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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To tell friend she WBU over DB's wedding?

181 replies

ridiculouscaper · 09/05/2017 19:49

Have name changed, as the details might out me.

A bit long, sorry.

My friend is upset with me, and has told my DP that she wants an apology. DP thinks I should apologise, but I don't want to as I don't think I've done anything wrong.

Background: My friend, though lovely, can be a bit thin-skinned and high maintenance. She takes offence quite easily and has a tendency to create drama where there really isn't any need for it. She also has very fixed ideas about how social/family things should and should not be done, even when these supposed social conventions are unknown to the rest of us!

This issue all started with her twin brother's upcoming wedding. Her DB and his future DW have been together a long time. My friend has never really liked the bride, and has never made an effort to cultivate a friendship or anything like that. Fair enough, there's no rule to say you have to be friends with a relative's DP! My friend's DSis is fairly chummy with the bride, on the other hand. The bride has now asked the DSis (along with her own DSis and best friend) to be bridesmaid. My friend was livid when she found this out a few days ago.

She reckons she should be bridesmaid because she's his twin, and is upset because she won't be a part of the wedding party, and (apparently??) that means she won't be in any of the photos. I thought she was BU, and told her so, pointing out that her DSis is much closer to the bride, it's the bride's choice, and that it's the bride and groom's day, blah blah blah. I was fairly diplomatic, I think. She calmed down a bit during our conversation, and while she was still pissed off about not being bridesmaid, I thought that was the end of it.

Yesterday afternoon, she sent me a text asking if I could talk. I told her I was a bit busy with a work-related deadline but said she could ring if it was important, if not I could speak to her that evening. She phoned me immediately. Turns out she was still furious about not being bridesmaid, and after she spoke to me a few days ago she went and booked a two-week holiday starting the day before the wedding!! Unsurprisingly, her DB is upset that his twin sister won't be there. Her DD is upset that she is going to miss her uncle's wedding. Even her DM, who normally placates her no matter what, is upset.

I told her I thought she was bang out of order. She disagreed. The conversation ended up getting quite heated. She said she couldn't understand why her DB was upset she wouldn't be there "as it's not like I'm even going to be a part of the wedding". She said her DM should back her up over the bride, and said her DSis had "betrayed" her by agreeing to be bridesmaid without asking if she was going to be one first. Her family have asked her to change the dates of the holiday. She does not want to because she will lose her deposit.

I tried to be diplomatic at first, but the conversation went around in circles and I ended up losing it with her (partly because I thought she was being an arsehole, and also because I was a bit stressed with work). I told her I thought she had no reason to be upset at not being bridesmaid in the first place, and that she had obviously only booked the holiday in a tantrum because she wouldn't be a key part of the wedding. I told her I thought she was being childish, spiteful and attention-seeking, and that she was being unfair stressing her mum out (her DM is getting on a bit, and has been in very poor health recently). I also told her I had better shit to be doing than listening to her whinge about not being the bridesmaid of someone she doesn't like and has made no effort with. She ended up hanging up on me (she has form for that).

She met DP in town today at lunchtime, and told him she was very upset and had been crying all evening because of how I had spoken to her. She told him to tell me she expects an apology or she will consider our friendship over.

WIBU? DP reckons I should apologise to keep the peace, and because it might makes things awkward with mutual friends. I don't think I have anything to apologise for. Maybe I should have been a bit calmer saying it, but I still agree with what I said. I also reckon it'll blow over, as she has told other people that their friendships are over in the past only to be best pals again a fortnight later Grin

So, Mumsnetters? Should I apologise?

OP posts:
timeisnotaline · 09/05/2017 21:07

My husband had one of my 3 brothers as groomsman. Not the others because he wasn't good friends with them. Just like a normal person. For gods sake don't apologise - send that message if you feel , but as someone who does value their friendship you can't not tell her when she is just nuts. She needs to lose the deposit and attend the wedding.

MrsDesireeCarthorse · 09/05/2017 21:11

I was on your side until you callled her childish, spiteful and attention seeking and that you had better shit to be doing. Of course I agree with you but that had to hurt. I'd apologize for saying those things.

The OP should not apologise for telling the truth to someone that appallingly behaved.

ptumbi · 09/05/2017 21:15

DP reckons I should apologise to keep the peace, - i just want to say never ever apologise to 'keep the peace'. Never do anything you don't want to do, to 'keep the peace' - especially when your own peace has been ignored or compromised.

QuintessentialShadow · 09/05/2017 21:21

Why should you think about "peace" when your friend is going to war?

You have nothing to apologize for, she sounds unhinged.

NotHotDogMum · 09/05/2017 21:33

You could apologise for being harsh and upsetting her, but not take back what you actually meant. She is BU and sounds a bit high maintenance and bonkers.

