happened last weekend. A while back, I asked everyone if they were okay with the city we were gonna party in, and talked about how much we'd all have to chip in for the Airbnb. I was totally fine with people saying "nope, can't make it". Anyway, we all settled on a place and a budget. As it was my gig, I thought I'd take the planning lead, rather than put it on my sister, who's my Maid of Honor but also a busy college student.
I sent everything I planned to do weeks ahead. The agenda included a hike, chilling by the pool, downtown shopping, a karaoke night. I even booked all our meals. The plan was more about a girls' chillout than a wild party—not really my thing.
So, everyone seemed happy enough with the plan. But boy, was I wrong. Two of my bridesmaids ended up throwing a wrench in the works, all the while not offering any other options. They were apparently trash-talking me behind my back about the whole thing, with one being in a foul mood the whole weekend, and the other blaming me for not getting an Uber in time and causing a scene.
They were angry for not having sashes to wear or a fancy party bus, which I admit, I did not consider. But they could’ve suggested that. It felt like they wanted me to telepathically plan their ideal weekend.
Now, I'm hurt and unsure of what to do next. I'm nervous they'll ruin my wedding just like they did my bachelorette party. One part of me wants to ask them to step down as bridesmaids while the other thinks that it might cause even more drama. The silver lining is that the other bridesmaids have got my back. I'll probably phase out the friendship with these two after the wedding.
So, despite all these bumps, the upside is I'm getting married to my best friend in just a few weeks! And heck, it was only a bachelorette party anyway.
12. She Needs A Taste Of Her Own Medicine
Man, it's so frustrating. My mom keeps trying to invite her friends to my wedding. We're working with a strict 15k budget which means we're having to make some sacrifices, particularly on the guest list. All mom is paying for is the wedding day coordinator and offering up her home as the venue.
But she's trying to convince us to invite her friends, saying they'll give us cash gifts. They are family friends and I don't mind, but I've already had to skip inviting some of my own friends. And here's the kicker—just recently, she informed my fiancée her friend wants to join our food tasting session.
I mean, seriously? It's a post-work food tasting for us! If she wants a meal with her friend, go out for dinner! My fiancée shut her down but this might become a frequent thing as we get closer to our wedding next June.
13. Notice Of Termination
One of my old pals and I have been growing distant over recent years. She's become...let's just say peculiar. She forced her way into my wedding party after hearing about my engagement and I didn't have the heart to say no.
I know, that's on me. However, for the past year, she's become a real hassle. She quit her job and claims various self-diagnosed illnesses to seek disability benefits. She's not working and relies on others for her whimsical purchases. I've taken her side a lot, given our shared past, but things are getting out of hand.
Especially her antics concerning the wedding. The bridesmaids’ dress costs just $30 but she's been avoiding buying it, claiming she has no money even though she can afford expensive items and even owns a swanky car and house.
She's been expecting someone else to pay for her dress and it's making everyone uneasy. Plus, she's meddling with my maid of honor over my bachelorette party. I finally decided I'd had enough. I kicked her out of the wedding party, citing my own worries and guilt for her financial situation.
Suddenly, she was ready to pay for her dress, but I stood my ground. She's been trying to emotionally manipulate me since then, despite my fiancé, friends, and family supporting my choice. I thought I did right, but why does it feel so wrong? I'm adamant about not including her again, but it's hard not having her around. The guilt hit harder when she approached my fiancé about all this.
14. Stealing The Spotlight
At my bridal shower, my soon-to-be brother-in-law and his wife, a recently wed couple, rock up wearing matching Mr and Mrs shirts. They promptly glued themselves to the main table, decked out with balloons and decorations for myself and my fiancé. But they didn't stop there.
Post feast, they switched spots to the loveseat in front of the balloon arch and banner, another seating decorated for me and my fiancé. With so many free seats, yet they swanned around as if they were the stars of the show.
I was pretty annoyed, but my fiancé thinks they didn't mean it and I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I bit my tongue, but now I'm worrying about their shenanigans at the main event.
15. The Big Green Monster
So, my fiancé's sister, who's just over 30 by the way, seems super annoyed that we're getting more attention than her, right? Neither of us like being the spotlight, and we've mostly been keeping to ourselves about wedding details, apart from with my super-helpful mother-in-law, who's coordinating everything.
Cut to Easter lunch with his family where we're answering the usual stuff like dress codes, whether I've picked my dress and so on, nothing outrageous, just your typical casual chat. Except his sister can't stand when she's not the center of attention.
Like, when we were discussing my venue, she just cuts it off by pulling out the same cat pictures she's shown me three times already. And when the topic of my wedding dress came up, she just cuts me off saying she can't wear heels 'cos she's so tall. Somehow, that's relevant? She then proceeds to show off her potential dress choices for our spring wedding, none of which were appropriate, and it was super hard to not let her see how much it annoyed me.
But here’s what really got under my skin. Any time our relationship or wedding came up, she’d somehow spin it around to chat about her recent break up, which although it happened almost six months ago and wasn’t too serious to begin with, she’s still somehow heartbroken over.
Like, can’t she just be happy for us? I’ve been so nice to her, even knitted some sweaters for her cats to get her to like me. But because our wedding is stealing her spotlight, to her, apparently I’m the villain.
16. Work-Life Balance
So, I asked my bestie of 5 years to be my maid of honor and she's up for it. I clue her in about my engagement party date a month earlier than anybody else. She RSVP'd as attending, but then, out of nowhere, changes it to "maybe" just two days before the bash. I text her to check if everything's cool or if she's fallen ill, but she says she's cool, just nervous about crowds because of Covid.
No worries, I tell her and suggest we catch up for coffee instead since we live near. Busy schedule, she tells me. Well, just a day after my party, I see tags of her at this foodie event which is indoors with over 40 people. Felt like an insult, so I decide we need to clear the air.
I ask her if we're good. "Yeah, just busy" she says. I tell her I feel like she's avoiding me and I've seen her tagged at restaurants after my event and it stings that she lied about being scared. Her response made my blood boil.
She tells me her presence on social media is her job. That the tags and content are not real-time, it's all planned and promoted. Then comes the whopper, she tells me she can't always be at my beck and call and shouldn't have to keep me in the loop for everything. She's got her day job and her content creation gig and networking to think about. The cherry on the cake was her saying she finds it hard to find time for non-content creators. Like wow, I tell her thanks for explaining and then she blocks me.
