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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:
treaclesoda · 10/05/2017 09:53

But the friend 'made a statement' first by spending years making it clear that she wasn't interested in being friends with the bride.

As a bride, why would you want to ask someone to be your bridesmaid if they have spent years making sure that you know they dislike you?

treaclesoda · 10/05/2017 09:55

And even more baffling to me is why anyone would want to be bridesmaid for someone they dislike? There's also the possibility that she wanted to be asked so that she could turn the invitation down.

diddl · 10/05/2017 09:58

"Because the wedding wasn't all about her but now it will be."

Absolutely!

Well, let's hope that they just leave her to it & don't get sucked into begging her to be there.

"it must be a bit embarrassing not to be a bridesmaid, "

Perhaps she should have made an effort to get on with the bride then?

I mean if they don't get on, why would she want to do it even if asked for the sake of it?

And who would want to do this if only asked for the sake of it?

ginnybag · 10/05/2017 10:00

For those of you saying it's odd to have the groom's family in the wedding.... My sister is getting married at the end of the month. Her chief bridesmaid is the groom's brother's girlfriend!

I wouldn't apologise either, OP. Hurt feelings or not, she's handled this incredibly badly. I would have understood her being hurt and perhaps speaking to her brother about that hurt - he really should have found her some sort of role is she's the only family member not involved - but to throw a tantrum like this is ridiculous.

You were right to say that to her, and tbh, I would probably have added that this will never go away. Even if she changes her mind now, and comes, it's always going to be talked about. If she doesn't come, she's risking permanently damaging, if not, ending her relationship with her brother and possibly other members of her family.

owenjonesismyhero · 10/05/2017 10:06

Not baiting here, but is it rude to choose just one sister when there are two? When DB got married his wife to be chose my sister but not me, I was hurt at the time - my sister was always closer to my brother but neither of us was hugely chummy with the bride at the time!

Sorry for derail....

You could apologise for the way you said things (some of them were a bit harsh) but the general message is the same - she should attend her brother's wedding, its not about her. If she des this for her won twin brother it will be very hard to come back from.

treaclesoda · 10/05/2017 10:09

I don't think it's rude at all to choose one sister but not all of them. It happens all the time in my experience and no one bats an eyelid.

From reading wedding threads on mumsnet, I feel that a lot of people take anything weddings related very personally.

Trollspoopglitter · 10/05/2017 10:17

I wouldn't apologise. She wants you to validate her behaviour and you didn't. You told her it was awful. Rather than reflecting on that, she's demanding an apology so she can continue to delude herself and believe her behaviour is ok.

I would also let her know you are shocked at how appaulingly she's behaved to her twin and has created drama and stress.

And that YOU will be reconsidering whether you want her as a friend, if this is how she treats her own brother.

How dare she threaten you with ending the friendship when you refuse to tolerate her awful behaviour.

So what she's funny and charming and supportive some of the time when she behaves like too.

Itmustbemyage · 10/05/2017 10:25

No sure why pp are blaming the SIL surely it's the twin brother who is at fault, if anyone is?
Presumably he and his partner discussed having one sister as a bridesmaid and not having his twin as well. So DB should have found a meaningful role for his twin? The fact that he didn't says a lot doesn't it?
He's supposed to be upset that she isn't coming, it just doesn't add up. Presumably going by what OP said he may have not wanted her to have a prominent role cause she would have made it all about her rather than the Bride and Groom, it seems that she has got her wish it is going to be about her even though she won't be there.
Agree with pp's though upset cause you're not a bridesmaid, unless you are a child, is just ridiculous.

mmchocolate · 10/05/2017 10:27

Apologise not for what you said but how you said it.

No because drama queens like this will always turn that apology round in their heads vindicating their behaviour.

neither the bride nor groom apparently making any effort to make her feel included.

But we don't know that they haven't tried to include her, do we. Just because she hasn't been asked to be bridesmaid, and let's face it why should she be, she hasn't made the effort to get along with the bride in years.

diddl · 10/05/2017 10:28

"So DB should have found a meaningful role for his twin?"

Why?

Chinnygirl · 10/05/2017 10:32

I think that she sounds draining. You shouldn't have said those things to her but I think it is better to keep such a selfish and dramatic person at arms length.

Fruitcorner123 · 10/05/2017 10:32

The right thing for him to do would have been to have both sisters or neither of them. It's the bride's and his choice but a little bit cruel to leave one out. It's causing problems in his family and could have been avoided. She is foolish and selfish for booking a holiday and making it about her she should have been dignified and turned up at least. However I would have been hurt and I would have hoped a friend would see my perspective. Shes wrong for the holiday but not, in my opinion, for feeling hurt.

