Weddings should be incredibly happy occasions that celebrate the love between two people… the problem is, they’re potential drama minefields as well. Arguments between family members can appear like a bolt from the blue and you’re stuck standing there, jaw on the floor, wondering what just happened and why most of your family will no longer be attending the ceremony.
A 33-year-old bride-to-be, who plans to get married to the love of her life Derek in October, took to Reddit to ask for opinions about how she handled a very sensitive situation with her brother and her nephew, who is a miracle baby. She was planning on a wedding without any children in attendance at all, however, her entire family “lost it” when she didn’t invite her 4-year-old nephew, her brother’s son, as an exception.
The redditor explained that her nephew is a “rainbow baby,” having been born to her brother and his wife after she suffered several painful miscarriages. According to her, that’s why he’s given special treatment and allowed to misbehave as much as he wants. You’ll find the full story below, dear Pandas. It’s a complicated, emotional situation, so be sure to share your opinion about who you think is right and who was being insensitive in this case.
A bride-to-be sparked a lot of family drama when she refused to make an exception for her nephew who is a "rainbow baby"
Image credits: Jeremy Wong (not the actual photo)
Here's exactly what happened
The bride-to-be explained that it would have been hypocritical of her to invite only her nephew while she’s already had to ask all of her friends to keep their children at home for the wedding.
However, her family didn’t take kindly to this logic and thought that her nephew should still be an exception because of the circumstances of his birth. That’s when the ultimatums started flying. Her brother, Paul, said that he won’t be attending the ceremony. Then her parents and later her aunt and uncle pulled out, too.
The redditor added a bit of extra info about how her brother behaves whenever she points out that not everyone can cater to him and his son. Paul would accuse her of being jealous because she still doesn’t have any children herself.
The bride-to-be added that she’d previously been married but divorced her husband over his inability to have children, so it’s a very sensitive issue for her. An issue that her brother doesn’t appear to mind poking and prodding to get his own way. What do you think about what happened, Readers? How would you have handled the situation?
If you do plan on allowing your guests to bring children to your wedding, then it’s best to leave the childcare to an accredited professional babysitter, not one of the guests. “Ultimately, if something goes wrong, you cannot have the responsibility fall on the shoulders of someone not properly qualified or paid for the task. There are many professional wedding childcare options available—it’s important not to cut costs when it comes to providing the personal care of children and minors. You could be legally liable and it’s just not worth the risk,” Anna and Sarah from The Wedding Society told Bored Panda earlier.
“For guests, the standard (and best) etiquette these days is definitely to respect the wishes of the marrying couple when it comes to children at weddings, whether it be that kids of a certain age are welcome, only specific children of a few family and friends, or no kids at all,” they said what the general etiquette is like.
“Please don’t take the inclusion or exclusion of your little ones personally (especially if the couple don’t have kids of their own to fully understand your situation) and remember—as nice as it is to bring your babes along to the celebration, it’s also an awesome opportunity for a fun night off if you’re asked to leave them with a sitter!”
This is what internet users thought about the complicated situation
