Bride Catches Her In-Laws ‘Scrolling’ on Their Phones During Her Wedding Vows

A bride has criticized her in-laws for spending her wedding ceremony glued to their phones instead of watching her exchange vows.

In a recent post on Reddit’s “Wedding Shaming” forum titled “Monster-in-Law,” she explained that her new mother-in-law and sister-in-law spent the ceremony looking down at their screens, paying little attention to the moment.

“I couldn’t believe it when I saw it,” she wrote.

The couple had chosen an “intimate” civil ceremony with only 10 guests, hoping that such a small group — made up of close family — would be fully present out of love and respect. The entire ceremony lasted only about 30 minutes.

Because of where she was standing, the bride was facing the groom’s side of the family. Partway through the vows, she noticed that his mother and sister were both looking down and “literally scrolling” on their phones. She emphasized that they weren’t taking photos or videos, but seemed to be focused on something unrelated to the wedding.

“During our personal vows, especially his vows to me, both his mum and sister were on their phones showing each other something,” she recalled. “I found it really disrespectful and immature but expected.”

Although she refused to let their behavior ruin her day, she said she wanted to share her experience, likely to vent and find some understanding from others. “Shame on them!” she added in the comments.

Many Reddit users agreed that the in-laws’ actions were rude and “passive-aggressive.” But some also pointed out that the bride herself called their behavior “expected,” prompting questions about what it’s like to marry into a family she already views this way.

“Honestly that just proved how weird and f—– up they are and just confirmed we need to keep our distance,” the bride wrote. “Because they’ll never be happy for us. But on the other hand, my family really support us and sees him as a son and obviously part of the family.”

A few commenters suggested that the bride mirror their behavior in the future.

“Whenever you are forced to see them, be on your phone,” one person advised. Another added, “The next time there is something very special and important going on for your monster- and sinister-in-law, spend the whole time on your phone.”