17. Hunting For A New Father Figure
So, me and my boyfriend are tying the knot this November, right before we head off to a new country for his job. We're buzzing about beginning this fresh chapter and shared the news with our families who are pretty stoked. Well, except dad. I told him about the wedding plans, stoked to start our new life, and his reply was a sucker punch.
He was like, "November? Nope, doesn’t work for me. You'll need to change your dates. November marks hunting season and there's no way I'm missing it. I don't want to commit and then bail 'cause I'm off hunting". I didn't really get it at first so I brushed it off with a casual, "Let me know if you can make it".
But after giving it some thought, it got me down. I can't wrap my head around my dad choosing a camp trip over his first kid's wedding! It really got to me that I didn't give him a piece of my mind or even uninvite him. He's always been Mr. Self-important, but this one will take time to shake off.
18. You Had One Job
So me and my hubby tied the knot last week. I've been real cool throughout the wedding prep and the big day itself. I mean, stuff goes wrong, but it's no biggie, right? Even might make it more fun for the guests. But there was one thing I did not want to happen—no cake in the face.
I kinda sensed he might want to do the cake thing for laughs, so I told him straight—don't do it. It just ain't funny. Plus, it would wreck my makeup, and get cake on my pricey wedding dress. I made it clear I'd be majorly ticked off if he did it. He said he wouldn't. Guess what he did when we cut the cake?
Yep, smashed that cake all over my face! There was cake on my dress, my makeup was ruined, exactly like I thought would happen. Likely his buddies egged him on, but that's no excuse. I kept my cool, fixed myself up, showed a happy face for the rest of the party. But after it all, I let him have it.
I told him off for doing the one thing I asked him not to, even after he said he wouldn't. He called me overdramatic, said it was no big deal and we should just enjoy being newlyweds. So was I overreacting?
19. November Rain
So, I had been with my partner for three years before we got engaged in 2019. Me and mom have been tight, and I really thought she'd be chill with my wedding plans. Boy, was I wrong.
The second we got into wedding talk, mom threw her two cents in about everything. See, my folks got hitched in November, my fiance and I first clicked in November, so it felt right to say "I do" in November. I was never into the idea of a summer wedding or an outdoor gig, you can't bet on Ohio's weather.
Of course, mom freaked over our November date. All "Brr, it's so cold" and "You'll need to snap photos early 'cause it gets dark at 7, and it's so close to Thanksgiving"!. Really couldn't tell if she was just having flashbacks to her own November nuptials. Venue hunting? Complete nightmare.
Mom only considered our family, completely blanking on my fiance's side. When we finally found our dream spot, she moaned about our plans to have an open bar, 'cause apparently our family are lightweights. Yet the rest of us wanted to let loose a bit.
Eventually, my future in-laws offered to pay for the bar, taking it out of mom's hands. But the real kicker? She's been adding unknown faces to the guest list, then moaning about the price tag. Upshot is "more guests=more bucks", yet she suggests chopping my friends off the list.
And then there’s the pandemic. I was torn about pushing the wedding back for safety reasons, but all mom can think about is all the movies she's missed. Putting her experience on par with those who've lost their lives. My soon-to-be-granny-in-law can't even come, which is a big deal for me.
I've thrown around the idea of a small close-family-only ceremony and a bigger party later, but mom reckons that'll bring family drama, and won't look "special". Suggest another vow renewal thing next year and she's all "It won't feel the same". Seems like I can't win. It really sucks not having her support and feeling stuck in the middle. I know I can't keep everyone happy.
20. Sew Annoying
Dealing with mom has been pretty crazy. She's been fighting me on everything—from the dress I chose to wanting to walk me down the aisle because of her divorce from my dad, and throwing tantrums about our sweetheart table and making a scene at my bridal shower, all because of a photo I took with my mother-in-law.
She went all out and bought the priciest dress in town. Then, she kept reminding me that she deserves to shine in all the wedding photos because of how much she splurged on her outfit. I'd asked her a couple of times to get the dress altered as it's very layered and prom season could cause delays.
The wedding is exactly a month away. She texted me today saying she's finally getting her dress altered because it's too large around her chest and waist. But then she said something that left me stunned—she's pushing the alterations back by three weeks so that she can lose 20 lbs before the wedding.
Keeping in mind that mom eats out daily and drinks like a fish, her weight loss strategy is literally just walking more when she returns to work next week.
When I tried to tell her that it generally takes more than a week to alter a dress, she got defensive and started arguing that the shop told her it'll only take an hour. She stubbornly insists that there's no need to start alterations now because she's planning to lose weight, despite having made no progress since buying the dress.
Then she tried to backtrack by saying the dress only needs a couple of stitches and almost fits perfectly. She just won't hear me out that she needs to start on the alterations now, and can't leave it for a week before the wedding. I'm genuinely so wound up by this whole thing that I'm about ready to blow my top.
21. A Black And White Issue
Man, I'm stuck in the middle. My bro's about to tie the knot and I'm one of the groomsmen. My wife let me know our 3-year-old daughter's going to wear a white dress to the wedding. I was kinda unsure, I mean isn't white usually for the bride and flower girls? My wife didn't mind if kids wore white at our wedding and her buddies feel the same.
Our daughter's the only kid out of like 80 guests, since she's the only grandkid in our families. There aren't any flower girls or page boys at this wedding. I wanted to be cool about it so I hit up my bro and asked if it was okay. He said it wasn't—bride's wearing white and that's it. Respect.
It's her big day, her rules. I just don't want any hassle. My wife's reaction was ice cold, though. She's mad at me, calling me names. She says I should've defended our daughter and kept my mouth shut. We should've just turned up with her in her white dress. She wants the bride and groom to buy a new dress, even though the first was a hand-me-down.
I'm totally cool with getting a new dress, but it looks like my wife won’t back down because it's about principle now. I feel like I did the right thing, but the way my wife's acting makes me think maybe I didn’t.
22. Control Freak
My husband-to-be is half Scottish, half Indian, and some of my family are having real trouble with it. Like my grandma who's been super racist towards him. So, she's out, not coming to the wedding. My mom's another issue. She's a narcissist who treated me like dirt till she ditched me when I was nine.
We didn't keep in touch much. It was a letter here and there. Grandma raised me after that. Mom and grandma despise each other, but mom says they’ve both gotta be at the wedding. She's got big ideas, like she's running the show, thinks she can change stuff. Tried to cancel my venue to find something else.
And the decor? She finds it tacky. We're mixing in some traditional Indian stuff like colours and music, plus carnations instead of roses. Yeah, she hates that too.
