Mother buys white dress for bride's sister to wear on wedding day, issues ultimatum

A distressed bride has turned to Reddit for help after questioning her decision to control what her disabled younger sister wore to her wedding.

Her choice even provoked an ultimatum from her mother, but comments from Redditors were both empathetic and supportive.

The woman in question had two sisters, Amy and Abbie, aged 21 and 17, respectively. Abbie had been living with a severe mental disability that had a significant impact on their lives.

With her wedding just two months away, the woman had requested all her bridesmaids to wear purple, a choice that initially raised questions from Abbie.

The woman attempted to accommodate Abbie’s preferences by suggesting she choose her own dress, given her hectic wedding planning schedule. She gave her mother the task of helping Abbie purchase a dress, giving her a budget of $200. However, she was in for a surprise when she received a photo of Abbie in a wedding dress chosen by her mother.

Startled by the selection, the woman ask about the dress and told her mother that she was a bit concerned. She clarified to her mother that she had explicitly advised everyone that they weren’t to wear white to the wedding. She suggested selecting the same dress in purple for Abbie, saying that her sister wearing white to her wedding was not acceptable to her.

Her mother’s response to this was both unexpected and confrontational. She was deeply upset and explained that she had told Abbie to wear whatever she pleased, and Abbie had chosen the white dress. The woman stood her ground on the matter, telling her mother that Abbie should not be treated differently from her other sister simply because of her disability.

The situation escalated further when the mother issued an ultimatum: Abbie would wear the dress of her choosing, or they both would boycott the wedding. The woman, taken aback by the extreme reaction over a dress, agreed to mull it over. She questioned her decision and turned to Reddit for guidance, wondering what others thought.

The responses from the online community largely supported her position, with many deeming her mother’s actions unreasonable.

“Why did your Mother even let her try on a wedding dress? She should have only had purple dresses shown and now is just pulling a power move. You should tell them you’re sorry they will miss your wedding and leave it at that,” one person wrote. “If you don’t engage in the argument it will either make her buy a new dress for your sister or show you how important you really are to them. I hope they buy an appropriate dress and you have the day you dream of.”

Someone else added: “Talk to Abbie directly herself, without your mother going in-between. Tell her you want to let her know how women wearing white to other people’s weddings are perceived. They look like they are attention seeking and pathetic. You want to save her from that. Lots of evidence of that in social media to help.”

What would you do in this situation? Let us know in the comments!