Lelloteddy · 10/05/2017 10:37

Fair enough she's a bit upset at not being bridesmaid,
But her lack of insight is staggering and the booking of the holiday is so immature and spiteful.

Absolutely no apology required from you.

( and FWIW my sister was press ganged into having her future SIL as bridesmaid. And she was the SIL/bridesmaid from hell. Totally ruined the whole experience for the rest of us with her tantrums about colours/dresses/shoes/ jewellery)

grannytomine · 10/05/2017 10:37

I feel sorry for her, the bride's sister is a bridesmaid, the groom's 2nd sister is a bridesmaid but his twin is left out? She will feel humiliated as everyone will wonder why she was left out, I think the bride has been at best thoughtless and at worst nasty. She's having 3 bridesmaids so would it kill her to have 4? I honestly don't think it would.

Regarding the holiday I don't blame her, sitting at a wedding knowing people will be thinking why was she left out? wouldn't be nice.

I hope she has a nice holiday.

treaclesoda · 10/05/2017 10:43

I don't think it would occur to most people to sit at the wedding and think 'ooh, wonder why X was left out?' would it. I don't think most people are even vaguely interested in who a bride chooses as her bridesmaid. People tend to be interested in seeing what dresses have been chosen and after that they're interested in getting fed and watered.

grannytomine · 10/05/2017 10:43

I don't know why people are saying it is odd to have groom's sister as a bridesmaid, it has happened at every wedding I've been to if the groom has a sister of course.

I wonder why the twin's daughter isn't a flower girl or bridesmaid, not unusual to have a young relative involved.

TimeIhadaNameChange · 10/05/2017 10:46

She sounds like my sister, tbh.

Don't know why I was discussing my hypothetical wedding with my mother a few years ago, but I remember she said I'd have to make sure my sister had an "important job" to do, otherwise she'd throw a tantrum. My sister would have been in her 40s by then, not a young child.

I've decided that, if I ever do get married, she's not being invited. Harsh, but she would seriously not be able to cope with not being the centre of the day, and would throw at least one tantrum to make sure she was.

Dowser · 10/05/2017 10:46

I think she is feeling very guilty about booking this holiday.
The family is a very powerful concept and I think she knows she has done wrong and she's feeling the fear of what she's done.

Your place was supposed to vindicate and placate her.

Then she could feel good. But you told her everything she didn't want to hear about herself

She's trapped herself hasn't she , has nowhere to turn and has actually put herself outside the structure and beliefs of her family and isolated herself
And now you have held up the mirror to her.

She either cuts off contact with her family, so she can hang on to her belief that what she did was right or eats humble pie by the bucketful and makes huge steps to put it right.

Unfortunately you've had a pivotal role in all of this. Your approval meant everything to her.

Really the ball is in her court and you don't have to apologise.

GoodDayToYou · 10/05/2017 11:07

Your friend sounds like a nightmare. I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who is so horrible to others, even if she was nice to me.

HildaOg · 10/05/2017 11:10

Why on earth do people think that she should be indulged as a bridesmaid? She's an adult, not a five year old. She is old enough to understand that her future sil picked the people closest to her.

No wonder there's so many kidult brats like her when there's so many people prepared to pander to that nonsense.

grannytomine · 10/05/2017 11:16

treaclesoda, really? That is exactly the sort of thing I can hear people saying, I have heard people say it and heard them "sympathise" with the sibling who is left out in a goady sort of way.

You don't have to go to weddings, I hate all the bitchy behaviour and scoring points so I avoid them whenever I can. When people talk about behaviour at weddings I always remember one wedding I went to where the bride looked lovely and had a lovely dress, she had asked two friends to be bridesmaids and they were both quite big girls, she had them in harem style trousers with a shortish top, very unusual, and the comments in the congregation about the size of their bottoms was all you could hear. Everyone thought the bride had done it deliberately and if she had it backfired because far from making it her look great it just made them the centre of attention but not in a good way.

Jenwen22 · 10/05/2017 11:57

Tell her to get a grip and grow up. Shes smarting before you rold her the truth and she didnt like it. Like hell would i appologise if I were you, ypyve dome fuck all wrong. friendships about being honest with each other because you care. She sounds hard work. Just ignore her like you would a sulky kid till she calms down. If she goes through with the holiday and misses the wedding itll be down to her and no one else. Let her deal with the consequences

FrancisCrawford · 10/05/2017 12:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

treaclesoda · 10/05/2017 12:34

granny I can honestly say I have never ever been at a wedding where I've heard people bitch about the bridesmaids looking fat, or about someone being left out.

I feel like I'm in a parallel universe sometimes because the weddings I hear described on mumsnet honestly aren't anything like the ones I've been to. I've also never heard people complain that their children aren't invited, or that the presents weren't generous enough etc.

FrancisCrawford · 10/05/2017 12:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.