She's worried Indian food will make the venue stink. My fiance wants me in a sari, and I wanted a Western dress. So, I'm doing both—a gown for the ceremony, a sari for the reception. Mom thinks that's wrong, even worse 'cause I'm pregnant.
Anyhow, I told her it's my wedding, not hers, and I'm happy with everything as it is. Her meltdown was epic. She's furious because this is her special day, and it's ruined now. Uh, no, it's not your day!
Then the baby's name leaked, Indian of course. They freaked, called it abuse. And then fit after fit through calls, emails, messages. My mom threw a "Karen" tantrum at my office, wreaked havoc, and was detained.
Over at home, grandma broke in, trashed the place, and destroyed our tandoori oven. She used my condiments to write slurs on my walls. My fiance was furious, but we cleaned up and had her taken away. Also got a restraining order on both of them.
We follow an Irish tradition called "shedding the skin". Where we write down all our past stuff, then burn it. It's like a party. Well, guess who found my photos of that, photoshopped herself in, and posted them on her fake social media? Mom. She even gave my future sister-in-law some ridiculous "intimacy rules" and uninvited her if her husband didn't shave. She's just not letting up!
23. An Object Lesson
So, my sis got engaged two years back. We're not super close but I definitely don't hate her.
Her guy (now hubby) is awesome. I'm genuinely stoked for them both. Fast forward to the wedding, the priest asks for any objections, and I stand up and joke, "I object... 'cause these two are too darn cute together"! Boy, did that backfire.
I meant it as a laugh for the reception, but instead my sister's face went like a ghost. No one laughed. My sis tried to shrug it off, but it was clear I'd rocked the boat. I sat back down and things moved on.
At the reception, I congratulated her, but she went ballistic. She reckoned my joke wasn't funny and spoilt her big day. I was stunned. It was just a lighthearted joke, I wasn't actually objecting. I argued a bit, but she just breezed off.
Next morning, my phone blew up with all these messages from the fam saying I'd messed up. I think it got blown out of proportion, it was just a joke.
24. Upstaging The Upstager
So, my half-sis "Heather" and I aren't exactly BFFs. We're both 24 and born 20 days apart after our dad ditched my mom for hers—yeah, weird, right? Heather's mom ain't a fan of me or my mom, so you can imagine how our relationship is.
Heather's always been a show-off, always trying to outdo me, even though we're both in the same boat financially. Anyways, my man and I got engaged last month and threw a chill, but kinda fancy, engagement bash this Saturday. Think "night out at a classy joint" not "Met Gala".
So, my cuz sends me a pic of the dress Heather planned to wear—a real ice princess number. Long, white, strapless, garnished with pretend diamonds and gold touches—pretty sure it was a wedding dress. Yeah, no way was I letting her steal my limelight.
So I hatch a plan. I text folks saying there's been a change—it's a costume party now. My mom's squad loves Halloween, so they were game. Told my dad to pass the message to Heather and her mom, but knowing him, he'd forget or leave it until last minute.
Saturday rolls round. Guests turn up, mostly in costumes. Those that didn't have time got some fun hats and wigs. Heather, dad and her mom rock up an hour late. When she sees everyone in costumes or wacky accessories and she didn't steal the show, she totally freaked.
The cherry on the cake? My guy telling her "her bride dress made a great cheap costume". She ran off crying and her mom and my dad gave me heat for being immature and not telling Heather myself, instead of delegating to my forgetful dad. My bad!
25. Photoshop The Whole Man Out
Alright, so here's the deal: my fiancé, Aaron, and I are almost ready to tie the knot. But let me tell you, the whole planning journey hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. Aaron's mum, for a start, wouldn't stop objecting to all our plans. You'd think she's the one getting hitched, right?
Fast forward to our little chat about wedding photos. Somehow my scar, a souvenir from my younger years, got thrown into the mix. Aaron throws out the idea to just photoshop it out. I legit thought he was joking, but nope, totally serious.
I was pretty speechless, to be honest. But he was quick to defend it, saying that's the whole point of photoshop, to make the snaps flawless. So, I couldn't help but ask him, "Do you think my scar is a flaw"? He's quick to say no, but then he confesses.
Yeah, it was his mum's idea. And just like that, we're at each other's throats. He's accusing me of overreacting, saying that it's not about the scar, it's about the bigger picture. I then got into a row with my soon-to-be mother-in-law, who seemed determined to get me to agree with her. Seems like I'm the odd one out here, as all the women in the family appear to be on her side, and Aaron keeps rabbiting on about this being a common practice.
I'm like, "Fine, but that's not me. I have no issue with my scar and I don't want to change it, not for the wedding or anything else". You would think they'd drop it, but instead they're suggesting therapy for some past trauma that they imagine I have. Poor Aaron looks worried.
He still insists that he loves me just the same. He thinks it's silly how I've turned this tiny thing into a big conflict with him and his family. I'm too confused to think straight at this point. Is this my old insecurity causing trouble, or am I really making a mountain out of a molehill?
26. A Penny For Her Delusional Thoughts
I've got this friend, Penny, whom I met at work several years ago. We got on pretty good, so much so that I even asked her to be my bridesmaid at my wedding, which got postponed till next January because of Covid-19. But, lately, I've found Penny is really starting to bug me.
Honestly, she can be such a diva! It's like she needs to be the center of attention all the time. Even my bachelorette party turned into "The Penny Show". And now, she's taken over the party planning from my maid-of-honor and manipulates things to get what she wants.
But what's really getting to me is her constant weird behaviour around my future husband. Over one weekend, it was non-stop, from inappropriate comments to getting too touchy-feely—it was just too much. And needless to say, it really creeped him out and ticked me off!
What's worse is when we're being romantic, she shoehorns herself in between us, pretending to be all happy and wanting to share it, until it's just awkward. Despite my guy stepping in, she just doesn't stop.
For instance, this once she tried to cozy up to him under the dinner table, stroking his face and acting all buddy-buddy, as if they're great friends, which they definitely aren't.
When she first met him and added him in Snapchat, she texted me right away saying she wasn't into him, which I found really odd. Plus, the snap she sent him, she defended as being harmless, which I had never questioned, to begin with. So, yeah, strange.
Things got weirder when he came to pick me up at her place. Hearing his car, she literally pushed me aside, ran out, and literally lunged to hug and kiss him. Very confusing, right? Her constant attention-seeking and bizarre behaviour is leaving us both exhausted.
