Is it ever, ever, ever OK to wear white to a wedding? And is it ever OK to do just that, if you’re the mother-in-law of the bride?
Such is the quandary of one mum and bride-to-be, who has taken to parenting forum Mumsnet to disclose how fraught her relationship with her mother-in-law is, and how much it’s coming to climax in the lead-up to her wedding.
“My MIL [mother-in-law] and I always got on brilliantly until my [son was born a year ago],” a user called 2016mumma wrote. “Since then she has been opinionated on every decision we make as his parents and if we ask her not to do something she will in front of us go against our wishes, with the excuse of ‘it’s what Grandmas do’.
That’s a whole different thread.
“We get married in September and yesterday my MIL announced she was wearing a off white [sic] dress for the occasion. [Am I being unreasonable] to be a little hurt by this I believed the etiquette of weddings was only the bride wears white?”
Listen: Speaking of mother-in-laws, listen to the Mamamia Out Loud team tackle a listener dilemma about a MIL who came to stay and refuses to leave.
The mum-of-one went on to explain she’s trying to not take it as a personal attack, but can’t see the decision as anything else.
“I am trying really hard not to take it personally and as a fingers up to me (although this is something she would do). She always wants to be the centre of attention and will play the victim if ever we try to discuss the way she is with [our son].
“If I am being reasonable in that it’s not the done thing to do, do we say something or keep our mouths shut for the sake of keeping the peace?” she asked fellow users.