Sorry, No Wedding Invitation for Narcissistic Parents, Says Couple Who Wants Pure Bliss

Sorry, No Wedding Invitation for Narcissistic Parents, Says Couple Who Wants Pure Bliss

Who wouldn't want their parents at their wedding?

In many cultures, it's a tradition for the father to walk the bride down the aisle, while the mother has always been part of the wedding preparation.

But when you have parents who think they must be the center of attention at all times, even on the wedding day of their youngest daughter, you'd be thinking twice about wanting them to be present in this most important day of your life.

This is the kind of situation that an Original Poster with the username by u/InterestingKnee4176 has been obliged to deal with: What should she do with her overbearing parents on her wedding day?

OP shared this intriguing story with Reddit's r/AmItheA-hole community, starting with these details: "My parents are overbearing people. They have huge personalities and steamroll everyone who gets in their way. At my little sister's wedding this summer, they were especially obnoxious. They made terrible speeches, got the DJ to play crappy music for the 'older folks,' tried to get the photographer to do family pictures for people not in the wedding party 'since they were here anyway and everyone is dressed up.' I could go on. But I won't. Afterward, I said that they had better not try any of that s**t at my wedding. They said that it was who they were and that they weren't going to change for anyone."

Since she couldn't convince her parents to follow wedding etiquette and to give consideration to the bride and groom, who wanted their nuptials to be the happiest day in their lives, OP talked to her fiance, and they decided not to invite her parents to their wedding. OP informed her parents about the matter. They could still attend as guests, but she did not want them near the party during the picture-taking and at the reception.

OP further wrote, "They are not helping us pay for the wedding, so we don't really owe them anything. My sister is on my side. But the rest of the family is split down the middle. Half understand why I don't want them making a scene at my wedding. The other half is saying that my parents are who they are, and it's unfair of me to expect them to change for any reason."

Are she and her fiance being heartless for casting away her parents? Sensibly enough, many Reddit users agreed that OP and her fiancee did the right thing to avoid turning their wedding day into another disaster.

Hungry_Try_9859 wrote, "NTA. Nobody asks them to change, just behave like decent human beings."

Sailor_Chibi likewise commented, "To behave like decent human beings for one night. And they can’t even do that."

StellaSaysSo shared the same sentiment: "Does someone qualify as a decent person if they disrupt their child's wedding intentionally and repeatedly, then acknowledge it and intend to do it again?"

Meanwhile, addisonavenue couldn't help from voicing out, "And let's be real - what they're promising their child is a pre-emptive threat. They are implicitly threatening to do the same thing at her wedding under the guise of 'We are what we are' as both an out and an explanation."

Doris de Luna

For more than 20 years now, I’ve been devoting my heart, energy, and time to fulfilling my dream, which – many people may agree – is not among the easiest aspirations in life. Part of my happiness is having been able to lend a hand to many individuals, companies, and even governments as an investigative journalist, creative writer, TV director, and radio broadcaster.


At home, I spend my free time learning how to cook various cuisines. Tiramisu, chocolate mousse, and banoffee pie are my favorite desserts. Playing with our dogs, Mushu and Jerusalem, is also a special part of my day. And, of course, I read a lot – almost anything under the sun. But what really makes me feel alive is meeting people from various walks of life and writing about their stories, which echo with the tears and triumph of an unyielding spirit, humanity, and wisdom.

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