'I made one silly comment. That's all it took for my brother to uninvite me from his wedding.'

As told to Anna DeGray.

I made a stupid mistake, and I'm still paying the price.

When my brother Tyler* got engaged, I assumed I'd be on the guest list.

We've always been close, growing up in a single-parent household, and we're just 14-months apart.

During our childhood we always had each other's backs, even during some of his bad life decisions. Like the time he left his beautiful, kind-hearted wife Mandy* for a woman he worked with. That woman is now his new wife, Alice*.

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When Tyler told me about the affair, I was horrified. Mandy had been like family. She even helped care for our mum when she was battling cancer, and she basically held our family together.

So when he left her for Alice, I really struggled to accept her, but I told myself I had to support my brother. That's what family does.

So I bit my tongue and gave Alice a chance, even though I found her cold and a bit smug. She wasn't the kind of person I'd ever really warm to.

Comparing her to Mandy, well, let's just say Alice was nothing much to look at. Mandy was absolutely stunning in a Margot Robbie kind of way.

But shortly after Alice was with Tyler, and they got engaged, Alice began to change.

There was the dramatic weight loss and then the very obvious nose job. Her entire face looked different. It was so crazy, watching someone morph into a completely new person.

I never said anything publicly, and I didn't mention anything to Tyler. I gossiped a bit, privately, with my cousin Jenny*, mostly over a few wines.

One night, a few months before the wedding, Jenny and I were having drinks and talking nonsense, as we often do. We started filming silly videos for laughs, talking about family drama.

I'm ashamed to admit that the topic of Alice came up, and I said things I shouldn't have.

I made jokes about her sudden transformation, calling her "plastic fantastic" and saying things like "Who knew a nose job could buy you a husband?" I cringe even talking about it now.

But the worst part was when I accidentally posted that video briefly to my private Instagram story. I thought it was only visible to a few close friends, but somehow, whether by screenshot or someone telling Tyler, it ended up being seen by my brother.

To this day, I suspect Jenny might have shared it out of guilt or to stir the pot. She's since gone very quiet on me and has ignored my calls.

Anyway, a few days later, I noticed I hadn't received an invitation to Tyler and Alice's wedding. I thought it was a mistake. So I texted him and his reply was devastating for me.

"You're not invited. You made it clear how you feel about Alice and I don't want that kind of energy at my wedding."

I rang him in tears, apologising over and over. I told him it was a drunken mistake and that I was deeply sorry.

I explained it was meant to be private, and I never intended for Alice to be hurt. But he didn't want to hear it.

He said it wasn't just the video, it was "years of tension" that he'd tried to move past. I was so shocked, as I'd been nothing but supportive of him since the divorce.

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And so the wedding went ahead without me! I had to see photos posted all over social media: Alice in a fitted white gown, her new face looking stunning.

Tyler looking proud, my mum and cousins, including Jenny, who smiled in every photo as if nothing had happened. I felt like my cousin had thrown me under the bus somehow.

I cried my eyes out, not just out of guilt and embarrassment, but from heartbreak. How could my own brother exclude me like this? Ironically, the person who showed me the most grace was Alice.

A couple of weeks after the wedding, I received a message from her. She said she'd seen the video, and while it hurt, she appreciated my apology.

She said she hoped we could all move on in time. I thanked her. I don't know if she truly forgives me or if it was just to keep the peace, but it meant a lot.

As for Tyler, we're still not speaking properly. I've sent a few messages here and there, trying to make amends. He reads them but doesn't reply. I'm hoping time will soften things, but I know trust isn't easily rebuilt.

What I did was wrong. There's no excuse. I let wine and gossip turn into something cruel and now I'm dealing with the fallout. If I could take it back, I would in a heartbeat.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Feature image: Canva. (Stock image for illustrative purposes).