Bride Not Inviting Sister to Wedding and Downgrading Dad's Role Applauded

A woman has been praised online for not inviting her sister to her wedding as well as stopping her father from walking her down the aisle.

Weddings can be one of the most stressful occasions a person can go through in life, and positive relationships between family members are keys to having a smooth celebration.

According to a 2020 Zola survey, 72 percent of couples described their wedding plans as being "very" and "extremely" stressful.

In a Reddit post shared in the Am I The A**hole group, which can be seen here, user aitaStephanie explained her wedding stress and claimed her sister Stephanie is considered the "golden child" who has stolen the spotlight from her in the past.

The 28-year-old Reddit user shared an experience where Stephanie had not only chosen a place she hated for her graduation dinner but chose it as the place to announce her pregnancy.

She added that her father was not supportive during the situation and downplayed her graduation, saying, "a diploma's a piece of paper, this is a new life."

The situation created a rift between the Reddit user and her family members as she admitted to not speaking to her sister or father "beyond emergencies."

Zoe Burke, wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk, told Newsweek that family dynamics can have a huge impact on a couple's big day and offered advice to those planning on tying the knot.

"If you have some difficult family dynamics at play, it can make planning your wedding much more stressful," she said. "If you're in a situation where you have family problems that are impacting your wedding, I would recommend that you explore your best- and worst-case scenarios."

Burke continued: "It's important to explore and assess the impact of your decisions, too - is this going to permanently end or seriously damage relationships, and if so, are you OK with that? Ultimately, your wedding is a celebration of you and your partner, and typically the couple foot the bill for it too, so you're well within your right to host it exactly how you want to.

"I'd also recommend exploring the best possible outcome of the scenario - and assessing how you get to that point. Do they come for the evening portion only?

"Do you explain you can't invite them due to budget or capacity, but offer a token way to include them in a celebration that you can separate out from your wedding? By assessing the different outcomes, you can make sure you're prepared for all eventualities and feel more equipped to handle the situation, however it plays out."

The Reddit user concluded she would not invite Stephanie to the wedding and that her college friend Matt would walk her down the aisle instead.

She said: "My father started making comments about how this was ridiculous/ disrespectful because the man who raised me and gave me life should matter more than 'some college buddy.'

"He then demanded to know about Stephanie's spot as a bridesmaid. I told him that Stephanie was not invited to the wedding because I know if Stephanie attends that she will, as always, be made the center of attention.

"I want a day about me and my own accomplishments/ milestones instead of it being all about Stephanie. I don't care how bratty it sounds. He kept arguing. I got fed up and told him he can go walk the daughter he actually cared about down the aisle and hung up."

The Reddit user claimed she had since been branded an "a**hole" by her extended family over her decision.

Since being shared Monday, the post has been liked more than 8,100 times and has attracted 995 comments.

The overwhelming majority of commenters praised the Reddit user and said she made the correct decision, or that she should have gone further and uninvited her dad.

One Reddit user, whose comment was upvoted more than 11,700 times, said: "My only question is why your dad was even invited in the first place. I would actually make it clear to him that he is no longer welcome. NTA [not the a**hole]."

Another added: "I might be wrong but I would have probably done the same as OP [original poster], invite as a regular guest and let him watch while my buddy walks me, just to make a point and rub it in his face. Then again, I am petty. NTA."

A third person posted: "When I married for a second time at 38 to the man who is still my husband 13 years later, I relented and second-guessed myself, so while my actual father didn't walk me down the aisle (I walked myself and gave myself), he was a guest at the wedding and got to give the speech as 'father of the bride'. The entire speech was about himself; I'm really not kidding."

Newsweek has contacted aitaStephanie for comment.