Weddings have a way of heightening family rifts and creating all kinds of other drama. What's meant to be a special day for the happy couple, along with friends and family, can quickly turn into something that's unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
A Redditor recently shared her frustrations with her two half-sisters who skipped out on her wedding. When the full story was revealed, she looked more than a little bit like a full-blown bridezilla.
RSVPs are a common part of social etiquette, and most people probably agree that they should be honored. Especially when it comes to events that involve catering and assigned seating like a wedding, it can come off as rude if someone says they'll show up and then bail at the last minute.
This question, taken at face value, seems reasonable. I mean, it is rude to bail on a wedding after RSVPing your intent to attend. Before rendering any kind of judgment, though, we need to delve further into this story.
There's no particular animosity, they're just not close.
Both of OP's sisters, Molly and Mary, said they'd be at the wedding. "Literally a couple days before the wedding Mary calls and says neither her nor Molly will be attending."
OP was more than a little bit annoyed because, with two people and their plus-ones bailing, it meant four people would be missing. This is the sort of thing that can affect table arrangements and catering.
The big question, though: did Molly and Mary have a good reason for not attending?
"Mary did sound apologetic and she explained it to me, detailing a 'traumatic situation' Molly's going through," wrote OP — and yes, she did include those air quotes.
In short, Molly was going through some emotional trauma that OP was dismissive of, and Mary was staying with Molly and their mom to provide support.
OP asked Molly and Mary to show up to the wedding "for a while," but Mary said it wasn't possible. Things escalated into an argument, Mary said OP was selfish, and OP went to other family members for support. After sharing her story, she received "mixed reactions."
OP's story is 268 words long, but she doesn't actually explain what the "traumatic situation" is. When pressed for more details by Reddit commenters, she revealed some info she probably should have included all along: "Molly's boyfriend passed away in [an] accident a few weeks before the wedding."
As of the time of publication, this comment had a breathtaking 4,236 downvotes.
You can probably already guess where this one's going.
"It is not a traumatic situation. It is THE traumatic situation," wrote one Redditor. "How could you expect them to attend? Good lord. What the spit is wrong with you?"
"Oh how convenient that you left out the part where a man died," summed up another.
"Was he her +1?" asked another Redditor. "So then one of the four people you're upset about not coming is in fact going to miss it because he's dead?"
It's worth checking out the responses to OP's big reveal, because they go on and on and on.
Aside from the original story and two brief comments (one with the whole tragic death reveal), OP hasn't said anything. She wanted to know whether she was the jerk in this situation, and she got her answer: a resounding yes.
Whether OP was a jerk or not is not really up for debate, so let's discuss what she could have done better. How would you have handled this if it was your wedding? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments.