I'm at my wit's end because I find her behaviour disrespectful and it's tough for me to face confrontations. What's worse, I feel stuck considering our common friends might side with her and think I'm overreacting.
Moreover, I'm pretty sure she'll downplay her actions and may even try to convince us that she treats everyone that way, which is not true at all.
27. You Had One Job
It was last weekend when my girlfriend and I, who are both around 30, had a fight. We were going to my co-worker's wedding as a couple. My girl loves weddings, so she was pumped when I asked her to come along.
We don't live together, so I went to get her before the event. She stepped out, all dolled up and looking gorgeous. There was just one problem. She wore this really glitzy off-white dress.
I complimented her but suggested she pick a different color dress. I've often heard it's not cool to wear white at someone else's wedding unless you're the bride. She got offended.
She didn't get why her dress was an issue. I told her it's kind of an unwritten rule not to wear white. She brushed it off as an old-fashioned tradition about virginity and said her friends didn't mind her wearing white at their weddings.
I explained that since the invite didn't specify we could wear white, it would be safer if she chose another color because we didn't know how the bride felt. She went off at me, accusing me of being controlling and mean.
Stung by this, I told her she shouldn't come to the wedding with a mean guy then and asked her to leave my car. She began to cry and tried to apologize, but I insisted she go and left. For the record, we were still in her home's driveway; I didn't abandon her anywhere weird. I turned off my phone after telling her I needed space and went to the wedding alone.
As it turned out, the bride was the only one in white at the wedding. I felt validated. Afterward, my phone was flooded with text messages from my girlfriend and her best friend, accusing me of being inconsiderate. I've been debating with friends about this—most agree with me, but some think I was out of line for telling her not to wear her dress because it's not about me. But I think I was right since it was my friend's wedding and better safe than sorry.
28. Timing Is Everything
My guy and I have known each other for four years, dating for two. He's never been close with his sister due to her lazy and entitled attitude growing up. She wouldn't clean after herself, prompting yells for showers because she smelt terrible. When she moved out, they had to clean her room for months!
At 16, she accused her parents of mistreating her to Child Protective Services (CPS), who did absolutely nothing. She complained to her grandparents about her 'mean' family and moved in with them, resulting in my future hubby cutting ties with his grandparents due to their support for her lies.
At 18, she cut off contact with everyone for seven years, living with her boyfriend in a different state. Not hearing much about her, I kind of forgot she existed. Surprisingly, last year she announced her pregnancy, then claims her now-husband is a villain and she must save her baby from him.
His parents, despite their previous heartbreak, embark on a 20-hour round trip to pick her and her baby up. They provide for her everything, even securing her a job. Meanwhile, my guy refuses to engage with her and needless to say, he doesn't want her at our wedding. Fast forward a month, his fed-up stepdad berates her for not contributing, she moves out with her grandparents again, leading to more family tension.
Despite these events, my fiancé’s mum works a second job to help fund her daughter's court battles. At this point, my guy wants nothing to do with his sister. Fast forward to recently, we post out wedding invites for our September wedding and it seems the drama isn't done, with his mom asking if her daughter's invited. Of course, my guy sticks by his decision to not invite his sister. And for anyone who supports otherwise, he doesn't mind if they don't come either.
As we approach our wedding day, I just wanted to enjoy it. To cherish the moment I marry the love of my life surrounded by great friends and family. It's disappointing that people create this drama right before our special day.
29. It Doesn’t Add Up
My bro planned to tie the knot with his girl in September 2023, and I'm a bridesmaid. The bride's sisters (doubling as maids of honor) planned her bachelorette bash in August 2023. I'm all for the early prep as it allows us to save up.
So we had a poll about everyone's budget—3 votes for $300, 2 votes for $500, and 4 votes didn't care. So, logically, $300 should have been our cap. But shockingly, they're asking for $499 from each of us. But wait, there's more—a spa day costing over $100 and a wine tasting event for over $50, making our spend about $700. That's crazy!
It's like they took 'no preference' as a free pass to go all out. And why do we need to spend nearly a grand just for bottle service? I'm only 24, about to graduate, working part-time, paying off vet debt, and living paycheck to paycheck. Spending $500+ on a weekend is comfortably out of my league.
Even planning ahead, I can't fathom spending so much, especially with my other bills. Plus, a dress for over $100, hair and makeup for $150, a wedding gift, and the lodging for the night of the wedding close to $200. It's way too expensive.
How do I back out from this bachelorette party without leaving the others to pick up my slack? Plus I'm living with the bride-to-be, which complicates things even more.
30. An Impending Sense Of Doom
My in-laws are a tough crowd, seriously. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law act like the sun rises and sets on them, my father-in-law's a homebody who'd probably skip our wedding, and my stepdad-in-law always defends 'em instead of helping us reel them in. My brother-in-law's the only one I don't mind.
From the moment my fiancé popped the question, it was all "mother-in-law this, sister-in-law that," like they were the ones getting married. She even wanted to announce our engagement before we could—because apparently, it was her news to tell.
We went for dinner to cheers to the engagement and it was all about her wedding outfit and her husband's dapper tux. She even kept hounding us about our photographer so she could get all her desired photos.
The list goes on with her antics. She's threatened to call our wedding vendors to change things to her liking. On top of that, she got a fancy dress for our laid-back outdoor wedding without letting us know and claimed she'd be the star of the show.
Then there's my future sister-in-law who obsessed over which dress she'd wear as a bridesmaid (even though we hadn't asked her). She couldn't care less about our wedding plans and drops bridesmaid duties days after we offered to pay for everything. Weirdly, she then buys a super formal dress as if she's still a bridesmaid.
My aunts planned a belated engagement party, and my mother-in-law lost it because she wasn't asked to host. Despite us telling her repeatedly it was a surprise for us too.
And the kicker? She's tried to make us cancel because she refused to have a necessary surgery, meaning she can't walk or dance at the wedding. It feels like our wedding revolves around their drama. They're always at the forefront of our minds or we get nagged for not thinking about them. I've decided to stop discussing wedding stuff with them, but I'm afraid they'll make a scene on the day.
I'm getting so burnt out, I'm starting to think this dream wedding isn't worth the hassle 'cause they suck the joy out of it. I'm open to suggestions, 'cause aside from uninviting them, I'm stumped on how to handle this.
31. All You Had To Do Was Show Up
My bridal shower happened, and my childhood bestie didn't come. She texted me today and apologized; she's not okay. I'm not angry, but it hurts. She's my oldest friend; met in a karate class when we were eight and stuck together since. But after we stopped the classes, she drifted away a bit. Still my only friend though.
