It’s understandable if on a wedding day, the bride is a bit late to walk down the aisle… In fact, it’s almost expected that the bride will be fashionably late to make her big entrance!
Though, what isn’t okay is when the groom’s chronically late parents walk into the ceremony half an hour late, griping they missed the vows.
This is what happened to an online user, who shared his story on Reddit, explaining that his parents blasted him for being disrespectful and not waiting for them to arrive before making his vows.
One online user looked for advice from the Reddit community on a post he titles “AITA [Am I the A*****e] for Starting My Wedding on Time?”
The original poster [OP] starts explaining that his parents are habitually late for everything and refuse to consider the impact their tardiness has on others involved.
He writes, “They do not care how disrespectful it is to everyone else. My older siblings have adjusted to this by planning all kinds of slack into their schedules.”
The OP then shares that being late for their children’s weddings is not unusual, but more so expected. “Our parents showed up late to both of [siblings] weddings but that had been accounted for, so they were able to participate in the weddings as planned.” He continues, “The same goes for family get togethers that are hosted by anyone other than my parents.”
Unlike his siblings, who “plan for them to be late,” the newlywed said that since his tardy parents were late for his high school graduation, he told them he “would NEVER wait for them for any event that I had power over.”
And now, he refuses to revise his schedules to suit their self-serving arrivals. Serving as evidence to this, the OP shares, “When my wife and I hosted our first thanksgiving after we bought our home, we started eating on time. My parents showed up late after visiting with other family and were surprised to see us all laying around in tryptophan comas.”
The special day
In mid-November, the OP exchanged vows with his now wife, in a perfect ceremony where he previously named a backup to replace his mother for the candle-lighting.
“My parents showed up 3/4 of the way through the ceremony and ended up sitting at the back of the church. They kept everything in during the receiving line and the formals. But they let me have it afterwards and before the reception.” He continues, “They were very disappointed that they did not get to participate in the ceremony and that they missed so much of it.”
Defending himself from his irrational mother and father, he asked them to show him the invitation, which had the start time clearly inked.
He shares, “They did not have it with them so I pulled out the one I had ready for this. I showed them the time on the invitation. I asked them what time they showed up. They said that they were only five minutes late…”
But they weren’t just five minutes late.
Their attempts at twisting the situation in their favor backfired when the results of the man’s clever plan was revealed.
Familiar with his parent’s excuses, the OP had a friend, ready to snap images of the two as they entered the church. His friend then sent him the photos via text and email, allowing him the defence he needed.
“I pulled up my text messages and my email. Both provided a time stamp of when they showed up 35 minutes late.” He continues explaining that despite confirming their very late arrival, his parents kept resisting and insisted they were the victims. “They said that if I knew they were going to be late that I should have planned for it like my siblings…I told them that my siblings could coddle them all they wanted but to enjoy their time with me they had better learn to be punctual.”
He adds, “They said I was disrespectful and if I did not like their behavior that was entirely my problem. I agreed and said I would be handling all my time with them the exact same way.”
Online users eagerly offered their support to the OP, applauding him for standing up to his “control freak” parents.
“If they want to be late for a play, or [doctors] appointment, or whatever, that’s on them. If they were going to be on time for even one thing, you’d think it was their child’s wedding. This is on them,” writes one.
Another calls the parents “control freaks” who are “trying to control everyone and everything with this behavior…Cheers to OP for refusing to bow to their tactics. I bet they burnt with rage They can’t control you…well done.”
Meanwhile other netizens say its customary for the parents to be at a wedding long before it starts to support the bride and groom as they move onto the next phase of their lives.
One infonaut writes, “Just to add that if they showed up 35 minutes after it started, I would argue they were at least 50 minutes late (if not more). Who shows up to their child’s wedding right on the start time?”
Another internet user, who’s shocked that parents would miss out on time with their son on his wedding day, shares “It’s them missing being with their son while he was getting ready. Or spending time with him between when he was done getting ready and the start of the ceremony. Or being on hand to greet family and friends as they arrived, or even just guests in general.” The post continues, “It’s them missing out on being there to be involved with, to experience, as much of the day as possible. (Side-note: I wonder if they even realize how much they might have actually missed out on).”
We also wonder how many more things these parents have actually missed out on?
What do you think of this story? Please share it with your friends so we can hear what they have to say!
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