A woman who turned up to her ex-husband’s wedding wearing a red lace gown has been dragged online.
In a now-viral post, u/closureseekingex described her divorce as “peaceful” and said she was invited to her ex’s wedding as she would be dropping their three children off at the venue anyway.
But her ex’s new spouse Stephanie wasn’t happy that she actually took up the courtesy offer. Wedding expert and Hitched.com editor Zoe Burke doesn’t recommend this type of invite.
A stock image of a wedding guest wearing red. This color choice has a scandalous and secret message behind it.
Nadtochiy/iStock/Getty Images Plus
She told Newsweek: “If there’s someone you don’t want at your wedding, do not invite them out of courtesy, as you only have yourself to blame if they come!”
Back on Reddit, the OP explained more of what happened: “When I arrived at the wedding Stephanie thanked me for dropping the kids off and brushed me off. We had never had any issues before.
“I explained that I was going to stay for the reception and she was very upset. I was confused because I assumed she knew I would be in attendance. It turned out she didn’t consider that I would actually accept the invitation. I told her that I was invited and since I took the 2-hour drive I would be staying for the entire duration. She didn’t like this response. Stephanie asked me to leave and I stood my ground.”
If asked to leave a wedding by either of the newlyweds, the polite thing to do is to respect their wishes and leave, advised Burke.
“Being asked to leave isn’t pleasant, but it is the couple’s day and I would say it’s better to leave discreetly and iron it all out later, rather than cause a scene and create tension and drama on their special day,” she told Newsweek.
But the situation worsened for the OP as Stephanie accused her of trying to upstage her wedding gown. The OP added a photo to Reddit to show other users a dress similar to the one she wore.
The woman posted this red dress from Amazon and stated it was similar to the one she wore to her ex’s wedding.
Amazon/ SIQINZHENG
She added: “Later in private Stephanie accused me of trying to ruin her special day. She is convinced that I wanted to show off and make the wedding about my divorce. She said it was rude for me not to leave after the bride requested it because it was her special day. I told her that I am not responsible for her insecurities and once again reminded her that I have no interest in “stealing” my ex back.”
Previously Newsweek shared an article that stated a red dress worn by a wedding guest means they have slept with the groom. In this case, it was most certainly true and Redditors were outraged by her attire choice.
Burke said: “Choosing your wedding guest outfit can be a bit of a tricky experience, but there is one golden rule—avoid anything that could be misconstrued for a wedding outfit. No wedding dresses, no bridesmaid dresses, if it’s white and it’s lacy, leave it at home.”
The post has received 13,200 upvotes and 5,900 have commented on the thread.
The top comment has received over 50,000 upvotes: “YTA [you’re the a******] I love when these posts are skewed to be “but I didn’t do anything wrong!” And then you see the dress and it’s literally a red wedding dress.”
“The fact she refused to leave when she was asked to by the bride said enough for me. Doesn’t really matter what she was wearing, she’s the groom’s ex. ‘I like Stephanie.’ No, I don’t think she does,” commented another.
Another Redditor said: “Plus red is taboo for weddings. Edit to add: I did not mean to imply this is the case for ALL weddings. Some cultures consider it taboo, some do not. How I was raised is that red is taboo for weddings. It can mean you dislike the bride or have slept with the groom. Please stop commenting to tell me you wore red and it was fine.”
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