Years later, we reconnected a bit, but meeting her became unpredictable. Plans change at the last minute, not my thing. Still, when she shows up, great. This has been the case for six years.
She got married two months ago, I was a bridesmaid, felt honored. I made every effort to attend all her wedding events in a town an hour away. Her day was fabulous, had a lot of fun.
Fast forward to my bridal shower yesterday, she's a no-show. No text either. Today, she apologized and asked if I wanted her to step down as a bridesmaid still. I'm not angry, just hurt. It made me think she might not come to my wedding on a bad day.
I get mental illness isn't controllable, but it's disappointing she can't return my effort to be there for her.
She texted me asking about which bridesmaid dress to buy. None of them were from my list of 20. Her reason? “None of those will come in time”. But I gave my dresses options months ago. My wedding's now three weeks away.
32. Stalemate
About 40 years back, my parents and step-grandma had a big argument. They haven't spoken since. Now, I'm the only one in my family who still chats with my step-grandma—and I really love her. My fiancé digs her too, and we wanted her at our wedding. I talked to her about inviting my cousins so she wouldn't be lonely.
I explained that we're hosting both ceremony and party at my parents’ place. She said she wouldn't come unless we change the venue because she's not keen on being fake friendly with folks she dislikes. I argued the venue wouldn't matter much 'cause my parents would turn up wherever the wedding is.
But she suggested a compromise—she'd only drop by for the ceremony and skip the reception.
33. Winging It
My wedding is in two months, and I'm having trouble with one of my bridesmaids, let’s call her Jess. We've been friends for about two years, studying together, hanging out, and all—but now she's distancing herself.
It's a tough situation because Jess is part of our friend group but she's become distant, making snide comments about my wedding or being too stressed to handle it, sometimes even ignoring me. Though she's still in the wedding party.
What's really bothering me is her seeming lack of interest. Everyone else has ordered their dresses, but Jess hasn't even tried hers on. She says she'll just get something off Amazon if it doesn’t fit, which makes me feel like she doesn’t care.
Even when I tried to lessen the burden by offering to cover the cost of the dresses, considering we’re all students and on a budget. The dresses are only $80-100, pretty cheap compared to others I've seen. Despite talking to her about it, Jess's odd behavior hasn't changed. She's still aloof.
34. Make Up Your Mind
We got hitched back in 2020 and are planning a wedding bash in my home country, Ireland, in three weeks. My hubby's folks, all Texans, have been a bit tough to deal with, especially when trying to get them to RSVP for our big day. Knowing the hassle of traveling in COVID times, we were patient.
About four days ago, we needed to give our venue a headcount, but had no clue if any of the five in-laws were turning up. Hubby was crushed, especially since his bro was initially the best man and was asked for a repeat performance. First, they confirmed three would come, then two, quickly changed back to three and suddenly, six!
Just wanting clarity, I asked if I could help with anything, which led to a rant from my mother-in-law. She went on about our wedding being about my family, accusing me of making her feel unwelcome.
That's when my patience ran out. I reminded them of my sick dad, for whom we're trying to sort out a stress-free, modest event. They were demanding additional services: transport, buses to the venue, and extra hotel nights, adding to our plate.
Currently, they're giving me the silent treatment, and I'm super stressed out. My health is suffering, can't eat or sleep. Didn't think it would hit this hard. Worst part? My mom's planned a bridal party this Thursday and I feel awkward because I've lost my cool and now our wedding threatens to turn into a drama fest.
35. Who Wants An Invite To The Boring Part Anyway
I got hitched last June and, like any bride, I wanted my day to be perfect. But Covid threw a wrench in my plans. We had our ceremony in a church and the party at a different venue. Because of Covid restrictions, the church let only a few people in, so we had to trim down our guest list a lot. We chose to invite only our closest peeps to the ceremony and invited everyone else to the reception.
Soon after the big day, I caught wind of some disturbing rumors. I heard that a group of friends were upset about not getting invited to the ceremony. To be honest, it felt super rude and silly. I wasn't even that close with them, but yeah, we hung out socially. So, I thought I'd just clear the air with them.
I reached out and explained the church's capacity issue and said sorry if they felt left out. After all, it wasn't my intention. I had to wait for weeks to hear back. When I didn't get a reply, I messaged them again. But once more, total silence.
After a while, I reached out again. And you won't believe what happened next. One of the girls replied after a month saying she was hurt and decided to stop being my friend. Well, that sure was a surprise; haven't expected that!
36. Money Can’t Buy Happiness—Or A Good Wedding
First off, the soon-to-be newlyweds were amazing. There were no hard feelings against them—only bad luck, lousy vendors, and a mean ex-husband spoiling their day. The bride had a young tot with this mean ex, and she was remarrying not too long after their divorce.
No one mentioned the ex-husband, but speeches kept hinting at how happy the bride finally was, and how great her new groom was. It was clear her previous marriage went bad. Everyone was teary, me included.
It was a scorching summer day, and the wedding was at a fancy open-air location. You can tell they spent a fortune on it. Everyone was roasting in formal attire, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
They provided some appetizers and water earlier but took them away when the ceremony was about to start. Then the hold-up. We hear some orchestra music start playing again and see a flurry of activity through the clear windows at the bride and her bridesmaids who are all lined up and waiting.
There's one delay…then another…it's been an hour-long wait in the heat just looking at the bride in her lovely gown. The groom and his groomsmen are all in a twitchy workshop at the altar.
I started worrying if some of the older folks might faint from the heat. Some people sneak inside for water and bathroom breaks. The venue coordinator freaks out about this.
He doesn’t want anyone to see the hall—the one we had all walked through to get outside and could see through the huge windows anyway. Very rudely, he tries to usher everyone out and locks some of the doors. At this point, it's another waiting game.
Enter the bride's toddler making an entrance and the wedding finally starts. But the audio guy completely messes up the sound system—it’s either screeching or going completely silent. Everyone's cringing. Not sure why he didn't just shut it off.
The couple is thrilled to be married, finally. The bride, now a new mom, carries her little one down the aisle, hiding a secret we later found out. The ex-husband had taken the child and refused to hand them over, delaying the wedding deliberately by over an hour. Kudos to the bride for her grace under pressure.
We finally get allowed inside to quench our thirst when I notice glass shards in my water. Same goes for everyone else's drinks. Dinner gets served and is super slow and bland. Veggies are raw and the unidentified meat inedible. Even the cake, which looked great, tasted stale. The speeches were nice, though a bit awkward, gushing on about the groom and how future plans are building.
