Groom is praised for refusing to invite his own mother to his wedding

A groom took the unconventional step of refusing to invite his own mother to his wedding, and people have praised him for it.

Weddings are a huge occasion and you'd hope that all of the people you love are there to celebrate.

Weddings are supposed to be a joyous affair. Credit: Peter Cade/Getty

Presumably, this would involve parents, but some people don't see eye to eye with those who raised them.

Therefore, boundaries need to be set, and in serious cases, this can mean cutting them out of big occasions...

Well, in a Reddit post that has quickly gained traction, a 26-year-old groom has decided to exclude his mother from his wedding, citing years of feeling “invisible” and neglected.

Posted on the “Am I the A**hole?” subreddit, the groom recounted how his mother largely ignored him after remarrying, shifting her focus to her new husband and his children.

After his parents’ divorce when he was eight, the groom explained, his mother quickly remarried a man who had two children from a previous relationship.

It wasn’t long before he felt replaced.

“Ever since, it’s like I was no longer a priority in her life,” he wrote. “I’m not exaggerating when I say she treated them way better than me. They’d go on trips, she’d go to all their sport events, and they’d get everything they wanted.”

The man's parents got divorced when he was young. Credit: bymuratdeniz/Getty

The groom described a lonely upbringing in which his mother rarely showed interest in his education, social life, or mental health.

“I felt like I was invisible,” he shared. “She didn’t ask about my school, didn’t care about my friends, or even my mental health. I started to feel like I wasn’t even her kid anymore.”

Hoping for some sort of reconnection, the groom made an effort to stay in touch after he moved out at 18.

But every attempt was met with rejection or indifference, he said, with his mother often telling him she was “busy” or not responding at all. Eventually, he stopped reaching out altogether.

That dynamic changed abruptly when he announced his engagement. Suddenly, his mother became highly interested, texting frequently and eager for details.

Out of nowhere she began excitedly texting her son, as if they were "super close," wanting to know every detail of the wedding, he said. She even remarked: “I can’t wait to see you start this new chapter.”

The man didn't want his mother at his wedding. Credit: Peter Dazeley / Getty

Her change in attitude, however, was unwelcome to the groom, who found it hard to reconcile with her years of absence.

He confronted his mother directly, telling her he was uncomfortable with her attending his wedding and suggesting they could work on rebuilding their relationship - but only after the wedding.

This led to an emotional exchange in which his mother accused him of “holding a grudge” and argued that, as his mother, “she deserves to be there.”

In his post, the groom expressed frustration over her expectations, writing: “I don’t know how I’m supposed to just forget the fact that she ignored me my whole childhood,” adding that it felt unfair to let her “show up at the wedding when she never showed up for him.”

After sharing his story, he asked the forum: “AITA for not letting my mom come to my wedding after everything that happened?”

Do you think he was in the right? Credit: Kobus Louw/Getty Images

One person replied: "This is your wedding, you’re supposed to have the people you love around you, it’s not for her or anyone else. You said you would talk about things after the wedding which is reasonable. It’s up to you who you invite not your family, it may be unpopular with some of them but ultimately it’s your decision."

A second said: "Your mom basically pulled a 'Hey, stranger!' like she’s an old friend sliding into your DMs after ghosting you for years. Now, because it’s a big life event, suddenly she wants to play 'proud mom'? Nah, she missed out on the backstage pass a long time ago."

A third added: "You are not obligated to 'keep the peace' when the only one disrupting the 'peace' is your absent mother trying to get free food and drink and glory at your wedding.

"Why would she ever expect to be welcome there? Her presence would be a painful reminder that she didn’t think you were worth the time of day. My guess is she will disappear again as soon as it’s over."

What do you think?

Featured image credit: Peter Cade/Getty