It’s a common rule in many Western countries that wearing a white dress to a wedding is a huge faux pas. Unless the bride-to-be invites guests to don white gowns or specifies that she’ll be wearing another color, it’s best to steer clear of white, eggshell, off-white, cream and ivory.
But according to one bride, friends and family must start to avoid the color weeks before her special day. Below, you’ll find a saga that occurred after one woman had the audacity to wear a white dress to her own birthday party. Now, she’s reaching out to Reddit and wondering if she’s the cause of the subsequent family drama that ensued.
This woman wore a fabulous white gown to her 40th birthday party
Image credits: maxbelchenko (not the actual photo)
But not everyone loved the dress, as her soon-to-be sister-in-law took it as a personal attack
Image credits: [deleted]
Later, the woman shared a photo of the dress she wore to her birthday party
Image credits: cocoandlola.com
She also included a photo of the dress she planned on wearing to the wedding
Image credits: thereformation.com
Readers were quick to assure the woman she did nothing wrong, calling out her sister-in-law for being unreasonable
The woman also shared an update the next day, detailing her sister-in-law’s latest demands
Image credits: voronaman111 (not the actual photo)
Image credits: [deleted]
Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for a bride to develop a sense of entitlement as her wedding approaches
There’s no question that planning a wedding is stressful. There can be a million moving pieces to coordinate, tens of thousands of dollars in costs, dozens of guests to invite and pressure to ensure that it’s the happiest day of the bride and groom’s life. A whopping 96% of engaged couples admit that wedding planning is stressful, and along with stress often comes less than perfect behavior.
And while the term “bridezilla” can be a bit cruel and unfair to brides who simply want their days to be magical, there are some brides-to-be who need a friendly reminder to be kind and considerate while wedding planning, or no one will be excited to attend the big event anyway. Afa Rose explains on their site that unreasonable brides often have unrealistic expectations, develop a sense of entitlement, are closed-minded, have a habit of micromanaging, and aren’t great at regulating their stress.
But thankfully, there are ways to combat turning into a bride whose friends and family members dread attending their wedding. The White Sparrow Barn recommends that brides focus on what really matters and avoid sweating the small stuff. Taking deep breaths can always be helpful, and brides shouldn’t be afraid to delegate tasks to allow themselves some free time. Having a sense of humor and focusing on enjoying the journey is also wise, as you’ll hopefully only be getting married once.
Uninviting guests from a wedding is never ideal, but sometimes it is necessary
While wedding planning doesn’t always go according to plan, there may come a time when a bride and groom-to-be decide to uninvite certain guests from their celebration. But contrary to what the bride in this story may believe, this does not need to be done in a dramatic and hurtful way. While it may cause some tension, The Knot notes on their site that there are sometimes valid reasons for bringing this bad news to potential guests.
Attendees may sometimes need to be uninvited due to a disaster, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. If it’s a risk for more guests, or older guests, to attend, it might be worth it to cut down on the guest list. Bride & Groom Direct also notes that guests may lose their invitations after displaying toxic behavior, having a falling out with the couple, if they may cause drama at the wedding, or if the couple suddenly hits a financial rough patch where they can no longer afford as many attendees.
When it comes to informing a guest of your decision to uninvite them, The Knot recommends meeting with them in person to explain the situation and choosing words very carefully to try to salvage the relationship. And to prevent this altogether, it’s wise for brides and grooms to be particular about who gets an invitation in the first place; it’s better to add guests later on than to have to subtract.
Family drama can be difficult to avoid while wedding planning
The whole dress debacle that this woman detailed on Reddit snowballed into quite the dramatic saga. But unfortunately, it’s quite common for weddings and wedding planning to create conflicts within families. According to Stephen J. Betchen, DSW, some of the most common causes of family drama at weddings are the fact that change is happening, family members feeling a sense of loss, guilt, anger, envy and/or ambivalence.
And while it can be challenging to avoid all conflicts during a wedding, it’s important to remember that the occasion is supposed to be all about celebrating love. And you’re likely to have some regrets if your special day becomes overshadowed by bitterness.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever dealt with family drama like this surrounding a wedding? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article, we recommend reading this one discussing a teen who was uninvited from her own father’s wedding.
Again, readers called out the bride for creating unnecessary drama