All this while the audio man cranks up the volume to ear-splitting levels. Conversations turned into shouting matches. Decibel-laden, the majority of the guests congregated in the foyer to escape.
The room is at 25% capacity and folks start exiting, famished and irritated. By 9:30 pm, it's a ghost town. We hang around till then, leaving when the clean-up begins. On the way out, I noticed they hadn't distributed the wedding favours on time. Almost everyone left without their souvenir bottle.
Reflecting on how it all went, I thought about the couple's spent time and money. The venue was gorgeous, with great photo ops, a beautiful bride in a custom dress, and a happy groom. It should have been an amazing party.
Despite it being what I always pictured for my own wedding, experiencing it firsthand made me change my mind. I cannot stand the disappointment if everyone left my wedding after only four hours. Too much expense for such little time. I think I'll elope somewhere nice and have a BBQ after with family.
37. A Bloody Mess
About a decade ago, I was a plus-one at my guy friend's family wedding; we'll call him J. It was an awesome wedding at a casino hotel. I didn’t know what was coming, as I only knew J and a few others. Turns out, his family were huge party animals.
Hard drinks and moonshine were flowing, mainly among the groomsmen, including J. Pretty soon things got really wild. When the groom smeared cake on J's face in what was supposed to be harmless fun, J started bleeding heavily from his nose. Fun turned to frenzy, and J got super mad at the embarrassment and getting hurt.
After yelling a bit, J stormed out of the room, splattering blood everywhere including the welcome sign and even busted the door handle. Poor casino employees had to clean up the mess. J ran to the bathroom, where his mom and I tried to help him calm down but he was too angry and inebriated to listen.
His cousin said sorry a bunch of times, but J didn't want to hear it. Honestly, I get it! We all decided to give him space. I went to chill with less crazy family members while waiting for J. Eventually, J's mom told me to go back to the hotel room.
In the middle of the night, J's mom shocked me with news. J had been thrown behind bars. We decided to bail him out the next day. The following day at the county lock-up, out comes J, in nothing but jeans and boots.
His hands were swollen, and his wedding shirt missing. Incredible, right? He tore it off because of the blood, then walked around angry and drunk. He punched the building, which messed up his hands; one hand whacked the door handle. Officers detained him outside the hotel.
After his release, we drove home and J went to the hospital. Turns out he had a broken wrist which now has a metal screw, a damaged hand, and some broken fingers.
Despite the drama, J and his cousin are cool now. J knows he blew things out of proportion. If he hadn't downed so much moonshine, stuff might've been different. This was far from my favorite wedding, but it certainly had the wildest story.
38. Thanks For Nothing
So, my hubby's cousin is marrying this total nightmare chick who none of us are crazy about. She's controlling and socially awkward to the max. Plus, she decided to put their wedding on Black Friday. Who does that?
That means that Thanksgiving, they demand we attend rehearsal dinner. Major party foul since it clashes with my family’s Thanksgiving feast. Needless to say, I'm super ticked. And now, they drop a surprise mid-week rehearsal session? No one can make it! I'm sure drama queen bride set it up that way to play the victim.
Her latest move? The best man's outta the picture. His wife and the bride had a long-standing feud and the bride cut her out completely. But get this, she still wanted her to plan the wedding cause it's her day job. I only found out when the wife hit me up stressed over this whole thing. I told her to stand her ground, they don't deserve this drama.
And there's more drama. The bride threw a hissy fit cause the groom wanted his own bachelor party? Seriously? But the cherry on top?
My husband and I think we might have caught Covid. We've been vaxxed but I'm seriously hoping this gives us a way out of this circus. My man thinks we still gotta attend but hey, a girl can dream, right?
39. Don’t Tell The Bride
My cousin's wedding last night was kinda a hot mess. My cousin's a total knock-out from a rich family, so everyone was expecting this blow-out wedding. She looked amazing, totally cover-girl material and the ceremony was really cute, but things kinda went downhill from there.
Turns out, her dad, who was footing the bill, wasn’t so rich anymore—he'd lost all his cash the year before. So, the cocktail hour ran super short 'cause they'd skimped on appetizers and the open bar ran dry well before the hour was up. Cue a bunch of boozy, peckish and bored guests, about thirty minutes before dinner was even served. Seeing this, some folks ran for their wallets in their cars while I, knowing about the bar limit, whipped out the stash of booze I'd brought.
When dinner was served, it was a let-down too. With the steak option barely editable and too few cupcakes to go around, lots of folks went hungry. Then, there was a big time gap between dinner and dancing. With neither boozy nor chow rewards, guests were left in a limbo. As we milled around, the main topic of conversation? How ridiculously long the wait was for us to hit the dance floor.
Meantime, grandma got hammered, puked and passed out—yeah, not great. Then the couples' dance bombed 'cause gramps, who’d been married the longest, wasn’t around to bring good luck to the newlyweds.
When the dancing finally started, everyone got peeved by the parade of country songs, 'cause except the couple, no one was really into it. Thankfully, my cuz stepped in to request some crowd faves that got the party going again. But whenever a slow song was played, it would be country again so complaints just kept coming.
When I finally peaced out, I couldn’t tell the bride the truth when she asked if I had fun. Although it was a wedding filled with complaints and unhappy faces, I'm hoping people will just forget and remember the wedding as a wild night.
40. Turning On A Dime
My childhood bestie, Wendy, has been my rock since middle school, there for every up and down. But now, she's distanced herself. Early 2021, W became a solid part of our group. She'd chill with my boyfriend and me a few times weekly, plus weekend hangouts.
Then there were the summer trips, weekly girls' night, the works. My boyfriend's best mate, Ross, broke up with his girlfriend of seven years in March 2021 and started playing the field. Long story short: Wendy got involved with Ross, despite our warnings that it was a bad move. She got hurt, but wanted to stick with us, not willing to let Ross push her away from her pals.
Fast-forward three months, Wendy and Ross have moved on to different partners. Trouble is, we don't like Wendy's new boyfriend—he's a bit of a red flag. He overreacts whenever she hangs out with us, causing her to leave early.
Things took a nose-dive yesterday when I asked Wendy to be my bridesmaid. She said yes, then promptly confessed her intense dislike for Ross and, shockingly, my fiancé, swearing she never wants to see them again. A few hours afterwards, she texted me to bow out of the wedding and our friendship. I tried to convince her to reconsider, but she stuck to her decision.
