A father of the bride says he was left hurt after his daughter refused to invite his wife and their young children to her upcoming wedding, and felt he had no choice but to rescind his own invitation, leaving her in tears. According to this dad, his now 27-year-old daughter was a very 'happy child' up until the age of 13, but everything changed when he and her mother divorced.
Although he says they tried everything they could think of to help her, including therapy, the divorce left her utterly 'devastated', and she's struggled to understand, given that they had been a 'happy family'.
Taking to Reddit, where he goes by the username u/Suspicious_Pair_4940, the conflicted father explained: "I met my beautiful wife four years later and it was the second blow to her since she lived with the hope that her mum and I would reconcile.
"She never liked my wife even with the effort from the latter to have a relationship. Now my wife and our small children aren't welcome at her wedding. Everyone else is invited including her mum's new boyfriend and his sons."
Reaching out to fellow users for their thoughts on the matter, he continued: "I'm very hurt and I told her that since my family wasn't welcome, I shouldn't be welcome too. She was angry with me and called me crying saying that I'm an a**hole for doing this to her since who is going to walk her down the aisle?"
Although he feels hurt on behalf of his wife and his other children, he also naturally wants to be there for his daughter on her wedding day and isn't sure what to do next.
One person commented: "Based on the facts presented, the fact that she invited her mum’s boyfriend and his kids, clearly indicates that she isn’t attempting to avoid drama by only inviting her birth parents.
"Rather, she has invited her mom’s new family and specifically excluded yours. Since you have attempted to explain this and she drew the line in the sand, your decision to support your wife and kids is the correct one."
Another advised: "I suggest calling your daughter (or better, seeing her in person, if that's possible) and telling her you will go to her wedding, and you've always dreamt of walking her down the aisle. You understand she'd feel humiliated if you didn't, and that honestly, you'd feel terrible if you didn't, too.
"But then tell her, by the same token, you feel humiliated that she is not inviting your wife. It's a thing that is just not done. It goes beyond rude. It is spiteful."
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