Among the many etiquette rules guests are supposed to abide by during the wedding, not upstaging the bride is at the top of the list. It’s her time to shine, and nobody should be stealing the spotlight. But often, people do surprise the happy couple on what is known as one of the most awaited days of their lives, and not necessarily in a good way.

A chaotic incident with all the ingredients for a drama-tinged cocktail — toxic family members, tantrums, revenge, and red wine — is a perfect example of that. Although it’s an old tale posted on the ‘Just No MIL’ subreddit five years ago, it definitely sparks further conversation.

“This story is about my friend’s MIL, and her wedding. Strap in guys, this is a wild ride in which I did THE THING that got me banned from any of her family functions,” the bridesmaid Theloniou5 recounted about the big day, and you already know it’s gonna be good.

Turns out, the lady decided to do the one thing that’s a definite no-go — turn up to the occasion wearing a white wedding dress. As you can guess, the bride instantly burst into tears, and the user knew she had to take matters into her own hands. Below, you can read the full story featuring the over-the-top MIL, and then let us know in the comments how you would have reacted in this situation.

After a MIL attempted to upstage the bride by showing up in a white wedding dress, this bridesmaid felt she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands

Image credits: Fallon Michael (not the actual photo)

Here’s how everything went down, in the woman’s own words

Image credits: cottonbro (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Theloniou5

“Not all heroes wear capes,” one user commented, while others jumped in accord to applaud the bridesmaid for her brave act. People immediately called out the MIL for her out-of-touch behavior, and some even invited the user to their own nuptials to have someone there who could save the day in case any relatives cause a scene during the occasion.

As the majority of readers expressed after reading the story, you shouldn’t wear a white dress to a wedding unless you’re the bride. Or, at least, have gotten permission from the newlyweds to do so.

Although there are no strict guidelines on what the guests can wear, as it’s entirely up to the happy couple what one of the most joyful days in life is going to be like, wearing white is usually frowned upon.

“In general, guests should not wear white to a wedding out of respect for the bride,” Emma Arendoski, founder of The Wedding Guide for the Handmade Bride, told Bored Panda in an email. But what if you found a stunning light-coloured dress you simply can’t wait to show off when someone else ties the knot, you ask? Well, the wedding planner noted it’s best to put that aside for another celebration. “Some even advise against similar colors, such as ivory or champagne.”

Speaking of the situation in question, Emma explained that the best way to handle people who try to draw attention from the bride is by ignoring them rather than focusing on their actions. “While not proper etiquette, guests are free to wear what they like; while it is not good etiquette to wear white, I don’t recommend causing a scene by spilling wine or similar.”

“In this situation, the MIL will look foolish, as guests will see she is trying to undermine the bride,” Emma added. “Pay no attention and enjoy your wedding day: don’t let anyone try to ruin it!”

But as the bridesmaid detailed in the post, the issue with this story is not only that the MIL decided to steal the show during the big day, but that she did it to ignite drama. Previously, we had a chat with Sam Owen, a global relationships coach and author of Happy Relationships: 7 simple rules to create harmony and growth, about why weddings are notorious for creating conflict within the family.

“Tensions run high as so many members of the wedding party can feel personally invested in the occasion because it’s their son/daughter/brother/niece/bestie, etc.,” she told us. “The wedding can set the precedence for how you’re going to handle all of your significant relationships going forward. So with that in mind, people in your wedding party do sometimes utilize your wedding to assert their importance in your life, and test boundaries.”

Although the MIL definitely went out of her way to push the bride’s limits, Owen explained it’s best to keep a level head when handling similar unfortunate instances. “If you have to deal with difficult situations, be respectful and compassionate in your requests and make sure you make fair requests rather than hostile demands so that nobody can think or say you were in the wrong,” the coach advised.

“If you don’t trust people you’d have to invite, like family members, from ruining your big day, it is your special day, so consider having a wedding without anyone there other than any witnesses required,” Owen concluded.

After reading this wild story, people jumped at the chance to share their reactions

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