“AITA For Kicking My Mother Out Of My Wedding After She Brought My Ex As Her Plus One?”

23 Oct 2024, 06:30 by Austeja Zokaite, Dominyka · Bored Panda

With emotions running high, a wedding without a little drama seems unattainable. The day that is supposed to gather family together for a joyous celebration often makes them experience identity shifts as the nature of their relationships changes. If they were close, they don’t want that fact to change, and if their relationship was strained, the fact becomes just that more apparent.

The source of drama in this couple’s special day was the groom’s mother, who brought his ex-girlfriend as her plus-one. She did that out of spite since she didn’t exactly approve of her son’s choice of a romantic partner. However, the groom wasn’t going to tolerate such behavior of hers and escorted both of them out of the reception.

Wedding is a day when family and friends gather together for a joyous celebration

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Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual image)

Unfortunately, for this groom, his family was a source of drama instead of joy

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Image credits: Sonyachny (not the actual image)

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Image credits: Ayşenur (not the actual image)

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Image credits: ThrowRAOpposite_Poet

Plus one means that the invitee can bring an additional guest

On paper, wedding plus-ones might seem straightforward. However, when a person is on the receiving end of the invitation, they might start experiencing some confusion, especially if they don’t have a long-term partner by their side.

“The ‘plus-one’ meaning is when you allow your invitee to bring an additional guest of their choosing. On a wedding invitation, this is designated as ‘and guest.’ For example, the envelope might read: ‘Mr. James R. Smith and guest,'” says wedding and event planner and founder of Emily Coyne Events, Emily Coyne.

According to Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette, inviting spouses, fiancés, and co-habitating partners of guests is essential. Splitting up a couple is considered “the height of rudeness,” Post told the Atlantic. However, when it comes to a bridal party, the rule can slightly change.

Letting a bridesmaid bring her newest love interest might be a small token of appreciation that a bride can offer in exchange for a friend’s efforts and support while preparing for the wedding. But if the couple allows certain single guests to bring a plus-one, they can risk hurting the feelings of others.

In theory, if the couple lets one person bring an extra guest, the same should apply to everyone else. “This eliminates any favoritism, which is never in style,” Coyne says. However, not everyone’s budget is made out of rubber and in the end, everything depends on the couple’s discretion.

For guests that can bring a plus one to a wedding, it’s recommended that they come with an appropriate date

The decision to provide plus one to the guests may be easier to make when it’s clear what guests usually don’t get to bring an extra person. This includes those who are casually dating and change their love interests quite frequently or are coworkers of the bride or groom.

For guests that can bring a plus one to a wedding, it’s recommended that they come with an appropriate date. Typically, this consists of a romantic partner. But if there’s no significant other in the picture, they might want to check in with a couple to see if they can bring a friend or family member as an alternative.

Fortunately, such dilemmas weren’t always the cause of headaches for engaged couples. But as people’s social networks are expanding, the usual obvious guest lists are no more. Now brides or grooms are more likely to know people who live thousands of miles away and whose partner they never met, which makes it more difficult to navigate the guests plus-ones.

In hindsight, the plus one policy should be all about what’s right for the couple. They should give plenty of time for themselves to plan this and communicate their “rules” to guests as early as possible. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and allows them to have a great time celebrating together.

Most readers supported the groom’s decision to kick his mom out of the wedding

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A few believed he was at fault for giving his mom a plus one instead of inviting his stepfather

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