It's been tough to shake off the shock, but I'm trying to keep my spirits up.
41. A Lesson In Rolling With The Punches
My buddy's mom, who's been a widow for about four years, is tying the knot next weekend. She's met a wonderful guy. Because of semi-lockdown, there are crowd size limits, which they're sticking to. Here's the kicker: she tripped last week and broke her wrist and leg. She's now rocking a cast on one hand and a moon boot!
They're not postponing though. So, she'll be hobbling down the aisle on her son's arm, grinning from ear to ear. She's 78, and her soon-to-be husband is 82.
42. Unsupervised Minor
I'm tying the knot in less than two weeks. My future mother-in-law hasn't really taken part in any wedding prep or attended my bridal shower. Yesterday, my fiancé and I dropped by their place and his younger sister, who's 13, showed him her wedding outfit—a super bright white dress. My own wedding dress isn't even that white.
Honestly, I don't blame the kid because she probably doesn't know the no-white rule at weddings, but it bugs me that my mother-in-law didn't guide her to choose a different dress color. I just wish she'd asked me if it was okay. I might have said yes. It just feels bad that she didn't think to ask my opinion.
I'm not going to ask her to change the dress now, but I can't help but feel annoyed. Is it wrong for me to feel this way?
43. The Bait And Switch
So, me and my partner are getting ready for our wedding. Three years back, I moved to be five hours away from my family to live with them. When we planned the wedding, it was intended to be half way between our families, but my family said they're happy to travel and it's cool if the wedding's at our place.
I was pretty happy about their flexibility, which made other parts of the planning easier. But drama came up when we were planning the rehearsal dinner. Me and my partner like to keep things lowkey, but we've invited extended family and some family friends to the wedding, adding up to around 70 guests.
We were all good with that, and were planning to have a smaller, core group of 30 people for the rehearsal dinner, but when I mentioned this to my family, my mom and step-dad's reaction came as a shock. They were not cool with it. They insisted I should invite everyone coming in from our state, saying they're flying and booking hotels just to be at my wedding, so they should also be at the rehearsal dinner.
They said it's like a destination wedding for my family and wouldn't let it go until I gave in. When I told my partner, they got mad because the rehearsal dinner was the one intimate thing we planned to have with our close friends. They think it's not fair to only invite half the guests, and since we've done the 5-hour drive, stayed in a hotel and driven back the next day before, there's no need for everyone to come in two days early.
44. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
I'm wondering if I should ask my bestie to step back from being my maid of honor or am I just freaking out. My wedding's in five months and we've had some problems. The first issue was when we went to shop for my wedding dress.
I'd planned the shopping trip way ahead, only had room for three people, so my mom, sis and my bestie got the spots. But she bailed an hour before because she was beefing with her boyfriend.
Despite that, I asked her to come and use the trip as a distraction but she still said no. On top of that, she's never asked me about that day and if I found a dress. The next drama came up during the bridesmaids' dress shopping day.
She had to skip that day because she was going through some tough times. I tried to ask about it and even checked up on her later, but she brushed it off saying she's fine. She's also been picky about what she'll wear to the wedding.
I gave all the girls free reign to pick their dress style, the only rule was it had to be the same color. But she wanted to dictate her own outfit because she's the maid of honor. I finally shared with her that I felt like she didn't want to participate in the wedding and that it was okay to step back. But she insisted she wanted in, even though her actions say the opposite.
Even after our chat, she's still been out of touch. She promised to plan something special for me but I found out she hasn't and my other bridesmaids are planning my bridal shower and bachelorette party without her help.
I never expected her to do any of this but would love it if she was there for the important stuff. I just don't get why she'd lie about it.
45. Rubbing It In
Last Saturday, my sis tied the knot. It was chaos. She'd spent the whole year talking about it, stressing instead of being excited. I've never been into large weddings, and this just proved why.
My hubby and I had a low-key ceremony with only our closest folks (like 25 max), followed by a slightly bigger party. No planning stress, no fear of anything not going perfect. Just us, celebrating our love with our favorite people.
My sis's wedding was the exact opposite. It was over the top. The guest list was huge and to top it off, she allowed kids. Imagine 200+ adults and a squad of kids, meant to be a peaceful setting, and if you're not panicking, hats off. I hate to say it, but I knew it was doomed.
You can't plan a precision timeline while juggling that level of madness. No intimacy, no personal touch. It looked like she was inviting long-lost acquaintances just to pack the venue. She was clearly trying to impress someone—but who, I have no clue.
All of us siblings are of similar means, but just 'cause you can afford it, doesn't mean you should splurge. My husband and I just wanted to scram right after the ceremony but we grinned and bore it. Predictably, sis broke down at some point.
I got pulled into the comforting gig and asked her if it was worth it—all the planning, stress, and dough. My mom snapped at me, saying I'd been rude and negative all day and that it was wrong of me to have asked such a question. I haven't spoken to either of them since.
46. Cry Uncle
My mom has heaps of siblings, four sisters and five brothers to be exact. Despite being adopted, she invited all of them to our five-day wedding. So Uncle Vincent, as we'll call him, shows up on day two acting slightly off, like he doesn't even recognize my future husband, Bill.
So we head downstairs a few hours later, all dolled up and ready to kick start this party. We greet everyone, and my mom reintroduces Bill to Vincent. Red-faced, he admits he didn't think we'd recognize him.
Later, during an outdoor earth prayer, I overheard Vincent griping to the priest that the women in our family can't do anything right. This trend continued at the Turmeric ceremony, where he started loudly criticizing us for supposedly doing things wrong—like he's the expert! Even worse, while putting turmeric on me, he pretty much whacked me, citing some mantra he claimed would save my marriage from our family's ignorance.
All my cousins got roles in the wedding, charted by my super close sisters and me. Saturday, my enormous Indian lehenga made Vincent publicly call me fat—even while my sister was doing my hair. His outburst wasn't well received, especially by my twin's fiancée who confronted him. The drama didn't stop there, as Vincent then bragged about his wealth and made nasty comments about my mom.
Post-Hindu ceremony, Vincent pulled my mom aside to complain that his kids weren't personally invited. He even took over our group photo, yelling at me to smile. The pressure made me faint in the middle of my panic attack, after a mere two hours of sleep.
Even though he confessed to being the black sheep, the priest put him in his place. He surely wouldn't have been invited, had this already been the case!
