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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to not agree that I ruined this girl’s wedding?

334 replies

itsbritneybitch92 · 04/03/2022 23:45

I was friends with a girl who I met in uni at 18. She immediately referred to me as her best friend, though I don’t think we were ever that close. She was quite clingy and would often have feuds with random people for little reason. She’d never confront the person, but would just be extremely passive aggressive around them.

When we were around 22, after a summer break, she suddenly ghosted me. She wouldn’t respond to any messages and would avoid me in person. She created social events and made sure that I was the only mutual friend excluded. She used to take photos of a group of us in a lecture hall and then crop me out and post it on Facebook. If I sat at a table for lunch with our mutual friends, she’d get up and leave immediately. She referred to a new girl as her best friend. I didn’t know why this happened. A year later, a mutual friend told me it was because I didn’t contact her enough over the summer as she had gone through a rough time. If I’d checked in enough with her I’d know. Fair enough, I was sorry.

At age 24 and about to graduate, she suddenly started to talk to me again but it was awkward. Whatever. I wasn’t interested in drama.

At age 28, she invites me to dinner. It’s very unexpected. She tells me that she’s getting married and I’m going to be her bridesmaid. I didn’t say anything but I really like having friends so I thought it’d be a fresh start. Following this, I tried to keep up with her regularly with texts and calls but she’d either not reply or respond with a vague message. We arranged to meet up five times and every single time she cancelled hours before. The other bridesmaids are mutual friends and I know she was happily hanging out with them.

Covid lockdown number one - my dad died. We were going to meet up on the day. I said I can’t because my dad is unwell with covid (bear in mind this was when we knew barely anything about covid, it was scary). She didn’t respond.

Next day, she then texted me a copy paste job which detailed how sad she was to postpone her wedding. But couldn’t even respond to my message.

Months pass. I’m struggling. It’s 8 months until the wedding. There hasn’t been any planning, bridesmaid dresses, hen do etc. I can’t be her bridesmaid and I tell her that. She doesn’t respond. She then sends out another copy paste message to say that only close family and friends can come to the wedding and she is so very sorry that I can’t be there.

Now it is 6 months after the wedding…according to her best friend and husband, I’ve ruined her wedding. I should’ve been more grateful to be a bridesmaid and I should not have cancelled with such short notice. I saw her wedding photos, she started off with 4 bridesmaids and in the photos, there were 6. There was zero planning from/for the bridesmaids at the time that I left. She also invited a lot of mutual friends to the wedding who she actually isn’t even that close to. They want an apology. I’m 30 years old and sick of this. AIBU?

OP posts:
TheNoodlesIncident · 05/03/2022 11:45

No, step away. Block on all measures. Don't engage with them on the street, and if they approach you move away. You can try all you like to tell the truth to people but you cannot make them believe it. Even trying to "set the story straight" will just feed the drama this person enjoys.

If I were you I would look into why I accepted such poor behaviour from a so-called friend and felt that she was a friend in the first place. I'd want to examine why, when such a person reappears in your life after treating you badly then ignoring you, and tells you that you're to be their bridesmaid, you don't walk away... Yes, we do all like to have friends, but the friendship should be a mutually beneficial thing and if it benefits one side only, it's not a true friendship at all.

Don't waste your time with these people. If they persist in engaging with you, maybe moving to a new area for a fresh start will help you.

WonderfulYou · 05/03/2022 11:49

1 - no
2 - no

I’d reply telling her to fuck off and to stop being such a drama Queen. You gave her 8 months notice and the world doesn’t revolve around her, so stop trying to act like a victim. And not to speak to you again because you’re too old to deal with anymore of her immature bullshit.

The bigger person would probably just ignore but I would need to get it out of my system.

Booboobibles · 05/03/2022 11:54

She’s mental but you absolutely have to think about the way you’re thinking and behaving. I’m saying this kindly. If you let people treat you like this, you’re going to attract abusers left right and centre.

Reverse roles….can you imagine ever treating someone like that? The problem here is that this woman is absolutely off the scale insane and you’re still questioning yourself and having to ask for opinions. Most abusers are far far more subtle than this.

Do your research on abuse and personality disorders (which this woman is very likely to have) and protect yourself.

Xx

Inkyblue123 · 05/03/2022 12:00

Sorry for your loss, it must have been very difficult losing your dad in Those circumstances, do hope you have some grief counselling. As for your “friend” she’s a sociopath, block and delete. Get rid - you don’t need that poison in your life. There are millions of people on earth you really don’t need to be involved with such a nasty, narcissistic piece of work.

AnybodyAnywhere · 05/03/2022 12:02

Good luck to her husband, hope he’s strapped himself in for a rough ride.

seafrog · 05/03/2022 12:05

You could say

"Err love, get over yourself. Your wedding wasn't ruined because I didn't attend because my dad was dying. You're wedding was ruined because you're a bitch. You will ruin everything wherever you go because it's you that is the problem not me. Get over yourself and go seek some help as you clearly need it and shown how deranged you are and this is another episode from you".

nauticant · 05/03/2022 12:07

It would be best to ignore. However, if you do find you are drawn into an interaction, either by message or in person, go with "this looks like an attempt to create drama, I'm not going to get involved" and, if need be, repeat this again and again without being tempted into saying anything more. No deviation, if you do she'll see that as her way in.

Xpologog · 05/03/2022 12:12

No you don’t owe an apology.
She sounds like a person who rewrites history to create as much drama as possible with herself as star victim.
Ignore everything to do with her and if you bump into her husband/ sister/ mother have a stock sentence that moves you on your way. “ You’re looking well/ so cold today/ lovely weather. I’m on my way to xyz. Give my love to everyone” Everyone is nice and vague. Keep walking, don’t get into a conversation.

