A bride has been slammed over strict rules for children that she has introduced for her wedding.
Weddings are typically a time when a family can come together and celebrate the union of two people, but in this particular case, siblings might be torn apart over a particular rule for the event.
In a viral Reddit post shared on the Two Hot Takes podcast page, a group where listeners of the podcast can share their stories, user Exotic_Resolution_45 explained his sister Lisa would be getting married.
While there didn’t appear to be an issue, the man explained his sister had a series of rules for the wedding which he thought was unfair.
He claimed a message sent from his sister stated babies and children would be allowed after the wedding dinner and part of the reception and that the maid of honor would not be allowed to hold babies during the dinner as they would be making speeches.
It also said that there would be no babies held during the ceremony and that children would be hosted at a house next door to the event in order to have a stress-free night. Babies and children would also not be allowed at the bachelor and bachelorette parties, according to the list.
But the poster explained he has a young child with type 1 diabetes and that he would stress about the child.
He weighed up whether to attend or not, adding: “I also won’t drink because we have to wake up to any alarms for high or low blood sugars. If it were an hour, ok…but it’s looking like an all-day thing.
“The other side is we decline to go. If it were anyone else we wouldn’t deal with the hassle and politely decline the invite. This would create a mess with the family. Maybe we just decline the bachelor and bachelorette trips…or ask to be taken out of the wedding party.”
Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk, told Newsweek: “Whether or not you have children at your wedding can be a tricky issue. Some parents—for a number of reasons—may not feel comfortable being away from their children.
“The solution isn’t necessarily to change how you want your wedding to go, but to take into account their thoughts and feelings and try to find something that works for everyone. It might be that they don’t attend your wedding, due to the limitations, but the key is to respect that decision.
“In this particular situation, they would be relying on a third party for most of the day. It’s unclear if they can bring someone themselves who knows the children, but may not know the couple, or if they need to find a willing wedding guest.
“It’s not a very practical setup, so I can understand why the poster is considering not going or stepping down from the wedding party. By stepping down or politely declining the invitation, they can do what’s right for them, and still allow the couple to have the wedding they’ve imagined and planned.”
The average wedding size in the U.S. in 2022 was 117 guests, according to the wedding planning website The Knot.
Since being shared on Thursday, September 14, the post has attracted an estimated 8,500 upvotes and 3,200 comments.
The majority of people who commented on the post hit out at the bride’s demands and believed the poster should consider whether he should attend or not.
Reddit user PuffinTown, whose comment was upvoted an estimated 6,900 times, said: “It sounds like 90 percent of the hassle could be avoided if they politely step down from [the] wedding party.”
Texanarob added: “Kids are part of the family. You are allowed to organize something, including a wedding, and say no kids are allowed. But if you do, you have to accept and expect that some parents won’t be able to attend—especially if there are medical concerns.”
Ouatfan30 commented: “Idk [I don’t know]. I would maybe politely decline due to the 3.5-year-old’s health issues.”
Newsweek has contacted Exotic_Resolution_45 for comment via Reddit.
If you have a similar family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