But the cherry on top? He pocketed several wedding favors meant for late guests. Then, he announced he wouldn't stick around for the Humanist wedding because he's 'overly religious'. Makes no sense to me.
This is the same guy now regretting not bringing his family to my wedding. And guess what? He plans to bring them to my twin's wedding. Can't wait.
I just don't get how to handle folks like Vincent. Wish he had just stayed home. Honestly, he always rubs me the wrong way.
47. Mean Girl
My fiancé's sister is causing some major headaches. At first, she seemed really cool, but folks warned me she tends to turn nasty, and boy, did she! Even my fiancé cautioned me about her.
The stink-eye, trash-talking my accent, and ignoring me constantly became her thing. She soon started dissing my family too, which was pretty low. The final straw? That was when she shut the door on me while I was carrying groceries. No chill.
I tried not to snap for the sake of her folks, who I get on great with. But, at a family dinner, when we were talking about our upcoming wedding, she lost it. She acted like she had control over the guest list and when I contested it, she rudely claimed her folks were paying for our wedding, which wasn't true at all.
This was bad enough, but she then stated we were only having the wedding in Cabo because of my dad's visa situation which really rubbed me the wrong way. So I busted, causing a big fight and we've been avoiding her since.
Our wedding's in five months and she’ll be there, largely because we didn't fancy a tif with my future parents-in-law. But with her ability to stir up drama, we don't want her around. And oh boy, we've booked a villa for a week where both families will stay together, so there's no avoiding her.
Mother-in-law has suggested a truce-talk, but we know that it's ignoring the certainty of a squabble. So, really don't know if I want to deal with all of that.
48. Betty Vs. Veronica
Background: I was raised in a posh neighborhood with a lot of social competition. I was chill friends with 'Betty', who lived in one of the simpler houses. Her folks, Kathy and Ken were down-to-earth; mum was a nurse and dad a mechanic.
These folks were laid back and frugal, so, they did lots of DIY which was viewed as tacky by our standards. Later, Betty and I ended up coworkers and became tight. Betty gets engaged to 'Bob', a guy from our old neighborhood.
Though I didn't know Bob growing up, he turned out to be a pretty cool dude which was a surprise since his family was all about keeping up with the Joneses.
His mum 'Veronica' was wannabe neighborhood royalty. Even my own mum who was into that stuff thought Veronica was too much. Betty and Bob wanted a chill, low-budget wedding but Veronica insisted on a big one which she and Bob's dad 'Vernon' would pay for.
Betty and Bob agreed but refused to let Betty's parents chip in. The wedding invites and travel plans were the only things left up to them. Veronica doubted their abilities, hoping the cars they'd arrange would be 'decent'.
Veronica went all out with wedding planning- it had to be perfect. The venue was fancy, the food was a sit-down affair, the decorations were over the top, and even the pool was turned into a dance floor.
Throughout, Veronica snobbishly noted that Ken and Kathy weren't adding to the cash pool, but in a sly way. I heard these comments on multiple occasions as I was Betty's support system through the wedding planning.
Wedding day: Despite Veronica's interfering, the photos turned out awesome. The ceremony went smoothly too. Then, the cars rolled in for the bridal party—all classic convertibles in mint condition. Everyone was impressed.
We learned three of the cars were Ken's which shocked Veronica. At the reception, Veronica met some affluent figures from Betty's side which made her uncomfortable. Eventually, she crosses paths and words with Betty's brother 'Karl'.
Tipsy and still salty about losing face, she starts ranting to Karl about how Ken and Kathy should have contributed more. Karl, quick to respond, simply says, "They probably felt the house was enough".
Turns out, Ken and Kathy gave Betty and Bob a house worth easily three-quarters of a million. They didn't see a point in wasting money on a big wedding, especially when the couple didn't even want it.
Needless to say, word quickly spread of their gift. Veronica spent the rest of the evening forcing a smile, clearly irritated. She still gets that look when the wedding is brought up.
49. Say Yes To The Dress And No To The Man
My fiancé and I are tying the knot soon. So far, planning's been alright, except a few disagreements over things like the venue and flower girl. But now, we're stuck on my wedding dress issue.
I've always pictured myself in a gorgeous wedding gown, and I can afford one. However, my man thinks spending a bunch on a one-off dress isn't right. Sure, he has a point, but wedding gowns typically cost that much.
Also, isn't your wedding a once-in-a-lifetime event worthy of the extra splurge? He still wasn't buying it and suggested renting a gown. He even accused me of not being careful with cash, mentioning my expense on makeup and hair extensions.
I believe it's my call to decide my look on our day. Despite his disagreement, I bought the dress. But, I was heartbroken to find it absent from my closet the next day. He admitted he returned it, citing the price was insane, and asked me to rent one instead.
I lost my temper—a first for me. He took a step back, saying there's no "I'm paying" in a marriage, and my behavior could hint at future problems. He pointed out his fears of me expecting him to foot all bills while I blow my cash (even though I never meddle in his finances).
I told him he has no business dictating my spending. He told me to grow up and let go of the "dream dress" idea then stormed off to rant to his mom. She berated me too, worried that my money habits could wreck her son's finances.
She suggested renting or opting for a cheaper dress—something I couldn't agree to.
50. You Can’t Have Your Cake And Eat It Too
My buddy Cassie was going nuts over my cakes, and asked me to whip up eight for her wedding last year. She wanted one-tier cakes as table decorations, which was super cool! She didn't want a crazy design, and I was all in—totally excited!
Fast forward to January, and she's hankering for three-tier cakes with way more decoration than I can handle. I'm busy and don’t have time to learn advanced cake art, but handling the one-tier cakes seemed doable.
When I mentioned I couldn't do the tricky decoration, I tried to meet her halfway. I said I could manage simpler three-tier cakes or connect her with a pro baker friend who could get what she imagined done at a fair price. But boom! She loses it, claims I'm ruining her wedding, and gets her friends to send some pretty harsh messages my way.
This bruised me big time, so I backed out of the cake deal and she went off on me. We didn't talk for a while. Out of the blue, she contacts me again asking me to make the cakes like nothing happened. If I don't, I'm a terrible friend, she said. Naturally, I said no, and she tore into me again.
I ended up texting her fiancé, Adam, some screenshots, asking him to talk to her. He apologized and shocked me with some news—she'd done this to another pal before. Apparently, this was his breaking point and he was going to call off the wedding until they sorted things out in counseling.
I thought that was that, but then Cassie and her crew started throwing threats my way. Totally miserable experience.
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