Spectre8 · 09/05/2017 21:34

What is the point of being friends if you cann't talk honestly to them, it really annoys me when people want to be friends but want everything sugarcoated. YANBU

plominoagain · 09/05/2017 21:38

If she couldn't be arsed to get on with the bride in the first place , why on earth did she think she'd get to be a bridesmaid ? If I was the bride , I'd rather be spending wedding money on someone who seemed to at least like me . All that bridesmaid get up doesn't come cheap .

And no , the hell with apologising to her . She acted like a brat , got called out on it , and doesn't like it . Tough . She got the advice sh needed to hear . It just wasn't what she wanted to hear .

ChasedByBees · 09/05/2017 21:49

I think she needed a dose of reality.

Harree · 09/05/2017 21:55

You enjoy your friendship mostly. Sometimes it's just better to be happy than right, so I would apologise for the way you spoke to her & how it upset her & tell her that you should have stated your opinion a little more diplomatically so she still knows that you think she's being unreasonable

picklemepopcorn · 09/05/2017 21:57

I'd message her saying 'I'm sorry you are sad, I'd never want to hurt you. I'm worried that you are falling out with everyone who matters to you.'

Can she be the groom's side? One of his groomsmen?

Kokusai · 09/05/2017 21:58

I think I would drop her. Acting like that is gfjndementally opposed to the ideals I look for in friends.

Fishface77 · 09/05/2017 22:12

Yanbu op. She needed to hear the truth.
I do however, think the bride has been a bit of a cow. Yes you can choose your own bridesmaid but to have 1 sister and not the other? Especially the twin? That's making a point IMO. I am presuming there are only 2 sisters however.
I think weddings are family affairs and everyone should be involved however. Unless you friend has been particularly nasty to the bride, I would think the bride is making a nasty point.

thatorchidmoment · 09/05/2017 22:26

This sounds like an exaggerated version of my own drama-seeking sister. Everything must revolve around her and her unreasonable feelings, and if you unwittingly wound her by not paying her enough attention, you trigger a tempestuous tantrum, and must take back everything you said before she will 'forgive you' for her OWN terrible behaviour!

Sounds like she is having a strop because she will not be sharing the limelight. This ridiculous holiday booking is likely an attempt to get her DB and STBSiL to beg her to come to their wedding, and possibly even calculated to get her a bridesmaid's post to coax her into it!

I'm sure you expressed yourself heatedly, OP, but I'm glad you told her some home truths. The only things you should apologise for are any things you are actually sorry that you said, if you now regret them! Don't dare take back plain truths just because they have hurt her lickle feewings.

It says a lot more about her than anyone else in this tale that she is willing to miss her brother's wedding over such a trifle.

andintothefire · 09/05/2017 23:54

I agree with Fishface that it was a bit insensitive of the bride to ask one sister and not the twin of her husband-to-be to be part of the main wedding party. I wonder if perhaps your friend has good reason to dislike the bride if she behaves like that. I think it is slightly odd to leave a family member out like that, and would either have asked both or neither to be bridesmaid.

So yes, your friend has been massively unreasonable. But perhaps she is feeling very unsupported by all of her family over the situation, and is upset that her brother appears to be standing by while she is left out of the main wedding party. She may be feeling particularly sensitive and wanted a bit more sympathy from over the initial situation that arose.

Not a criticism of the OP at all - I think it is also appalling that your friend has booked a holiday and it is right to tell her so. I just wonder if the whole situation has escalated because of a lot of hurt feelings and I think it is very sad that so many people involved in the wedding have behaved quite selfishly.

Peanutandphoenix · 10/05/2017 00:00

No don't apologise the truth hurts and she needs to suck it up and stick her dummy back in her gob.

Adarajames · 10/05/2017 02:13

She may have been rather over dramatic in her response, but I also think it's rather unpleasant to have one sister for a bridesmaid and leave out the grooms twin! I'd've been devestated if my twin had only asked our older sister to be a bridesmaid and not me, because I didn't like her husband to be, (he was an utter twat and thankfully she realised and divorced him a long time ago now)

although I hope I wouldn't have been quite so dramatic in my response (and couldn't have afforded to book a holiday anyway! Grin )

NoncommittalToSparkleMotion · 10/05/2017 02:32

Nah, I'd not be apologizing.

So you had a disagreement and you spoke harshly. Ok, you could talk and reconcile from that.

Her telling your DP she expects an apology or the friendship is over, given the context, is beyond fucked. She took it too far.

e1y1 · 10/05/2017 02:52

YANBU

On the one hand, for the sake of saying "sorry", so a friendship isn't lost.

But then, you do and it's an agreement you were wrong and making it "ok" for her to do this again in the future.

