A French woman took to Reddit to find out if she was wrong for uninviting her aunt from her post-wedding celebrations, even though her aunt had traveled across the world to attend the event.
A hot air balloons flying over the African Savanna | Source: Shutterstock
A French bride, marrying her South African husband, found herself in a challenging situation with her aunt on her wedding weekend. The couple had meticulously planned a small, intimate wedding in a private savanna reserve in South Africa, inviting only 30 people, including 13 guests from France.
They wanted to ensure that only their closest and most loved people attended the ceremony and the pool party the next day. The bride and groom rented a lodge where some of their guests would be staying for the weekend. The lodge accommodated 10 people.
A woman relaxing at a safari lodge with a giraffe in the background | Source: Shutterstock
The bride, in a gesture of extending an olive branch, invited an aunt with whom she had not spoken for eight years, hoping to mend past differences. This decision was made despite the wedding’s intimate nature, which did not allow for plus-ones. The bride told her aunt that although she was invited, her husband and child were not, since the couple did not know them. However, there were many people at the wedding with whom the aunt would feel comfortable as they were family members.
The aunt’s insistence on bringing her family led to a year-long campaign from both the aunt and the bride’s mother, which the bride resisted, emphasizing the personal and intimate nature of the ceremony. Despite this, the bride’s aunt did as she pleased when the wedding came.
Two passports with plane tickets and a plane figurine | Source: Shutterstock
The bride’s aunt booked tickets for not only herself but also her family, saying that because other guests had RSVP’d saying they weren’t coming, there was space for her husband and child. The bride was shocked, but offered a compromise, allowing the aunt’s family to attend the pool party the day after the wedding but not the ceremony itself.
On the wedding day, the aunt was present at the ceremony but disappeared for a short time when the bride and her husband went to take photos in the savanna. When she returned for the wedding dinner, the aunt brought her family to the wedding venue, leading to a confrontation. The bride, not knowing how to react at first, politely greeted her aunt’s family.
The incident at the wedding dinner, where the bride’s mother and grandmother suggested that the extra chairs and food could accommodate the uninvited guests, left the bride in a further predicament. The bride’s sister supported her and told the aunt and her family that there were no more chairs as some were broken.
The aunt, who was meant to stay for dinner, declined and left the wedding with her family but said she would be back the following day for the pool party. The bride was shocked and told her aunt that there had been a change of plans and that she was no longer invited to the pool party the next day.
A mother of the bride holding a bouquet and showing a time out sign | Source: Shutterstock
The bride’s mom was angry and told her daughter that she had to invite her aunt. At this point, the bride kindly reminded her mother that she and her new husband had paid for the wedding and that her mother had no right to tell her who should be invited to the festivities.
The woman said that although her mother was upset and even screamed at her, she stood her ground and would not allow her aunt to join them at the pool party the next day. The bride didn’t know if she had reacted too harshly to the situation, so she asked netizens if she was wrong for doing this to her aunt under the circumstances.
An angry bride pointing outside the frame | Source: Shutterstock
The bride received mixed reactions on her post. One person said the bride was wrong for inviting her aunt but not allowing her to bring her family, especially since the wedding was in a different country. Another commenter said, “You sound exhausting and entitled,” further commenting that they were surprised any of the bride’s guests had arrived.
Some felt that everyone was wrong in this situation: the bride for not allowing plus ones to her destination wedding, which might have been some people’s only chance for a family vacation, and the aunt for not declining the invite if she didn’t agree to the terms.
Some thought the bride was justified in her actions. One person suggested that the bride’s mother and aunt had carefully planned to make her out to be the villain. Another commenter said the woman was right for having stood up for herself, adding that the aunt’s family could have stayed at the lodge during the wedding and only come out the next day for the pool party.
Some people could not believe the bride’s mother’s actions, saying the bride’s sister was her only ally in this entire situation. The commenter hoped the bride did not have to endure her aunt or mother’s company at the pool party the next day.