One of the toughest parts of planning a wedding is settling the guest list, as it can be difficult to balance the numbers between family members and friends of the bride and groom as well as any dates they might want to bring.
But one woman has been left fuming after she was told she couldn't bring her own date to her sister's wedding, as her sibling had already decided to set her up with someone else - without her permission.
Sharing her story anonymously on Reddit, the woman explained she's openly gay and has a girlfriend, but wasn't offered the chance to bring her partner to the wedding because she's part of the bridal party and is therefore expected to pair up with one of the groomsmen.
She wrote: "My sister's wedding is coming up five weeks from this Saturday. I'm a bridesmaid.
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"When I agreed to be a bridesmaid I understood I would have to walk down the aisle beside one of the groomsmen, stand beside him in some pictures, and sit at a table with him and the other bridesmaids and groomsmen. No problem. I'm in a relationship and I assumed my girlfriend would be invited to the wedding, or I could bring her as my plus one.
"Last week the invitations were sent out and my girlfriend wasn't invited and I wasn't given a plus one. When I brought this to my sister's attention she said the groomsmen (I'll call him John) is my date. She told me John is single so it made sense to 'pair us up' and have us be each other's dates."
The woman went on to say she's confused about not having a plus one, as she claimed the other members of the bridal party and the groomsmen were all allowed to bring dates with them - and there's no stipulation on guests being "married couples only".
The woman's sister has even seen the dress her girlfriend planned to wear to the event and approved of it, but now won't let her attend.
She added: "The maid of honour, the best man and all of the other bridesmaids and groomsmen were given a plus one, and so was every other guest. None of the other wedding party members are married either and the full guest list wasn't kept to spouses only. This came out of the blue.
"A few months ago I showed my sister a picture of the dress my girlfriend bought for the wedding and my sister's exact words were 'I can't wait to see her wearing it'. She didn't even have the courtesy to tell me I wasn't getting a plus one or my girlfriend wasn't invited. I found out when I got the invitation."
And while the woman has "nothing personal" against the groomsman she's been paired up with, she would much rather attend her sister's big day with her girlfriend.
She said: "I have nothing personal against John, but I've never met the guy and being that I'm a lesbian, I don't date men. I've been out for 15 years. My parents and sister have taken me to pride parades in the past. My girlfriend of almost four years has been welcomed to family events and holidays with no negativity. Everyone knows I'm gay and it's never been a problem but now I feel like it is.
"My sister complained to my parents about my request, and they sat me down and said while they are fronting the money they aren't involved in the planning and my sister can do as she pleases. I was also reminded it is her day and not mine and demanding changes to the guest list is self-centred."
Commenters on the Reddit post were equally baffled by her sister's decision, as many of them branded the bride-to-be "disrespectful".
One person said: "Your sister is being a bit of a bridezilla and is being disrespectful to your girlfriend. Personally, I would call her out and I wouldn't participate in the wedding if she continued to deny you bringing your girlfriend."
While another added: "Your parents are awful for not siding with you. Your sister is awful for not inviting your girlfriend. You would not be awful for skipping her wedding if she refuses to invite your girlfriend.
And a third wrote: "Kind of appalling of your sister to do that, and appalling of your parents to fund that."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
