Woman sends list of rules to wedding guests

Every bride dreams of the perfect wedding day, where everything goes off without a hitch. From the dress and venue to catering and more, it’s a delicate dance of preparation and expectation. But as we all know, not everything is within our control.

Our bride-to-be, determined to have a flawless wedding, took a unique approach: setting down some ground rules for her guests. It was an idea she believed would ensure her special day remained pristine. So, she took to Reddit, specifically the ‘Am I The Asshole’ (or ‘AITAH’) subreddit, to pose a burning question: was she going too far?

The bride shared in her post that she and her fiancé had sent out a list of rules to their guests, which quickly led to a wave of cancellations. She made it clear from the start that these rules were not solely her doing. Her fiancé was equally involved and fully supportive of each and every regulation.

So, what were these rules that caused such a stir? Let’s dive in.

First on the list: an ‘unplugged’ ceremony. The couple requested that guests leave their phones behind during the ceremony and the subsequent dinner, unless there was a dire emergency. While guests were generally okay with not using phones during the ceremony, the no-phone-during-dinner rule raised some eyebrows. Parents who needed to check on their children, for instance, felt this was a bridge too far. The bride dismissed these concerns, stating, “Checking with your kids is not an emergency. If something serious happens, you’ll know.”

Next up was the dress code. The couple insisted on a strict all-black color scheme. Women were to wear dresses, and men needed to don tuxedos. No exceptions. This rule didn’t sit well with everyone. The bride’s aunt, who had recently emerged from a grieving period involving a lot of black clothing, found the mandate depressing. Her future sister-in-law, dealing with body dysmorphia and more comfortable in pants, was similarly upset but was still not granted any leeway.

Perhaps the most controversial rule was directed at the bridesmaids. They were instructed to maintain their current weight, whether that meant eating less or more.

This did not go down well. The bride’s mother was furious, asserting that the wedding was doomed from the start. Bridesmaids threatened to drop out, and guest cancellations began to pour in.

Then there was the issue of the flower girl. The maid of honor’s daughter was initially set to fill this role. However, when the bride asked the maid of honor to leave her daughter at a hotel with a babysitter during the ceremony, everything unraveled. The maid of honor refused and decided to leave her daughter with her own mother instead, as the wedding venue was a four-hour drive away.

In spite of her attempts to justify the rules, the feedback was almost unanimously against the bride and her fiancé. Commenters on Reddit pointed out that while the couple had every right to their preferences, guests equally had the right to decline the invitation.

As one might expect, the general consensus was clear: the couple’s demands were far from reasonable.