A bride and her sister recently clashed over their grandmother’s cherished wedding dress.
The 28-year-old bride posted on Reddit’s “Wedding Drama” forum about the vintage ivory gown her late grandmother left behind — a dress she had always dreamed of wearing for her own wedding.
“I always dreamed of wearing it, and everyone in the family knew it. Even my grandma would joke, it’s yours when the time comes,” she shared.
When the moment arrived, she had the dress professionally cleaned and made minor alterations with the family’s blessing, ready for her big day.
But tension arose when her 25-year-old sister — who is “not engaged or in a relationship” — revealed plans for a “solo commitment ceremony,” essentially marrying herself, complete with vows, a party, a ring, and a dress.
The bride supported her sister’s decision until she asked to wear their grandmother’s dress for the event.
“She asked if she could wear Grandma’s dress for her solo ceremony. I thought she was joking. I laughed. She didn’t,” the bride recalled.
“She says, ‘You’re already getting a husband. I just want the dress. This is my only chance to feel that close to Grandma,’ ” she added. But the bride refused.
“I didn’t want to damage our relationship, but it just felt incredibly disrespectful, not just to me but to the tradition,” she explained.
After this, the sister stopped speaking to her, while their mother tried to stay neutral but felt torn. The bride’s fiancé was firmly on her side, saying she was “being way too nice about it.”
“I’m stuck between feeling like I hurt my sister’s feelings and being mad that she even asked,” she admitted. “Am I wrong for being protective of this dress? Would anyone else be uncomfortable with this?”
Several commenters weighed in, saying if the solo ceremony happened after the wedding, it might be acceptable. But if the sister wanted the dress before, they advised saying no.
One person wrote, “You already got it altered and ready — accidents happen too, so I wouldn’t risk it. I would expect her to not want to risk that either and understand even though it kinda sucks.”
Another suggested the bride remind her sister of the alterations and that she doesn’t feel comfortable letting the dress out of her possession until after the wedding.
“Even if she promises to take the utmost care with it, accidents happen and you don’t want to even risk the possibility of having to find a last-minute dress,” they said.
“She can marry herself after your wedding. Period,” one commenter added. “It’s not that difficult, hardly worth the effort of posting a whole comment about it.”