Spaghag · 05/03/2022 12:39

Do not apologise. In fact she should thank you for saving her the trouble of cropping you out of her wedding photos!

She is an incredibly mean person & either her BF & DH are too or they are both being utterly manipulated by her.

Block them from your life as much as possible. If you happen to bump into them, walk by as if you've never seen them before in your life. Walk tall, head held high. You're not the one in the wrong here.

curlymom · 05/03/2022 12:45

What a flake! Do you ruined her life by not being a bridesmaid when your life was so very difficult ( sorry about losing dad. I lift mine 12 years ago and it’s so painful).
So if you apologise his will that improve her life? She’s an attention seeker. Ignore her

Ciaram55 · 05/03/2022 12:54

I would literally cut all ties with her and not even respond. Who wants that kind of drama and stress in their lives. Other people will know what she's like.

BoredZelda · 05/03/2022 13:06

Sadly I live in the same area as her and her family. I’ve actually purchased there so I can’t leave. I bumped into her husband somewhere recently and this is when the request for the apology was made.

Presumably you just reply with “I won’t be doing that” and walk off.

If you “bump in to” them again, just keep walking.

PatientlyWaiting21 · 05/03/2022 13:20

She sounds uhinged. Block and delete.

Phobiaphobic · 05/03/2022 13:55

I've posted this before but I'll say it again - the only regrets I have in life are putting up with shitty 'friends' for far too long. I wish I could have the time back I wasted on CFs.

WhereYouLeftIt · 05/03/2022 14:34

@itsbritneybitch92

I guess my AIBU question is
  1. was it rude to cancel with less than a year’s notice?
  2. was it rude to not be explicitly grateful to be chosen as a bridesmaid - as I have never thanked her for the offer and my text to say that I could no longer be her bridesmaid (but will support her in every other way etc etc) did not thank her either
  • No, it was not rude in the slightest. You gave her plenty of notice. Even in normal non-pandemic non-lockdown non-restrictions time, you gave her plenty of notice.
    1. "Grateful". How I despise that word! It's so often used as a stick to beat people with; as she is doing here. Why would - why should you be grateful? Real gratitude is felt for nice things given unexpectedly and without strings, which is definitely not what happened her. Given how she had treated you, she should have been grateful that you treated it as a "fresh start" to your 'friendship'.

    "Sadly I live in the same area as her and her family. I’ve actually purchased there so I can’t leave. I bumped into her husband somewhere recently and this is when the request for the apology was made."
    You have nothing to apologise for, something you should feel free to tell this poor sod who is in for the marriage from hell. Although, asking for an apology! he might be just as bad as her in which case, silver linings, they've married each other and can make each other unhappy rather than marry two regular people and make them unhappy.

    I think I'll just repeat @Justilou1's post because I think this is the type of people you're dealing with here and this is the best way to deal with them:
    "Actually, I came back on here to say that these people get their way because they count on people not blowing up at therm for their unreasonable behaviour. You SHOULD throw her behaviour straight back at her - that you attempted to communicate with her, but as you didn’t have an operational crystal ball, it was impossible. Given that your father was dying at the time, and you were devastated about that, it was beyond considerate and generous of you. Not that you received any kind of acknowledgement about that from her along the way…. Let her know that you have had enough of her playing divide an conquer games with people, and you have no intention of being sucked back into her shit any more. Her lability screams of being either mentally unwell or evil, and you don’t want that in your life."

    EthelTheAardvark · 05/03/2022 14:43

    The notion that, having had 8 months' notice, she spent the entire wedding day saying "If only itsbritneybitch92 were here, without her the whole day is ruined" is really utterly laughable.

    ChampagneLassie · 05/03/2022 15:34

    As you live in same area and bumping into them ect - I'd suggest either arrange to meet her or write her a letter and I'd start by saying that you're sorry she feels hurt about you not being a bridesmaid but you were struggling with the death of your father and you were upset she wasn't more of a friend to you when you needed. And I'd just leave it at that. And I'd tell anyone else exactly the same thing. Weddings certainly don't' trump bereavements - you in no way let her down. I'd also suggest any mutual so-called friends you re-evaulate. No-one needs friends like this

    TheDogsMother · 05/03/2022 15:51

    She sounds immensely hard work. I would just stop all contact.

    Muckymaisonette · 05/03/2022 18:55

    If I was getting married and asked you to be a bridesmaid, but 8 months before the wedding you said you were stepping down from that role in my wedding for whatever reason, I would still want you to come to the wedding as a regular guest., I wouldn’t rescind the invitation and be huffy about so much that 3rd parties were bringing it up 8 months later!

    Embracelife · 05/03/2022 19:00

    Do not engage
    You will never win
    If meet in street
    Say
    "Lovely to see you, got to run, bye"
    and walk off breezily

    Do not justify do not apologise or explain

    EKGEMS · 05/03/2022 19:08

    Good grief,Charlie Brown! Reminds me of a close family member with borderline personality disorder-always drama and relationships dropped or acquired on a daily basis

    HotSauceCommittee · 05/03/2022 20:14

    Text her an apology and a laughing emoji.
    And keep well away from her.

    Justilou1 · 06/03/2022 04:24

    Is there a middle finger emoji too?

    CallmeBadJanet · 06/03/2022 17:22

    @itsbritneybitch92 Fuck no. Run.

    restingbitchface30 · 06/03/2022 17:24

    This is the level of crazy I try to avoid. Stay well away