A soon-to-be-bride took to the online forum Reddit to seek advice after a heated confrontation with her aunt and mother over hurtful comments made during her bridal gown fitting.
The bride shared her dilemma on the popular platform, recounting the hurtful comments made by her aunt and mother. According to the post, the bride had chosen to have her wedding dress specially designed by a close friend to accommodate her pregnancy. The personalised gown was intended to make her feel comfortable and beautiful on her big day.
However, the joyous occasion turned sour when the bride overheard her aunt and mother making derogatory comments about the dress during the fitting.
“Alright, I really need to know whether I’ve turned into bridezilla, if hormones are causing me to be overly senstive, or if I’m just an AH,” she began.
“So my fiancé (23M) and I (22F) are getting married in a few weeks. We’ve been together since high school, and last year he proposed to me. Since then we’ve been taking our time planning our wedding, and managed to book a pretty popular venue that we are both really excited for. My best friend since middle school (Abby 22F) has designed and made a custom wedding dress for me, which looks absolutely stunning and I couldn’t be happier with it.
“Now a few months ago I discovered I was pregnant. It came as a surprise but we’re both really happy about it. With the wedding already having been planned however, I’ll definitely be showing quite a bit during my wedding. Abby has been working on modifying the dress so I’d still be able to wear it (she’s the best honestly!).
“Last weekend I had a fitting for the dress and my mom and aunt accompanied me. After I put on the dress, I was so happy because it looked amazing! It doesn’t try to hide my pregnancy belly, but it made everything look so elegant. My mom and aunt started laughing though, saying I look ridiculous and that it’d be better to postpone the wedding until after I give birth.
“Besides the fact that postponing the wedding means we’ll have to wait at least another year because the venue is so popular and pretty much always booked, I thought I looked beautiful so their comments really hurt me. It really hurt Abby as well as she’d been working so hard on the dress.
“I told my mom and aunt that they’re being incredibly rude and that they’re not welcome at my wedding unless they apologize, but they responded by saying I’m overreacting and that I need to learn to take a joke. They’re just trying to make sure I have the perfect wedding that I won’t regret later, and that my pregnancy hormones are making me make bad decisions.
“I sent them away at that point to finish the fitting without them, but now I’m really doubting myself whether I really was overreacting. AITA?”
The Reddit community rallied behind the distraught bride, offering words of support, encouragement, and sage advice.
Many users commended her for setting boundaries and prioritising her own happiness during what should be a joyous occasion.
“They were way out of line! Expressing yourself assertively as you did and having them leave the fitting was completely appropriate. However, disinviting them from the wedding is likely something you’ll regret in the future. You are under an incredible amount of stress, so it’s very understandable. If it is important enough for them to attend your wedding, they need to apologize. What they said hurt you regardless of their intent and you deserve an apology,” one user claimed.
While another sugested going “ahead with the wedding without them”.
“You feel beautiful in the dress that’s all that matters. Their presence may cause you to doubt yourself and will keep you on edge just waiting to see what they’d do to embarrass you,” they added.
“The only correct response to a final wedding dress fitting is “you look beautiful,” suggested another.
While one user explained that “minor changes” can be made to a dress if “something still doesn’t look quite right” it’s never acceptable to “tell the bride they ‘look ridiculous'”.
“That is so far beyond the bounds of civility that I’d assume a person who said those things to you is a sworn enemy. To have that come from your family? I can’t imagine how painful that was,” the user added.
Another sympathetic user suggested having them explain why the comments were so funny to “see how that goes”.
Whether the bride will stand firm in her decision or ultimately extend an olive branch to her estranged relatives remains to be seen. One thing is certain: this wedding has become more than just a celebration of love; it’s now a symbol of resilience in the face of family drama and societal expectations.