I wouldn't apologise, at a push because I'm soft I'd say I was sorry for her being upset with what I said, but I'd stand by what I'd said IFYSWIM.

melj1213 · 10/05/2017 02:54

I don't think you need to apologise for the content of your conversation, as it was all home truths she needed to hear, but I do think that you could do with apologising for the manner in which you conveyed it. So even if you say something along the lines of "Friend, I'm really sorry for the way I spoke to you the other day. I am not apologising for what I said as I stand by my comments. I do think your behaviour is reactionary and a little bit childish, but I can understand how upset you are at the situation and how that has contributed to everything. What I do want to apologise for is how I spoke to you - you called me because you were upset and needed someone to talk to. I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did, but I was very busy with work, as I had told you when you initially text me, and in the moment I felt like this was something that could have waited until the evening when I could have given you my full attention and not try to be supportive whilst trying to keep to my work deadline. I'm sorry if I upset you with how I spoke to you and I do hope we can still be friends."

It's one thing to hear the absolute truth that you don't want to hear in a diplomatic and calm manner, and it's a totally different thing hearing it as part of a frustrated outburst from your friend - who you called because you needed to vent and just have someone on their side.

I can understand why she'd be upset to be the only family member not included - yes DSis might be bffs with Bride where TwinSis isn't, but it's a bit mean spirited to not find something for her to do in the wedding. Even if it was that the happy couple agreed that DSis would be a bridesmaid and TwinSis would be her brother's Best (wo)Man or do some readings or something to acknowledge her so she's not the only family member not included. Booking the holiday was a rash action and I am sure she knows that really, but she can't back down now even though her bruised ego and rash actions have backed herself into a corner. It's like when my DD8 gets caught in a lie - she can either accept she is wrong and admit her lies ... or she can continue lying. The more elaborate the lie becomes the more we both know she is lying but her pride and stubbornness will not let her back down until she absolutely has to.

shyturnip · 10/05/2017 02:56

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that it sounds as though you don't like her very much.

You don't sound like much of a "friend" at all TBH.

Smitff · 10/05/2017 03:06

Setting aside the spat between the two of you, and the friend booking a holiday straying right before the wedding (very immature), actually I think the bride has behaved awfully too. How can you ask one SIL to be a bridesmaid and not the other? Is she deliberately seeking to cause a fuss? How could anyone not feel rejected or jilted? Bride needs to see her place as a family member, not the queen bee.

For once, I'm on MIL's side Grin

jacks11 · 10/05/2017 03:20

She is behaving badly and I wouldn't apologise for what you said, but I think I would consider saying sorry for the way it was said (if you genuinely are sorry, of course). You say she is a good friend who helped you out at a difficult time in the past, so that is something to bear in mind IMHO.

Agree with a PP who said it's one thing to hear a few home truths from a friend said is a calm, firm way but quite another to have the said tersely in the way it appears it was said in the OP.

I'm another who think the happy couple haven't handled things especially well either. Not that it justifies her reaction, which is totally barmy and will upset everyone- she would have been far better to have been dignified about it or spoken to her twin or her mum about it. Of course the bride doesn't have to have her as a bridesmaid as they aren't close, but surely they could have given her some role (e.g. a reading)? Otherwise she will be the only immediate family member of the groom not having any sort of role or being at the top table etc, and I could understand why that might sting a bit, especially if she is close to her twin.

dingodon · 10/05/2017 03:30

Jesus fuckin Christ!

1 Bride can choose who the hell she wants
2 friend is fuckin immature and instead of pussyfooting around her she needs to hear some harsh truths and grow the fuck up.

HopefullyDothButterNoParsnips · 10/05/2017 04:26

Oh OP I definitely would not apologize. Especially in this manner where you are being effectively held to ransom. Yes you spoke your mind and were perhaps a little blunt but she called you at work over something trivial so that's on her really.

For the record, I was this bride 2 years ago and didn't ask my DH twin to be bridesmaid. I was closer to one sister also but in the end to save a massive strop I didn't ask any sisters and just had my own lifelong friends. The twin went mental. None of the sisters came to my hen. They barely spoke to me leading up to the wedding and on the day itself and then at the wedding the twin took about 50 photos and managed to not include me in any of them! I would've loved for someone to have told her a few home truths leading up to our wedding about their ridiculous behavior.

To Logan - I can't speak for the bride in this scenario but for myself, I did not ask the twin as I am genuinely not close to her. She can hardly find the grace to speak to me most of the time and it felt wrong to have her spend all of my wedding morning getting ready beside me when we are not close. It was the right decision and I stand by it.

OP your friend is being a twat and she needs to get back in her box. Well done you for telling it like it is!

hesterton · 10/05/2017 04:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.